But Caro, I haven’t heard of Movitation Overload before… what is it?
Well, I’m so glad you asked.
Motivation overload happens when you want to do stuff, but just can’t figure out what to do next.
Take my August for example. During June and July, I was cranking out a draft of a novel. Absolutely stacking it. Writing every day, just so excited about the book, and the characters, and what was going to happen next. I loved every minute of it. When I wasn’t writing, I was thinking about it, crafting the next bit, and going back and editing older chapters.
Then it was over. Done! I printed it out and put it aside and then I sat on the couch.
For days.
I wanted to have that same momentum with another book. I wanted to get swept away. I opened file after file. I read things, hoping to get motivated, hoping to dive in. Every draft I opened I loved. I found flaws, so I wrote notes. I hated characters, so I wrote plans to end them. But I did not write a single chapter in any of the books.
It wasn’t that I didn’t love them. It was that I did! All of them. I loved the one about the Roman Empire. I loved the one about the dragons. I loved the one about the ghosts. But I couldn’t choose, couldn’t settle. They all grabbed my attention, and my head whirled with so many characters I found it really hard to concentrate.
It took me two weeks before I realised I had to take a break. I had to read someone else’s work, or watch a movie, or play Minecraft. I had to be patient, which is something I routinely struggle with! I also had to remember to be kind to myself. Days where I am not creating, not actively writing, are still important. Brains need time to recharge, and it was clear that after my epic months of drafting, I needed a break.
The motivation is still there, as is the desire, but I still can’t choose, so I need to take care of myself first. I know that I will pick up a pen again, and soon, and I will be able to concentrate on one thing – for a little while, at least – but until then I can let the overload ease and take some time to weed my poor neglected garden!