Creative Writing: Fun vs. Work
Creative writing belongs to the arts, and the arts are an odd bunch.
People pursue artistic endeavors for different reasons. For some, it’s a hobby. For others, a livelihood. For most, it’s a hobby they dream of turning into a livelihood.
It’s a worthwhile dream, and a lofty one too. But what does it take to get there? How much fun are you allowed to have, and just how much work must you do to turn your passion into a full-time job?
And if you do manage to make a career out of creative writing, will it still be as fun as it was when it was just a hobby?
Creative Writing is Fun
Young and new writers often come to creative writing because they find it enjoyable. Many are avid readers, and are so inspired by their love of literature that they want to create it. Others feel a compulsion to put words on the page or to have their voices heard by an audience of readers.
Most of us have experienced raw or divine inspiration. You’re sitting there and a poem comes to you fully formed. It’s finished within minutes and it just might be brilliant. It feels more like the poem came through you from some source outside of yourself. It’s pure magic. Excitement. Fun.
When we are being creative, and especially when we’re tapped into that magical kind of creativity, it’s an extremely pleasurable experience. From the instant we start writing until our work is completed, we’re on a wild ride, exciting, but dangerous too. Because if we rely too heavily on the fun side of creativity, we may come down with a terrible disease, a horrible addiction.
Young Writers’ Syndrome
It’s not uncommon for novice writers who have experienced that divine inspiration to wait for it to strike again. It’s likely that it will strike again, eventually. But waiting for this type of inspiration to hit you is a bad habit. You’re simply fostering an addiction to the adrenaline-like rush that the magical muse evokes.
It’s just one of many symptoms of what I like to call Young Writers’ Syndrome (YWS), which is a collection of thoughts, misconceptions, and attitudes about the nature of creative writing and what it takes to succeed, to truly turn that hobby into a career.
People with Young Writers’ Syndrome don’t read much because they’re afraid other writers’ styles will leak into their own work. They want to be original. They don’t pay credence to good grammar because they want their writing to be raw and edgy. They are creative, not technical writers. They don’t work at their writing so much as they sit around waiting for it to happen. They often believe that artistic success is borne of pure talent and that hard work or honing their creative writing skills are contrary to such a talent.
They’re dead wrong on all counts.
Creative Writing and Hard Work
Like anything, if you want to succeed, you’ve got to work at it. I’ve tried many creative endeavors over the years, and writing is one of the most challenging pursuits you can choose. It requires a vast skill set, intense determination, and a willingness to work. It also requires a good measure of creativity, and you need business skills too. Talent is just the icing on the cake, something you’re born with if you’re lucky.
People have all kinds of funny ideas about hard work and creativity, many of which are nothing more than idle fears. A common one is avoiding a career path in creative writing because then it will become a job, and that would take all the fun out of it. Another is that if you have to work hard at creative writing, then you must be talentless.
Misconceptions about the arts are rampant. It’s no wonder artistic people are so misunderstood by the rest of the world. We truly are an odd bunch, and many of these misconceptions come from artists themselves.
The truth is that hard work and fun are not necessarily separate from one another. Hard work can be fun and good fun can also be hard work. Going to Disneyland might sound like fun, but even that takes hard work – the work you have to do to pay for your trip, getting there, standing in line. People do all that for a few minutes of thrills on some theme park rides.
Yet there are those who think the trip to Disneyland is a big waste, not at all worth the effort it takes to get there. They wouldn’t bother getting on a roller coaster unless it was conveniently sitting right in their backyard. And that’s just lazy. These are the same people to whom creative writing is a fleeting pastime – something you do when it’s convenient, when a brilliant idea magically appears out of nowhere. The rest of the time is best spent not working hard at the craft, but waiting for that magic, that talent, to manifest.
If you work hard at your creative writing, that magic will happen. In fact, the harder you work, the more frequently the magical inspiration will appear. There’s no real benefit in waiting for the muse to honor you with her presence. So stop waiting. Stop looking for an easy way to compose a poem, draft a short story, or pen a novel. Sit down and get to work. And have fun while you’re doing it.
Most importantly, just keep on writing — especially keep working at creative writing.
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I don’t think I have YWS. But I will confess that reading other books is something I avoid when I’m brainstorming a story out. This is simply because it jerks my mind out of one story and transplants it into a finished one.
And I’ve received so much inspiration for so many story ideas, it will be a long time before I’ll have nothing to write
AravisGirls last blog post..Letting Go
I know what you mean. Sometimes story ideas from whatever you’re reading try to sneak into the story that you’re writing. I’ve heard some fiction writers say that when they’re working on a story, they only read poetry and save the fiction reading for when they’re not engrossed in fiction of their own.
