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How To Make Writing More Enjoyable

By on January 4, 2018

Sometimes it’s all too easy to get bogged down in the negatives of writing. We often read about how tough the industry is, and how teeny our chances of ever really making a successful career out of writing are. We know how easy it is to procrastinate, to be our own worst critic, to feel the cold hard blow of rejection and find it near impossible to recover.

But all this negativity can begin to wear us down, and if we are constantly being told how tough writing is, it’s difficult to get that out of our heads when we sit down to write.

The truth is that writing should be enjoyable and something that we cherish in our lives. Writing can be cathartic, revealing, interesting and beautiful. It can make us get to know ourselves in a way we never thought possible, can help us work through problems, feel creatively satisfied, and make us laugh and cry and feel everything in between. In short, writing should be something enjoyable in your life. Otherwise, you’ve really got to wonder what the point of it is.

So how can we ensure that we make out writing more enjoyable? Here are some things to try:

Be interested in what you’re writing about. Think about what inspires you, what fascinates you, what gets you going and out of bed in the morning. Write about that. If you aren’t writing about something that interests you, it will be difficult to conceal your disinterest on the page.

Stay true to yourself. Don’t be afraid to write about what you want to write about. There are so many rules and so many things to think about that often this can take away from the simple pleasure of writing. Tell your story just the way you want to, and you’ll find the whole process so much more enjoyable.

Figure out what you hope to achieve and go for it with everything you’ve got. Writers tend to work best when they have goals in mind. Figure out what you want from your writing and then don’t let anything stop you from getting to where you need to be.

Know that you can’t please everyone. The sooner you accept that not everyone will like your writing, the better. If you can really, truly take this on board, you’ll stop worrying so much what everyone thinks and be all the better and wiser for it.

Be as imaginative and creative as possible. There is nothing quite like writing fiction to exercise your imagination and creativity. Don’t censor yourself and really feel free to write about whatever you want. However you want. You’ll find this a truly enlightening and cathartic experience and will love exploring the inner depths of your mind!

Be fearless. Fortune favours the brave, and this is particularly true when it comes to writers. Don’t be afraid to experiment, to think outside the box, to try something different. There are rules, but rules are made to be broken after all!

Write for yourself. First and foremost you should write for yourself because you need to love what you do. If you don’t love your writing, you can’t expect anyone else to either so try to forget about everyone else and figure out what kind of writer you want to be and what type of writing you want to do.

Be proud of your achievements. Remember to step back and take stock of your accomplishments once in a while. You might not think you have achieved much, but the very fact that you are writing at all puts you ahead of thousands of people who never even get that far - so just remember that you are doing something awesome and amazing, and you should congratulate yourself for that.

By focusing on all the great things about writing, and trying to remain in a positive frame of mind you really can make writing something that you just adore to do. So next time you sit down to write, get yourself excited and raring to go and remember that the more you enjoy it, the more you’ll want to do it, and the more you do it, the better writer you’ll be!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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