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Hi, Isaac,

I can’t recall these questions, so maybe there was a glitch. Anyway, I’ll do my best.

You don’t need to get motivated to write. If you’re a real writer, you ARE motivated to write because you have something to say. How long per day? Until you’re satisfied that you’re through with the part of the story you had planned for today. Or until you find yourself really struggling to find what comes next. That means your work time has overreached your planning, and you need to recharge. Computer or paper? Whatever works for you. My first years were all longhand on college-ruled paper. Once I felt confident enough to write on a computer, I never looked back. Warning: piled-up printed pages look like finished work; they’re not. They’re just as rough as the longhand. And is it OK to plan and write, then plan the next part and write it, and so on? Only if your whole story has been pre-planned and you’re working towards a conclusion. Yes, you can make changes, add and subtract people and events. But the whole framework must be there if you’re going to plan by the day.

OK? Hope that helps.                                                    —–Gordon Korman—–