I think the secret to motivation in writing is having an audience. Now to a certain extent the act of writing is leap of faith that someone, someday will appreciate the story, the characters and all the effort that was put into it.
Sure, sure, there will always be some that can find their motivation elsewhere. Even I have at times. But when it all fades away, and the quiet is the only response to your hard work, then as a writer, our faith is tested.
And sometimes that faith crumbles completely. In my case I stopped listening even before the responses faded. After a while the quiet echoed loud enough to get my attention back.
Just recently I got a real slap to the head bringing this reality back into focus. It came in the contact from a fellow writer buddy. Just having her read and discuss some of my work became a life giving shock to my system. Yes, there are still people who want to read my work. Yes, there is still hope and faith.
