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I might have been a bit moody as a teen. I remember dragging a notebook around (it wasn’t really a journal–just an ordinary composition book) and jotting down poems and other thoughts as they occurred to me.
Why would I do such a thing?
I attribute my early scribblings to something many of us who are professional writers seem to have forgotten–the joy of writing.
You see, back in those days I didn’t have to write. There was no SEO, no clients, or really even any writing rules. (Well, maybe there were a few rules if I had a homework assignment…)
It started because I loved to read what others had to say and then I discovered that I too had a voice.
I remember when I first realized that I too could create something that others would enjoy. I was in second grade and the teacher had us each write a short story. She collected them and a few days later, she read my story to the class.
That’s all it took. From then on, if I wasn’t writing I was thinking of things that I could write. As a child, I remember making up stories about the houses we passed on car trips and the people who I imagined lived in them.
I wrote simply because I loved to write. That was the only reason.
Being a professional writer is a lot different from that early writing.
Well, for one thing, it’s a job. Writing being a job means that there are days that you have to write when you don’t feel like it. It also means that sometimes you might have to write about something you’re really not interested in. But, you do it anyway.
If this is you, sooner or later, you might be feeling a bit burnt out with your writing. You just might have even lost your early joy of writing.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Just because you are a professional writer doesn’t mean you have to lose the joy. Here are four ways to get that joy back:
- Have a blog “just for fun.” Blogs are the new journals. They’re great tools, but they don’t always *have* to be used for business only. Create a blog for just you. Don’t worry about whether anyone reads it or about traffic. Just write what you care about.
- Turn down the most draining assignments. You know the ones that I mean. The ones that leave you emotionally exhausted and creatively dried up. If you can, try to replace those jobs with assignments in an area that you are passionate about. Believe me, you’ll feel the difference.
- Take part in writing prompts and other “fun” writing assignments. There are a number of sites that publish creative writing exercises. (You might even meet other writers…)
- Just do it. Write something you don’t have to write for pay. Write even if you think it’s not very good. Keep a paper journal again if it helps. Just do it–let yourself go with words. Do it today, before you forget.
Have you lost your joy of writing? What are you doing to get it back?
12 responses so far ↓
1 Amber // Jan 11, 2012 at
I’ve been a catalog copywriter for 3-1/2 years. It’s B to B and probably some of the driest writing there is.
A couple of years ago, I created a blog to keep track of my fearful dog’s progress. I decided to write it from her perspective, with our other pets and me thrown in occasionally. It’s fun to write in a way that’s (hopefully!) different from the way I talk and gives me the opportunity to experiment with different voices. (Our dearly departed cat Ripley blogged in Pirate-ese.) The best thing about it is that, for the most part, I don’t worry about what others think. I just write!
2 sefccw // Jan 12, 2012 at
I write in my http://sefccw.posterous.com/ blog, mostly for myself and in response to prompts such as those at http://www.creativecopychallenge.com/ myself (though not recently).
I have also started writing reviews of books on my blog, and at http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7320487-steve for books read on my Kindle Touch, my public library, etc.
I work full-time, not as a writer, and edit a newsletter for my computer user group .
I find that these activities are very relaxing to me, and when I finally retire, in a few years, intend to write a lot more.
I have always been an avid reader, since my early years, and think that is what prompts me to write as well.
3 Laura Spencer // Jan 12, 2012 at
Hi Amber!
Great example of writing done for fun and to relax. I looked at your dog blog and I can see why you would really enjoy doing it.
4 Laura Spencer // Jan 12, 2012 at
sefccw–Thanks for sharing your links. I do believe the avid reading leads to writing. So great to hear that you haven’t lost the joy of writing…
5 Matt Keegan // Jan 12, 2012 at
Ah, such good points Laura. No. 1 is why I continue posting to “Matt’s Musings” because I don’t have to follow the rules handed down by clients. Heck, I can write what I want and when I want.
I’m glad that a second grade teacher has such a positive impact on you. For me, it was a high school literary teacher although at that time I was in a shell and didn’t appreciate her persuasion until years later.
6 Laura Spencer // Jan 12, 2012 at
Hi Matt!
Well, for one, I enjoy Matt’s musings. 🙂 I do think encouragement can make a huge difference in anyone’s life. I was fortunate to be around some encouragers when I grew up.
7 MicroSourcing // Jan 12, 2012 at
Writing becomes a more enjoyable and less intimidating experience when it doesn’t have to be justified. Boxing it into the objective of raising traffic and money can make it seem like a daunting task.
8 Samantha Gluck // Jan 13, 2012 at
I love writing as I’m sure all pro writers do. It’s easy, though, to allow the joy to get lost in the shadow of client assignments & the business aspect of it. I’ve recently begun writing a guide (of sorts) that is a parody of all the survival guides out there. I’m collaborating with a partner and we’re using pen names. It’s so much fun and a welcome break from all the serious writing we do for our editors and clients. I haven’t had a problem (yet) with becoming bored or feeling I’ve lost the joy of writing, but I have felt that call to just break out and write something creative just because I want to do it. That’s what writing this silly guide has done for me. It’s like taking a vacation to a writing resort without ever really going anywhere.
9 Laura Spencer // Jan 14, 2012 at
Hi Microsourcing!
I think you have a good point.
Thanks Samantha! Your new project sounds like a lot of fun. 🙂
10 Lauren // Jan 18, 2012 at
Beautiful post. I couldn’t have said it better myself (and I absolutely related to the intro–I think there’s even a candid picture of me writing something down in my scrappy notebook in a yearbook somewhere).
11 Corey - Freelance Writer // Jan 18, 2012 at
Laura, it’s as if you took a page right out of my internal-journal and placed it for all to see.
I too now write for money, and feel that I have lost the ability to write for enjoyment. The strange thing is, when I was working a job that I disliked, it seemed that I was at my most creative. During my ‘working-hours’ I would churn out countless short stories on the back of office memos.
After writing professionally for 7 years now, and enjoying it immensely, I can’t seem to remember the last time I sat down and wrote something ‘just for fun’.
I even followed your step #1 a few years ago, but my SEO training started to intrude on my posts – it became much like work and consequently all the fun was sucked out of it.
I’m beginning to be better at step #2, but sometimes it feels so wrong turning down work, as you may know, with this industry there is no such thing as a guaranteed pay cheque.
I will really have to concentrate on steps #3 and #4 – late New Year’s resolution perhaps?
Anyway, thanks for sharing, and sorry for rambling 😉
12 Laura Spencer // Jan 20, 2012 at
Hi Lauren!
I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
Corey–I’m glad that you’re working on getting the joy back. 🙂 There’s nothing worse for a writer than allowing their writing to turn to drudgery. Good luck in 2012.