I totally agree with you, Melissa. When I first started writing it was totally by accident. I wrote a five hundred page novel in a four month stretch. It was the first thing I’d ever written and I was quite surprised by the whole affair. It did birth a love for writing though. When I look back at that drat (it never made it past draft two, though it will get my full attention someday) it is both horribly awkward and absolutely wonderful. The creativity was so pure, but the mechanics were rusty nails pounded by a wobbly hammer. Writing is work, no doubt, but it rewarding and rarely not worth it.
Writer Dads last blog post..Meet Cindy, My Wife
Wow, a five hundred page novel was your first foray into writing? That’s wild! Some seasoned writers can’t even complete a project of that magnitude. Keep it up
Awesome post Melissa, you hit it right on with this one. I know alot of people who do things a certain way because its easier and faster, but I try and do everything with my two hands its more satisfying that way I believe. I shoveled two truck loads of dirt into the gardens last week and my friend was telling me that a tractor would be way easier and faster but I felt really good after doing it all by hand, and I can look at those gardens and say “my two hands did all that” Thanks you for another great post Melissa.
Yes, it bums me out when I come across writers who show talent but are hung up on these weird misconceptions. The one that’s weighing most heavily on my mind right now is not reading. Too many people who write poetry refuse to read it, and I since I used to have that same mentality when I was a teenager, I can relate to it even though I know it’s wrong. Luckily, April is National Poetry Month, so that’ll be a great opportunity to promote reading.
Great points.
Fun stuff isn’t always about easy. I think it’s about flow, where your response can meet the challenge … and some fun places have a huge chasm in front of them before you reap the rewards (snowboarding, marathons, … etc.) Nothing beats skilled expertise.
It’s funny how the same activity can be pain or pleasure and I think that it’s about mindset. I know that when I don’t carve enough space for some things and I’m under the gun, the same fun thing turns into a drag.
J.D. Meiers last blog post..Worst Things First
It sucks when something fun turns into a big pain, but I find that if you just stick with it, the fun will come back. Most things that are truly worth doing involve some measure of work, and writing is no exception.
Great points, Melissa. Far too many people (especially those who hate their work but don’t have the courage to change it) feel that no one else should enjoy their work.
Yeah, writing’s hard sometimes, but it’s also wonderful, and you CAN make a living at it, if you’re willing to learn how to work and play simultaneously and accept the fact that they’re not mutually exclusive.
Devon Ellingtons last blog post..Monday, March 30, 2009
You’re right on all counts Devon.
Hi Melissa: I just posted about creative insights I found on the worldwide web and one of them was a Ted.com talk by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of “Eat, Pray, Love”. She addresses what you say here and concludes that creativity is a collaboration between the artist–who has to show up and do the work–and a divine entity who appears out of nowhere and begins to help the artist. However, you have to show up everyday and do your part, even if on some days the divine spirit fails to keep up his or her end of the bargain and doesn’t show up.
Marelisas last blog post..Creative Insights From the Worldwide Web
Hi Marelisa, I saw that video too, though not on your site, and it actually inspired this post! It’s a fantastic video, isn’t it?
This is the number one thing I’ve learned over the past year and a half — that creativity thrives with discipline. It seemed so counter-intuitive at first, but now I understand that pushing yourself and having high expectations bring your creative work from the “hobby” level to the level of seriously producing. I had Young Writers’ Syndrome for most of my teenage years
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Zoes last blog post..Walking Away: When Not Doing Stuff is the Best Answer
Zoe, it’s bizarre at first, but it kind of makes sense that the more you work at being creative, the more creative you become. It reminds me of the science behind “like attracts like” and I’ve compared it to love – as in the more you love, the more love you receive. Creativity is like that.
Thank you for the encouragement!
I am blogger (sort of creative writer) – many think it is even less than hobby. I think it is much more than that. I treat it is my personal business. I invest in it dedicated pre-defined amount of time and energy (part of my life) so i think it is pretty serious. I think it is all about hard work. I hardly believe (actually, I do not) creative is a synonym to spontaneous. Love Edison’s “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” I am on my quest for creative blogging opportunity
Thank you for inspiring post.
Alik Levin | PracticeThis.coms last blog post..Improve Your Outcomes By Changing Your Responses
Thanks Alik! There’s no reason that hard work can’t be fun too. Of course, there are always those tasks that we find less enjoyable, but I think that’s unavoidable in any career or pursuit. Blogging is being taken more and more seriously as it becomes rooted into our culture, and it’s definitely both fun and lots of hard work! Keep it up; you’re doing a great job.
I have to fess to having some of the symptoms of YWS. The problem I have is that, while I like to write, I get easily frustrated when I don’t feel that muse speaking to me. I know it’s something you have to work towards, but it still gets tough some times.
I love to read other writers work though! I consume literature religiously and am always looking for inspiration in what others do!
Overall, great post!
