Eep, sorry for the long time sans update...had a few deadlines breathing down my back ^_^"!  This entry will focus on motivation and confidence, vital factors in successfully completing work or gaining extra practise.

1) Happy Days (eyy!)
Drawing is supposed to feel good. Though often during impending deadlines, dull commissions, parental discouragement or seeing tough competition, creating your own work feels like a chore and you'd give anything to be doing something else. But rest assured that this ISN'T a sign that you shouldn't be drawing...every single mangaka goes through this in order to build up self-discipline. If you push yourself to the limits and survive, you'll be very proud of yourself knowing you have a higher output, skill level and work-tolerance (which in turn is a great foundation for future projects).

2) Motivation Triggers
To get psyched up about a project try finding things that inspire you to draw. These are totally personal and could be anything along the lines of:

Music - Either music you like or music that reminds you of manga (anime soundtracks, j-pop etc). You could also try songs that remind you of a time when you were working on a previous manga which turned out well. Use the pride you felt upon completing that project to keep you going for this one.

Forums - If you're entering a major competition, there are definitely going to be threads around for mutual encouragement. These are great for taking a break when working because they refresh your mind but leave you raring to draw again.

Previous Winners - Again, for big contests, you should be able to track down examples of previous winners. Aside from the huge benefit of seeing what sort of criteria the judges are looking for, they are direct proof of the success you can claim if you complete your entry.  No better incentive that that :P!

Friends - The internet is all good for  browsing pictures but nothing quite beats a  'live' get together of manga artists. Even if it's one other friend in your bedroom or a huge group of people at a convention, seeing and talking to other people with the same ambitions should definitely kick start your own work.

Artists - Is there an artist with a career you really admire but who started off 'just like you'? This will almost definitely be an OEL artist since asian mangakas can create stunning work but their professional and personal circumstances are entirely different from yours. Set yourself a goal that you want to become (or exceed) your artist idol in 5 years. Find out what they did for their career (win a contest? join a manga studio?) and triy to follow their footsteps.

Shopping - Forget associating shopping with guilt (that's only for women who wear metallich eyeshadow, globs of mascara and too much self-tanner). When you're stuck in rut nothing gives a nicer endorphin rush than a trip into town for a new HTDM book, a set of fineliners or a CD to listen to when working.

3) Pride and Prejudice
Confidence and motivation go close together...if you're confident in what you do then you'll obviously enjoy doing it more! Treasure every bit of praise or encouragement you get, and keep that 'accumulative' confidence in your mind. Eventually, you will experience negative responses regarding your hobby, be it from parents who think you should be doing something better or a brutally honest crit from someone. As much as it might hurt, remind yourself that ALL artists have been through this...the stronger ones stuck it out and went onto success whereas the weaker ones disappeared in spite and self-doubt. In the long run, which would you prefer to be?

4) Ways to get good online feedback
Virtual compliments are just as confidence-boosting as real ones. But try to keep these points in mind when posting work:

Show finished work - There's nothing wrong with uploading sketches but coloured pictures are what really impresses people and they're far more likely to leave a message. If you eventually become 'known' for only uploading lovely finished pictures then you might have a fanbase of people anticipating your work. You won't subscribe  to or regularly check a gallery whose owner only ever dumps a load of half-finished sketches inside.

Write a sensible comment - To your own picture that is. Usually this might include what inspired you, how long the picture took, what program/media you did it in and what parts you're happy/no so happy with. The more you write, the more info people have to reference from if they wish to leave a comment. For the love of god don't write 'I DRW DIS PIC, want ur comments PLEEEEASE!!!!1111'.

No fishing for compliments  - If you drew a picture you're genuinely proud of, then don't write you think it sucks and you hate yourself. It's a major turn-off to artists who may want to leave a genuine critique.

5) Screw You
Hehe, a good attitude to have (at times). Considering the nature of the hobby, manga artists tend to be gentle, pleasant people who take things to heart and rarely think of upsetting others. But in the real world there will always be people out to upset you, and it's useful to have a mental defence in place. If someone doesn't like your work, then it's their taste...they might have a weird fetish for something you don't like so fair's fair XD. You can never please everyone, as as long as you get enjoyment from what you do then no-one else is to judge whether that work is 'good' or 'bad'.