Are you tired, stressed and down right crabby?
Do you find yourself working too hard?
Maybe you're stomping on that gas peddle,
spinning your wheels in futility and
digging a deep hole rather than moving forward.
Often, we believe running faster,
and putting our shoulder to the wheel will assure success.
How's that working for you?
Months ago, I wrote my tush off, plotted, edited,
and rewrote till by eyes burned and my back spasmed.
Determined to be productive.
I thought.
Pages mounted, but on inspection they lacked that indescribable spark
that ignites a readers soul and warms the heart.
Why?
I studied craft. I spent ample time writing.
What had I missed?
Living!
I'd thrown myself off balance.
All work and no play makes Jane a dull girl.
My characters were grey as an old fence and just as wooden.
And the plots were dry as the salt flats,
because I'd forgotten an important tool in fiction.
Play.
Engaging in the creation of art should be fun, joyful and exciting.
I'd made it a distasteful chore.
Big grimace at that realization.
Not as painful as a root canal with out anaesthesia, but close.
What I'd slaved to produce bored the hell out of me.
No fun.
No life.
No point in anyone reading that drivel.
I took a break and forced myself to venture out, go to a movie,
have dinner with friends, and reconnect with the joys of the world.
It took a few weeks to recover from my Spartan diet of fun,
but it happened.
I made a leap from my logical, rule oriented side of my brain
to the playful, intuitive and creative mind.
Characters gained depth.
Plots sizzled with danger and excitement.
I enjoyed the process and the result.
It was fun.
Fun and work do not have to be at odds.
They can be joined together.
Wow.
Wish I'd known that as a kid.
I would've grumbled less at cleaning my room.
Somehow, I missed this lesson when watching "Mary Poppins."
This week take time to play.
Grab your journal and jot down at least ten things to do that fill your heart,
or make you laugh and giggle.
Your writing will improve.
So will your life.
Every day play from your list.
In time you'll be spontaneous and not need the prompts.
Kids don't need directions to fun.
They just are.
Jot your experience in your journal.
Please share your comments with the group.
Share the joy! Be the fun!
I'm learning that writing can be fun again if you know that readers are actually going to see it. It also helped motivate me to take the boring parts out, since actual eyes would notice.
ReplyDeleteReaders are a great motivator, and I want them to have as much fun reading as I had writing.
Thanks for the post.
I did the same thing and all I created was frustration. I also put away a favorite past time - reading. I started my old ritual of reading every night before bed and others' stories are triggering new inspiration. Thanks Sandy.
ReplyDeleteWow, Sandy, great advice. I think a lot of us writers tend to be slaves to our work because it means so much to us. With a personality that tends to overdo things myself, I have to keep reminding my work-tired brain that fun is good. It also inspires. I've gotten some of my best ideas while I was away from the computer, doing something entirely non-writing.
ReplyDeleteI tell people that writing is the most fun thing I do. It really is. Writers should write because it is something they love to do and not see it as a chore: "I must write 10 pages today!" I think our attitude shows in our writing.
ReplyDeleteI like to change up my writing locale. take my computer and thumb drives out n about. Poeople watching is educational and fun
ReplyDeletefrom clarity to fixing--these are all topics I can use!
ReplyDeleteBeen there, my friend. I'm glad you found fun again.
ReplyDelete