I have a problem and it’s one I haven’t encountered before.  But first some background.  I’ve been writing stories since the last century,  I’ve sold 45 short stories and published a dozen novels.  Several years ago, I started writing non-fiction and wrote books on fiction writing, self-publishing and book marketing.

My problem is I’m un-motivated to write more books or stories.

I’ve run out of nonfiction stuff to write about: any new nonfiction book will just be stuff I’ve previously written rearranged.  Besides that, I can’t get interested in writing fiction. Actually, I’ve developed storylines for three new novels, but when it comes time to start writing scenes in one of those stories, my brain goes into overdrive and comes up with a list of stuff I can do instead.  The odd thing is that the storylines are good.  The completed novel would be a great story. Unfortunately, I have no inclination to write those stories.

Much to my surprise, when I told my friend and fellow author, Joylene Butler, about this, she said, “Me too!”

Here’s how Joylene describes her lack of motivation:

My entire career as a novelist, I’ve always begun a new book during the final stages of my current one. Until now. For over a year, every time I sit down to write a word, I find myself up again and off to do something entirely different: wash floors, walk the beach, watch Youtube. What’s wrong with me? Where’s my muse? I can’t describe how weird this feels… it’s like walking into a room and forgetting why I’m there. 

Joylene and I had a few Zoom meetings to see if we could come up with a project to get us back into writing.  We thought about a joint Youtube channel but that didn’t go very far.  Joylene mentioned that we can’t be the only two authors who have this problem and suggested we try to find others.  Her thinking was that new faces and perspectives could kick off an idea or a project to get us all back on track.

That idea led to the idea of Unmotivated Authors Anonymous (UAA) and this article.  If you’re an author who is currently unmotivated, why not get in touch with us by leaving a comment. We can all set up a chat and brainstorm together. 

Learn more about us at: 

Joylene’s webpage: joylenebutler.com 

Hank’s webpage: https://writersarc.com

The post Unmotivated Authors appeared first on Hank Quense.