2026 Motivation Thread

[Hobbit]

Happy New Year, all!

As Red Mage said last year:

This is the thread to share your goals for the year, to share your struggles and setbacks and accomplishments, and where your fellow forumites can cheer you on, commiserate with you and help you through whatever problems you may be facing.

So let us know what your goals are! Are you planning to write a novel this year? Or maybe you're in the middle of a draft and want to finish in the next two months. Or do you write short stories and flash and want to get your work out to specific markets? This is the place to share it all!

And, should your goals change--like, when you complete one goal and move onto another--be sure to update us with both the good news and the next item on your plate

 

[EricJ]

Been a moment, but I'd say I have little motivation to write. I'm going through some things, and need to just chill out on writing. It's not a block per se, but shifting of priorities more or less, so I'm not down for the count. I had a bit of of a problem of spilling some Mocha cappacino on my previous laptop, and it took some time to get it, so who knows. But just needed to say something because I haven't interacted on this forum in a long time.

 

[RedMage]

Hey @EricJ! If you're thinking of writing, thinking about your story, then you are writing! It'll be there, ready and waiting, when you have the chance to put it down on paper or screen.

I was sick for two weeks and not able to stop coughing long enough, or focus enough when I finally started getting better, to do any writing. I had a good habit going before that, then getting sick ended it. I'm looking at my Lake Proper novella WIP and just wondering where to even begin. I'm a quarter of the way in, so it shouldn't be that hard to figure out and, yet... I'm just going o have to put my butt in the chair and write.

 

[EricJ]

Yeah it's just I have other priorities and just balancing them out, and feeling when I'm ready, I'll be ready to continue.

 

[N. E. White]

Are you planning to write a novel this year?

Thanks, Hobbit! For starting this thread.

I'm late to the party, but yes, I plan to write and self-publish two books this year.

The first book, which is actually the second in my new series, is just about finished and ready to go to the copy editor on the 14th of March. I'm excited about getting it off my plate and onto someone else's! Then I can write the next book.

Motivation is flagging though. The world is on fire and that makes it hard to concentrate on something that feels trivial.

But I will continue.

 

[N. E. White]

I'm just going o have to put my butt in the chair and write.

And did you?

 

[N. E. White]

Yeah it's just I have other priorities and just balancing them out, and feeling when I'm ready, I'll be ready to continue.

We all struggle with balancing work, family, friends, hobbies, and our writing. I often think if I had had children, there'd be no way I could fit in as much writing as I do. I don't know how parents do it.

Not saying that's your priority, but just an example. I hope things balance out for you soon.

 

[EricJ]

We all struggle with balancing work, family, friends, hobbies, and our writing. I often think if I had had children, there'd be no way I could fit in as much writing as I do. I don't know how parents do it.

Not saying that's your priority, but just an example. I hope things balance out for you soon.

Yeah I think after 50 books I can take some time off. My current WIP is on the working on queue, but I just had other things going on. I think within a month or so I'll get back into it and such.

 

[N. E. White]

Yeah I think after 50 books I can take some time off.

WOW! Fifty? I'm impressed. And yeah, you can take some time off.

 

[Alan L]

I posted this in the progress thread but I'm so happy I'm going to say it here too: I wrote a decent ending for my WIP! The first ending I wrote for this, many, many moons ago, was just a flat and unsatisfying end to a story that had slowly lost momentum after a pretty exciting start. A great deal of work has gone into getting to this point, and now I can really subject this thing to a round of developmental editing, flesh out some stories, and integrate a metric ton of notes I've made along the way. I think I can officially say I'm working on a second draft now!

I'm going to go get someone to pinch me now, just in case.