{"id":21441,"date":"2026-02-15T20:02:34","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T03:02:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/?p=21441"},"modified":"2026-02-15T20:02:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T03:02:40","slug":"staying-motivated-openbook-blog-hop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/?p=21441","title":{"rendered":"Staying Motivated #OpenBook Blog Hop"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Feb 16, 2026<\/p>\n

From one of Kelly’s readers: What keeps you motivated on tough writing days?<\/h3>\n

This question is surprisingly hard for me. What keeps me motivated at all? I haven’t made a name for myself, and am barely breaking even monetarily. Some days, I feel like I’m writing into a void. But then I run into one of my local fans, and their kind words cheer me up. Or maybe it’s something that a fellow author says online.<\/p>\n

Some days, it would be easy to give up. But what really keeps me motivated are my characters. They want their stories to be told and get upset when I ignore them. (They also argue with me over the plot of the story. )<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And is there a moment in your journey so far that completely surprised you?<\/h4>\n

I am continually surprised by lessons and people along the way. The way other vendors at cons and festivals supported me as I tried to sell books. How poorly I do at some big events and how well I do at some small ones. What has surprised me the most? How much fun it is to sell a copy of a book out of the back of my Jeep at the local Dollar General. The joy I get when I complete a book, when I hold a physical copy of a new story, when I meet a new fan.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That takes me back to the first question. What motivates me on tough days? The search for that joy, and how I’m addicted to feeling it again.<\/p>\n

What motivates the other authors on this blog hop? You know the drill. Follow the links below to find out.<\/p>\n

As always, please stay safe until the next time.<\/p>\n

Goal update: I’m at 38,000 words. Major progress! And the plot finally reached a turning point I’ve been striving for.<\/em><\/p>\n

\r\n

\r\n

You are invited to the Inlinkz<\/strong> link party!<\/p>\r\nClick here to enter<\/a><\/div><\/div>\r\n