How do you keep yourself motivated?

[briarbun]

I'm working on my very first VN, and found that some important advice is ringing true right now.

When you think you're almost done, you're probably halfway there. (I think that was from Ask Gamedev on Youtube)

I'm starting to get burnout- it's been 5 months and I'd like to have the beta out by the 6 month mark. I have a few things left to do, but it's mostly really technical things I have to outsource to other people (like talking to a code expert on a glitch and getting their opinion, or giving my Live2D rig to an animator and waiting for the finished product, really boring stuff that makes me stomp around) and there's a little voice in the back of my head getting louder and louder...

"Why am I even doing this?"

I'd show off what I already have to try and get people excited and give me praise/feedback to boost my energy, but what I have I feel is so "homemade" looking that nobody will want to look at it anyways, so even if I finish it and release... what good does it do? I know that's not necessarily true, but the idea that a release will be met with crickets scares me so much more than the idea of criticism.

I thought about releasing the beta and then starting a kickstarter to raise money for better art- but then anyone who want's better art won't play it and wont know about the kickstarter- and everyone who's interested in playing will play it, then find the kickstarter and go "well I already played it, what's the difference with new art?".

How do you get around blues like this? Do you get further into the community so we lift each other up? Or do you try to find the joy of creating in something other than readers reactions?

One piece of advice that I'm not sure where it came from is trying to push me along:

The first draft is to make it exist.
The second draft is to make it work.
The final draft is to make it good.

My game almost exists! That's really cool, and I should at least find passion in crossing that finish line. Fingers crossed.

[Mikomi]

One thing to remember- motivation is fleeting for everybody for every project, especially as real life comes in. Motivation isn't enough to finish a project- developing a good work ethic is. My motivation is mostly fueled by wanting to see my future projects come to life- I can't start them before I finish my current stuff, but that's not the only thing fueling me. I know I have to finish my projects so I sit down and work on them. Some days that means I have to turn off my internet and discord to get stuff done.

A release will only be met with crickets if you don't share the project beforehand. If you're too scared to show WIPs because you're afraid the game won't receive any attention when it comes out... well, that's just a self-fulfilling prophecy. People can't be hyped for a game they don't know about and haven't seen before, so you have to market it. Releasing betas are typically a good idea- you want to iterate and get feedback, lest you don't know what needs improvement. Feedback is really important in knowing what to change!

Don't look at crowdfunding unless you're absolutely sure you need the money. KS is a hell of a beast and not one to take lightly- it takes months of preparation and feels like a full-time job while it's running. You'd be surprised how much stress it can generate.

All in all, good luck!

[briarbun]

That's really good advice- focusing on work ethic instead of grasping for motivation. I think I'll try and reflect on that before I sit down to work every day.

I'll probably pass on Kickstarter, I was taking it too lightly. Looking into it you're right- it's a beast and I'm not ready for that.

I'll try and work on marketing things nextm I might PM you even, I noticed your signature.