Martin – Writing Promptss last blog post..Stories Centered Around An Object
Oh, it is SO frustrating when the muse won’t cooperate, but with patience and practice, you can learn to work through it. I’m not saying it’s easy, but it is possible. I find that reading a lot helps to keep the muse from wandering too far off, so that’s a good strategy
Hi Melissa – I used to read a great novel, then look at my own work and feel inadequate. Looking back, I had no idea just how much rewriting and editing went into those amazing novels.
You mentioned folk who worry that if they read to much, their writing will be influenced by those they read. It’s not just young people who think like that. I went on a writing course last year and a few of the students felt the same.
It’s incredible that folk think they could read a couple of amazing novels, then sit down and write exactly the same as the author. It’s just not going to happen.
Cath Lawsons last blog post..Does Your Sales Copy Suck?
Cath, I find it’s best not to compare oneself to the literary greats (it’s a good way to deflate your ambition). I remember when I realized all those novels and stories were heavily edited and proofread – by the author, the agent, a copyeditor, publishers, etc. And still, mistakes occasionally slip through! It’s amazing when you think about it. I must be backwards, because I was really more worried that I would copy another writer inadvertently – tell a similar tale or have the same characters – so I was always trying to read more and more to ensure I wouldn’t do that. Of course, I’m a natural reader anyway, so that was perfectly pleasurable for me! And you’re right, you can’t read a couple of novels, and then just easily mimic that author’s style. It sounds pretty funny when you put it that way.
What an excellent distinction! For me, the more I read, the better I get at writing. It does make me fussy about what I read, though
But while it’s work, it’s also craft; and that is where the fun comes in. When I create something that does what it is supposed to do, and does it elegantly, it’s one of the best feelings in the world.
And the only way to make one’s craft better is with practice.
WereBears last blog post..Responding to a Cat Alert
Me too WereBear! More reading equals better writing. No doubt about that. Plus, reading is so much fun!
Thanks for that explaination! I love writing.Write as it comes and it is so bad that i have put pen to paper and i enjoy writing straight from my heart@most times my writing is influenced by experiences,situations or circumstances i find myself.I have being writing since 2001-till date but i get discouraged because i would love to share my work and bascially want pple to feel connected with it most especially people who are going through something or just apperciate the works of art. I won’t say my work is prefect but i wish to get someone who is an expert that can build it up to the standard it should be and publish so all can see!My work looks poetry but as more of a motivational feel!!!!!! I really need you to advise me what to do!
Hi Muna, Thanks so much for leaving your comment and expressing your passion for writing. It sounds like you’re looking for help with your writing. You can email me anytime. Just click the contact link up at the top of this site and send me a message. I’d be happy to help you in any way I can.
I really have trouble with a lot of writer’s mentalities. For years I wrote for fun in little spurts, and I loved it when I did it, and when I didn’t it didn’t really matter. I dreamed about getting published (still do), but it wasn’t the be all and end all of my life, and I was happy that way.
Then I started looking at all these writer’s things on the Internet, and it was like… I got tired. I tried NaNoWriMo (do you know about that?) and it made everything worse — I was putting all this effort into something I didn’t WANT to write, every day, and I hated the story, and all of it… it was too much. I did finish, though… but it didn’t make me happy.
I realized I had become influenced by the sorts of things people are “supposed” to be writing — “beautiful” works of literature, deep things, with unusual metaphors and no adverbs and all that sort of thing. I realized I couldn’t do that; I just couldn’t write that way; and I realized I might never be published, and that was really hard.
So… now I’m back to the drawing board. I’ve had a work-through-able case of writer’s block for several months now, after NaNoWriMo, and have been fiddling around with things, mostly collecting strange words and names and writing a page or so. I’ve almost completely stopped writing on the computer, favoring notebooks, and have trouble even considering myself a “writer” anymore, because I feel as though people are going to start pointing fingers at me and going “LIAR! Real writers don’t feel that way!”
I don’t know — do you think I have YWS? It’s complicated.
I don’t think you should feel obligated to partake in certain writing activities or styles just because someone else says that’s the thing to do. You just posted four paragraphs here and I think your style is fine. You should write whatever moves you! Stick with topics that ignite your passion.
One thing you have to remember when collecting writing tips and ideas — it’s all someone else’s experience and opinion. Just because one person promotes NaNoWriMo or another says you should write beautiful literature doesn’t mean those are your only options. Do what you love and you’ll find your way. And don’t worry about metaphors and adverbs unless you want to include them in your work. Just do your thing and find your audience. Or just do your thing and do it for yourself. Basically, do what makes you happy. Unless you want to be a career writer, there’s really no need to put all this pressure on yourself.
Having said that, I think it’s good that you’ve been trying your hand at different styles and activities. That’s how you will learn what’s right (and wrong) for you. Best of luck to you! And whatever you do or however you do it, I do hope you’ll keep on writing.