Make Writing Fun
Writing is a passion of mine, which automatically equates to doing something fun and exciting, right? Not necessarily. It’s up to each writer to create and find the fun. Kind of like planning a party or a vacation…or teaching kids. Fun may run and hide once in a while, but we can gently reel it back where it belongs.
Remember your early school days? You probably had a stand-out teacher. Exceptional teachers aren’t born that way. They’ve got a few simple tricks up their sleeves, which we writers can borrow. A few suggestions to rev up the fun meter when writing:
– Read before you write. Not just anything, but something inspiring. Something you find superbly written that contains punchy words, lines and action. Sources might be a newspaper article, a book, a poem or even a quotation. Studying talent helps increase the flow of our own writing talent.
– Take notes. Eminem provided this tip: collect bits and pieces of inspiration wherever you can find them, write them down and save them in a shoe box. Inspiration equals fun. Eminem shuffles through the box when he’s writing a song, and picks out words or lines that might lead him to an idea. I write ideas in a notebook as they pop into my head, and run through them once I’m done with the first draft. Reading these inspires me to make the story shine.
– Don’t forget to do something fun that isn’t writing. We need down time to regenerate. If I don’t utilize downtime now and then, I feel like I’m studying for the Bar Exam…again. Which means there’s a possibility my head may explode. How fun would that be?
But there are deadlines that must be met. This is the part where you remind yourself there are carefree ways to write or rewrite that don’t involve sitting/standing behind a desk. In fact, it doesn’t involve a desk at all. I rework my writing when commuting to work, when watching TV, when walking or petting my dogs. Washing dishes is a great writing stimulator (and makes for clean dishes). This deskless writing allows for more relaxed thinking, leading to a flow of ideas. We don’t need to feel pressure while writing.
Please don’t forget the fun of writing, keep that spark lit and find ways to restore the sheer joy of writing. That’s what we signed up for!
