On Writing : What's Your Motivation? by Kat Spencer

Hi, Kat Spencer. I hope you're having a great week! My motivation for writing is to tell stories and make money from them.

What inspired me to write short stories was my elementary school teacher and the movie Harriet the Spy. What inspired me to write scripts was the Office Space script.

What keeps me going is my motivation for writing: telling stories and making money from them.

What about you?

To become a great writer

Hey Kat Spencer my motivation is to create an impact and to create a conversation piece with my writing.

My motivation is to make the best out of my creativity

What goes on around me...

1. To get the stories out of my head and into reality. 2. To make a living. :)

I always loved creating stories and fictional worlds and I dream of making them come alive on screen. That's also my motivation to keep going. I got into writing because when I got into reading as a young girl I was frustrated when I finished a book and didn't want to accept the story ended haha.

hi sorry first of all i would like to ask how to link the community member i mention in the message thank you

Hi, Emanuele Vergari. Put @ in front of a person's name.

The motivation that drives me to write, despite the real difficulty of having professional opportunities, is, if I may say so, existential. I was born into a complex family situation for a child, and reading saved me from the difficult environment in which I lived, and in this context I imagine the vision of worlds, imagination, a private place of refuge was born. This saved me and now, as my life enters the 'third act' :-), I have a financially and affectively peaceful life to be able to mentally dedicate myself to transforming this 'attitude' with a professional approach. This is a very private comment, but maybe it can be useful for someone.

My motivation always is to share with others! We all have a story to tell :)

Wonderful answers everyone! Lucy Addams loved that "I was frustrated when I finished a book and didn't want to accept the story ended." So you took matters into your own hands.

Maurice Vaughan My motivation/inspiration comes from my life. I find it very therapeutic to write. My stories are usually intertwined with what's going on around me, though the storylines differ considerably, the inner concepts match the inner struggles. I love creating worlds. I love writing that inspires and helps people who might be going through something similar. I find both fiction and self-help accomplish the same goals. Debra Holland we are in alignment here, though my writing doesn't pay the bills yet ;)

That's great, Kat Spencer! Writing is very therapeutic. I was writing one day recently, and I felt better afterward. I love creating worlds too. Sometimes I think of the cities/towns/etc., the rules, the way characters dress, the businesses, etc.

Kat Spencer, I’ve been writing since I was a kid and I’ve always found the biggest source of inspiration in my own life and the people around me. I think it started as a way to process emotions and understand the world, and over time it became a way to give voice to thoughts and feelings that are sometimes hard to say out loud.

I hear that completely Ashley Renee Smith. I do the same for both music and books. It's quite a magical feeling and helpful to not only us who write it but those who read or listen. <3

I usually have two notebooks. One for general notes and another in which I wrote down ideas, images, and dialogues for the project I'm writing. These two notebooks constantly complement each other, and I refer to them to reconnect with stories, characters, and images that somehow move me or have impacted me. This way, I try to always be writing and, above all, rewriting, which is the fundamental basis of our craft.

hi Tania Cárdenas Paulsen Interesting method to fuel creativity

My motivation for writting happenned over 30 years ago. I have had an incredibl,unbelievable life .I needed to get it out there. However with my limited education it took me over 30 years from the time I started to jot down my emeories in little noetpads on the train to and from works. My determination not to give up came to fruition in the end.

That's awesome Andrea Johns :)

This is a cliché, but my inspiration comes within. Words are freedom. Words are power. My cerebral palsy makes me feel like I'm a prisoner inside my body. I don't feel accepted or accomplished unless I am writing. This is what most people don't get. They don't think I can do much. They think I am limited and need help with everything. Even the ones close to me. I'm so much more than a guy in a wheelchair. And, I swear, the first time someone realized it was when my occupational therapist put a computer in front of me. I wrote a short story. THAT was my way of giving the finger to anyone who doubted me. 20 years later, even though I'm not technically a " professional" screenwriter, I still have that chip on my shoulder. That is my motivation.

Kevin Enners I'm inspired by your words to say, that when others place limitations on us, it gives us that drive to prove them wrong. I wouldn't call that a chip, which is negative, I would call that your motivation and drive and that's cool. I have a few people in my life with cerebral palsy and I know how amazing they are even if their bodies hold them back at times, their minds are absolutely brilliant. I'd love to read that short story :)

Very well-defined post, Kevin Enners

My inspiration is the messiness of life and the chaos of this awe-inspiring and existentially uncaring universe.

I've been using my imagination and putting it to paper since atound age 6. I saw E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial in the theater in Toronto and it changed.. My. Life. In my ADHD brain (and certainly influenced by my Jamaican mechanic father) wanted to know how it was made. I became obsessed with Speilberg and wildly obsessed with the entire creative process. Writing is breath to me. I used my writing to cope with teenage mania (when no one knew it was that in the mid-90s) and even when I moved to Ohio, for a while, I was still creating at an insane clip.

But something strange happened. It was like feeling this crushing weight of some form of institutionalized apathy that came over me. I became a 9 to 5er (not that there's anything wrong with making a decent living) but I was in a situation where my options to branch out were limited in small town OH-IO...and depression washed over me.

