Writing Requires Intrinsic Motivation
By: Kae Smith
Tags: Passion, Intrinsic Motivation, Writing, Motivation

Writing Requires Intrinsic Motivation

Photo by Steven Houston on Unsplash

I loved writing papers in university. Absolutely loved it. I was thrilled. Joyous, even.

It wasn’t the actually writing of it, but more so the research. Majoring in Sociology gave me a free pass to read up on as many cool and interesting social topics as I wanted, and then cherry pick my favourite bits of information and cobble them together into a paper.

The grades were never my main priority, and my transcript is proof of that. I was in it for the knowledge. The reading. The understanding. I wasn’t encouraged by the possibility of an A, but rather the journey the writing would take me on.

I take this same approach with Medium.

Don’t write for the end result. Write for yourself.

Many of us imagine that each article we write will the one. The one that goes viral, that gets us noticed, that changes everything. With that in mind, we write either one of two ways.

Each word is scrutinized, and then viciously slashed. We imagine the eyes of thousands, not dozens, on these words, and imagine how they’d be read. We write for the masses, not what comes from the heart; praying that our writing is the right amount of insightful and vague so it will get picked up by the big publication and splayed across the front pages of Google. Articles are pumped out rhythmically, thanks to a rage-fueled Excel chart that allows us to churn out three articles a day because so-and-so does that and they seem to do alright. Following formulaic layouts and the ideas of previously successful Medium writers, you’re left with a pile of half-hearted 500-word copies of others, each one you dreamt would be the one due to the buzz words, the number in the title, or the formatting you copped from someone else.

Pssst. Don’t do that.

I see you. I was you, for a little bit. And then I stopped.

This kind of writing is not only unsatisfactory, but it’s unsustainable. You can only go so far pretending to be someone else, or tailoring your words to fit the niche of another author. On the other hand, our own voice will never let you down.

Many people are scared to write this way, to write as they actually think, how their inner monologue really works, because it’s not as popular, or it’s harder to gain a following, it’s harder to gain money.

Admittedly, that is why a lot of writers piggyback off the articles of others, copying and trying to nap inspirations because they too want to be successful, be known for their work (and honestly, you can’t blame them). But it’s not always that easy.

The fame and recognition, the readers and the views, all of that comes with time. The overnight successes are few and far between. It may happen to you, it may not. But if you want to stick with it long enough to reap the rewards, then you need to find a motivation that doesn’t involve the potential success you could achieve.

Loving the Process

On weekends I like to wake early and move down to the kitchen, making rich, black coffee and writing for hours before the sun rises. Most of it never sees the light of day, most of it is trashed on a re-read, but it’s my way to get it all out, it’s my creative outlet, it’s my everything.

I can explain myself better when writing, I can work through all my problems with words, it’s more than any website, or comments; above all else I write for me. I love every aspect of it, and it’s worth it every day.

It’s not perfect or easy every day, but honestly, what is?

The only way you’ll stick with something is if you love it. And the only way to guarantee success (or whatever it is you want to achieve from your writing) is to stay consistent with it. Simple math.

Reaping the rewards

The rewards I promised in the headlines may not come in the form of cold, hard cash. Sorry.

But if that’s all you’re writing for, then maybe Medium isn’t for you. This place of passion and community and expression is so much more than some half-assed words and a Stripe account.

The rewards might be a few followers. Some eyes on your writing, which may have never had eyes on it before. It could be some genuine advice from a reader or author, something you get for free in a comment alongside a few claps, or getting accepting into a publication.

All that comes from the drive to keep going, from the love that pushes you to write even when you don’t want to, from the calm and rage that it brings you.

Writing is something you need to feel — you can’t just pump out words like they’re nothing.

Intrinsic motivation is your drive.

Would you write without the acceptance of the world? If you could never show anyone what you were doing? Then it’s right for you.

If you feel as if you need validation for it, or you only do it to catch the eyes of others, then it will never truly be yours.

Having that intrinsic motivation, writing simply for the joy of letting words flow from your fingertips, without any regard for the external rewards, is how you know you’ve found it. Your thing. What drives you, your passion.

And nothing is better than that.