How to get motivated to start a new project

So I finished my last WIP and am sitting here with one unfinished yet I can't go any further with it until I have moved and life is a little better since it's a non-fiction book and it's about our lives. I edited it as far as I could go but nothing came to me since I am too anxious and worried about moving to take it any further. The book is about my starting to take my autistic son to church and hopefully helping him to find God. I don't know if I will be able to finish it even after we move because he may not do well ina church atmosphere and I am not going to push it more then once or twice if he doesn't respond well. That will nix that idea for a book...

Anyway, I am wondering how to get myself jazzed up for a new project. I thought I wanted to write a suspense horror story I have had in mind for years but when I was outlining it I just couldn't get to the murderous scenes, it just doesn't feel right so I gave up...I have another story about a single mom with an autistic child and I am planning on possibly starting on that one next, but I just can't seem to get motivated...

I used to write every day and now I can't...I didn't get chosen for the First Chapter's contest so that freed up my first novel and I am trying to get its query letter finalized (posted in SYW) and appreciate all the feedback that has been offered, that is what brings me back to this board, all of you are AWESOME about feedback and honesty, that is what makes me proud to be a member here.

So what can you do to get motivated to start up a new project? Should I just wait until I am all settled in the new place in June? I really want to start writing again because I sit here bored out of my skull during the week and I hate it...but I just can't seem to get started on the next project. I think part of it was I want to get the query for Walk of Fire done and sent out to some agents to see if there is any interest on it, but I am not sure the letter is strong enough yet, I think it's better now, but I am still not sure it's as good as it needs to be.

HELP! Need ideas on what to do about my quandry...I just can't get started yet for whatever reason, and yet I NEED to get writing again, it's been over a month now and I am just afraid I won't be able to write anymore if I don't get back into it soon. I am just so worried about moving though, it's been weighing so heavily on my mind because of my son, we're going to be getting a three bedroom two bath place moving there from a two bedroom one bath apartment and I am just really worried about how hard it's going to be to adjust to a new place after being here for six years where I know what to expect every day you know? I know I am all over the place with this thread but I am just feeling scattered in my life and unable to focus on writing anymore, because of the move looming up ahead in June.

I can't wait to get moved, I am really looking forward to it on one hand but on the other I am terrified of having so much space and am afraid that it will be a really rough adjustment for me and the little guy because I am going to be the one chasing after him to make sure he's not being naughty and flushing stuff down the toilets...He has done that here and I hate it! That stupid movie Flushed Away is what gave him the idea and he just won't stop trying it...

That sounds like a great story you wrote, did you get it published yet Kate? I love the title...It sounds like a good story as well as having theraputic benefits...Thanks for the thoughtful reply, I am hoping to finish the query letter today that i started yesterday, it's SO HARD writing those letters for me, I have trouble getting the hook and making it interesting. But I think I have done so this last revamp. You're so right about being able to control everything in your writing and htat helps to empower me in my real daily life, I just hate that there are so many unknowns at the moment. If I get the letter down and sent out this week or the beginning of next I am going to try to start on the new story.

I just hope I still have the writing ability I have tried to hard to hon during the past few years. It's so hard to just sit here with nothing to do but clean or surfing the net, I haven't been here for awhile because it's a reminder of the lack of progress I have made in the past month so I decided yesterday to write the query letter and to post the first draft here for feedback. I hope that the current version sizzles compared to the first draft in the opening post...

Judg said:

Why don't you take a look at the Flash Fiction Challenge Archives here on the forum. Every week they post a prompt and give 90 minutes to post the resulting story online. You could look at the old prompts and do your own private challenge, writing a story for each prompt as quickly as possible. One or two of these are bound to get your creative juices flowing again, with possibilities of expanding the story much further. And the ones that go nowhere else will at least provide some practice.

Just a thought.

Click to expand...

Good idea Judg, I haven't looked at the FFC since it started, I participated in the first challenge but haven't been able to since then because the weekends are rough for me.

Thanks Tallymark for the thoughtful reply. I have thought those very things myself and decided that if we can't go the church route that I will work on reading a children's bible with him. I hope I can help him find God because the title of the book is Finding the Light. I have about 50 pages of it so far and had to stop because we lost the aide we had who was really helping us. I also talked about moving so I want to get that out of the way so I can talk about how he adjusted to the new place and how we try out church. I am glad you think the concept is strong, that makes me happy to hear, thank so much for posting.

I am not sure how well church will go over, I am repapred to sit in on a sunday school class or two with him to see how it works out. This one church in our area does have a special program for autistic kids so I am thinking that they might be the place to start. I have such fond memories of sunday school I really want to give my son a chance to try it out and see if it works for him. Although he is autistic he is very social so I think that as he's gotten older he has opened up more to talking to people and is finally thinking about how other people feel, for instance if my eyes are watering from fatigue (I have apnea I am getting a cpap machine soon to hopefully relieve the daytime tiredness I suffer with) he comes over and asks, "Why cry? Don't cry."

To me that is a HUGE deal because a few months ago about six months now, he never cared if my eyes watered and he never noticed. He is being much more social at school too, and I think a lot of it is because he's in a special school here in our county that takes time to help him in the way he really needs help. I have great hope for his future and think he's going to live a wonderful life, whereas a few years ago I was lost in grief myself and thinking the future was bleak and grim. I am so glad to be wrong about that.