And even after I returned to my home country, I was still depressed. I couldn't understamd why. I tried to live day to day (as everyone is now) - and it took an NDE to snap me out of it and now I am wriiting everything, everywhere, as often as I can...because I LITERALLY forgot to breathe for years. Because writing is breath for me.

And I get this is a little tl;dr but that is sort of the point: I understand my 46 year old, Canadian, ranting, crazed, messy, impostor-syndrome-feeling BIPOC bipolar agent of chaos has a VERY unique POV about the state of the universe, the world, the human condiiton and the state of himself (which is STILL the hardest hurdle.) Life is crazy (especially now.) Life is HARD. Life also has moments of profound beauty and moments of glorious resistence against the machine that tries to pit us against each other. So I want to write about it ALL. Cause honestly...I dunno if I'll walk away from the next car crash. The next step for me is now working on not just being a "writer", but a GOOD writer.

Len Archibald Thank you for sharing a part of you! I'm a mindset mentor so aside from loving your story and appreciating everything about it I resonate with (including not wanting to be a 9-5er), the one thing that stood out is "Life is HARD." Now, coming from a woman who has walked through fire and survived (metaphorically speaking), this is the one thing I wish to share. Life doesn't have to be hard. Life is what you make of it. There are inconveniences. There are hard things, but we go in the direction we point. So if we point to happiness, and we focus on the good, and the beautiful that you obviously see, that statement fades away. Life is hard if you believe it is hard. Life is messy, sure. Life is interesting. Life is beautiful. You are already a GOOD writer. You may even be a great one. From the above, I'd say you are well on your way. Your perspective is unique. Share it!

For me, writing is a form of catharsis. It lets me explore different and unique worlds while also creating characters that speak to the human experience. Plus, stories are always some of the best forms of escapism.

Kat Spencer I do appreciate the encouragement! You are correct about perspective. As a personal thing, it is one of those things I try to improve on as a human.

Very true Holly Fouche !

The motivation came to me when I met a Romanian producer and he bought me a script that impressed him. (I already had a lot of writing on old notebooks) then, I started to transcribe what I already had on the papers in the final draft and start learning to write. I managed to finish 5 of the best scripts that I honestly want to see on the big screen. not because they are mine, I am not subjective, but they are scenarios that I have not come across in other films, and I have watched almost all sci-fi and spiritual thriller films, none of them measure up to these writings of mine. I repeat: I AM NOT SUBJECTIVE! but their story is perfect.

Therapy, I guess. I can't stop stories of all kinds drifting, or rampaging though my mind. They affect me in many ways. I started writing them down occasionally decades ago. Not valuing them. Then, after taking acting for years, I started writing plays and screenplays. I found it's good for me to let the stories out. Time seems to zoom by, and people seem to like what I write. And I have found I have a common type of a mind that writers share, so I'm not that odd any more. I just needed to find a place to be.

Well said David Austin Veal and so true!

I was raised in an abusive household and books were my escape. So for me, writing is a way of giving others a chance to have a break from life.

Sorry to hear you were raised in an abusive household, Gina Lawrence. I'm glad you had an escape, and I think it's great that you're writing to give others chance to have a break from life!

I'm a screenwriter.

I am very sorry you had to go through this, Gina Lawrence I can relate to that in a sense. I have a very narcissistic family member and it's difficult to grow up with someone like that. Writing is my best escape to deal with that, and to sort out my own thoughts and emotions.

That's great to hear. For you I hope you can get your scripts to the screen. Fingers crossed! Gradinariu Petru-pavel

Hi everyone!

Writing wasn’t always the plan. For years, I worked in kitchens around the world after serving in the Army. Food was my art form, it’s where I poured all my creativity. But over time, my military-related injuries got worse, and I had to make the tough call to leave that career behind. That was a rough chapter, losing something you love like that. I didn’t know what came next.

Funny enough, it was my friends who lit the writing spark. For years, they’d joke, “You always figure out movie plots way too fast, you should be writing them.” I heard it a lot growing up, but never thought anything would come of it. Eventually, after enough of their (loving) badgering, I took the leap and enrolled in school for creative writing. And here we are.

Now, writing has become that new outlet I was missing, a way to take all that creative energy I used to put into food and channel it into stories that matter. I’ve always loved layered tales like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, where the real battle is internal, and the themes cut deeper than what’s on the surface. That’s the kind of storytelling I want to pursue.

Excited to be on this journey with all of you.

That's awesome Montana Clayton! I can relate to losing something you love and trying to find your new path. I share your talent in "figuring out movie plots way too fast." hahaha. Though I have written some fiction novels, I've never thought about moving into creating movies or TV. Honestly, I look at everything it takes to make something like that, and I'm in awe. Welcome, and thank you for your comment and best of luck to your storytelling career!

My main motivation for writing began with wanting to read my own science fiction stories. Then I transitioned to writing scripts for film and sketch projects I would film on Super 8 and VHS as a teen. I always looked at writing as part of my career along with acting and filmmaking.

I was inspired by everything that Stanley Kubrick's films conveyed to me, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, 2001, but my biggest idol in this profession is Vince Gilligan, with his masterpieces, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, my greatest motivation is to write a story that touches the hearts of the people who read it, that like Kubrick, explores the duality of human nature, that shows and transmits all the advice that I could give about love, and that explores the corruption of people and shows the reality of human beings.