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Hi, Karli,

Thanks for posting and for trusting me with all your questions and worries. I hope I can be of some help.

I don’t need inspiration, and most authors don’t either. We write because we have something to say, a story to tell. That’s what starts us scribbling. And I don’t need to find ideas to keep my stories going, because I plan my work before I ever put a single word down. That’s something you’re going to have to work on, Karli. You can’t say anything properly unless you know exactly what you want to say. And you can’t know that unless you plan it out first.

And I don’t need to work at keeping myself motivated. Writing books is the profession I chose. It’s my work. Of course I’m motivated. As for worrying about your story having to be great because it may be published one day — you’ve got that backwards! If your story isn’t good, or if you “screw it up,” it will probably not be published at all.

My advice? Write what you like, what pleases and amuses you. Learn how to make it great, polish it up, self edit what’s good and what’s not so great. You say you love writing, so do it! And love it! And have fun with it. All you’re missing is a little self-discipline. You need to develop a system — dream up a story, make a few notes, plan the settings, characters, and events.Plan out th ending so you’re always writing towards something. Do the writing. And — VERY important — enjoy it. If you like your results, chances are other people will like your results too!

OK? Good luck!                                                                                          —–Gordon Korman—–