Wednesday, January 19, 2011

When Fiction Fails to be "Fun"

Two weeks ago I wrote a post on Why Do You Read? and today (and tomorrow on the Alley), I wanted to share something that has been on my mind for the last couple of weeks. Why Do You Write?

Recently I read the comment that if only "I could write for fun". I sat back with a thump, my eyes blinked twice and I leaned in close to the computer screen. Surely I had read that wrong. Why can't writing be fun?

The question has been brooding ever since. In every business, job, occupation, you are going to have tasks you aren't going to like. Even in the jobs you love, you are going to have aspects of it that just fail to be enjoyable. I am not naive, I know writing fiction is hard, draining work.

But when does something that should be pleasurable, become obsessive?

Maybe this is just me, but I have to find enjoyment in something to really put my whole heart into it. I am a hard worker, but if forced to do something I have no passion for, I struggle and grind my way through everyday to complete, do I really want to spend the rest of my life doing that?

And I will confess fiction was becoming such a thing for me in the last few weeks. Thus, my mission to put "fun" back in fiction. If we become so driven on one goal, one dream, one mission, we are going to miss the easy flow and enjoyability that brought us to writing fiction in the first place.

I will continue this discussion tomorrow on The Writer's Alley, but until then I leave you with a question, and ask you to think about why do you write?

5 comments:

  1. I write to relax, to de-stress. I write to learn about myself and to worship my most High God. Even if He is the only one that sees it I want my words to be pleasing to Him. I write because I am enamored with the beauty and power of words. I write for the same reasons I read at times, to travel to new and exciting places I may never go...to experience things I may or may not experience. I write to understand others. And yes, I do hope someday to see my name on the cover of a book, but I also know I am not ready for that now. And though sometimes my motives get mixed up, for the most part I'm just here to enjoy the journey.

    OK, maybe that was a bit more than you were looking for ;)

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  2. Nope, very well said Julia. Your heart is defintely in the right place!

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  3. What a loaded question, Casey! :) There are so many different reasons I write. I absolutely LOVE writing. If I'm not writing on my blog, commenting on someone else's, I'm writing my books. It's almost therapeutic. It's a BLESSING! I love being able to write something down, re-read it later, and wonder 'where in the world did THAT come from?'
    What a wonderful outlet. Even if my other books never get published, I will continue to write. Because it is my passion. It's who I am!

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  4. I'll have to swing by tomorrow.

    I write b/c it helps me to better understand myself and the world around me.

    I'm fueled by it.
    ~ Wendy

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  5. @Amanda, what a great answer, I love that! You write b/c you have to, very said and great motivation, wouldn't you say? :)

    @Wendy, I love that, "I'm fueled by it", powerful verbiage!

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