Should writing be fun? I saw some other posts about this around the blogosphere and contemplated it this weekend. I had a rare block of three hours on Saturday to focus on my WIP and, let me tell you, writing is work.
Part of the process should absolutely be fun. The creative spark should be fun. Getting to know characters and developing relationships should be fun. And the most fun part of being a writer: hanging out with other writers. Critique group meetings, book clubs, book launches, and conferences; I could do it everyday.
But sitting down to that computer screen, notebook page, or typewriter, that is work. Finding the exact words to represent your character while moving the plot forward and establishing themes is work. Taking critique and incorporating suggestions is work. Revising and revising and revising is work.
It’s the balance between work and fun that is present in any job. Parts of writing should absolutely be fun, but it’s the work that you put in late at night, early in the morning, when it’s just you and your words that make you a writer. Please leave thoughts in the comments; I’m off to book club to hang out with other writers
It is work; but it’s still way more fun than, say, cleaning toilets. Or doing a mountain of paperwork!
Absolutely! It’s definitely a balance. The creative part is fun, but a lot of writing doesn’t feel all that creative; it feels like heavy labor. But it’s satisfying to see the result of all that work.
Oh yeah! Or laundry, the bane of my existence
I love reading over a scene and thinking “Huh, that’s not bad. I wouldn’t change any of that.” Such a victory!