Making the Process Fun: How to Enjoy Writing at its Fullest

You know writing is your passion. You know it’s what you want to do with your life and you dream about it every second you get. You love to write. So… why can’t you get any words out?

This is something I’ve been struggling with lately. I know I’m a writer, my family knows it, my friends know it… needless to say, I’ve more than claimed the title. So then why have I been feeling like a failure lately? Why is it that no matter how hard I try, I can’t get any words to come from my brain?

It’s been tough. I’ve more or less taken a break from writing (going on vacation and getting sick didn’t help much). Have you struggled with this before/are you currently struggling with this? Then read on! Because through my misery I came up with a few ways never to experience this again (one can only hope, right?).

Feel the Story

If you’re enjoying the story that you’re writing then, chances are, your readers will as well. However, if you’re only giving your story a half-hearted effort then that will shine through.

Writers always wonder how they can write a truly impactful story and make readers love it. Well, in my opinion, the answer is right here. YOU have to love it first. Because if you don’t love it then it’s just going to feel… bland. No one wants a bland story.

Sometimes we do have to force ourselves to write. I mean, we don’t always wake up in the morning with the beautiful sunny attitude of, “I can’t wait to write today!”. It’s just not going to happen every single day. But, at the same time, you don’t want to force yourself to write if you are honestly not feeling it.

This is sometimes the biggest struggle for me. Deciding whether I need to push myself to get those words out even though I don’t want to, or come to terms with the fact that I’m just not feeling it and maybe need to focus on filling my creative well instead. It can take time but you will begin to notice the difference.

Feel the story you’re writing or don’t write at all.

Getting Into the Right Headspace

You know those times when you sit down to write but, no matter how hard you try, you can’t get into your character’s head? You can’t see the story you’re writing. None of it is tangible for you, not like it usually is. This is something else that I’ve been struggling with. But, through my struggles, I made a list of ways to help writers get into the right headspace for their story before sitting down to write.

#1: Browsing Pinterest. Yes, I give you full permission to procrastinate as long as you want. Okay, not too long of course–you have to get to writing after all! But by creating a board for your story can do wonders in motivating and inspiring you for that story. It also really helps me in getting in the right headspace.

#2: Character Aesthetics: I love making these! They are so much fun to have on hand while writing. To make a character aesthetic, you simply take a few photos that remind you of whichever character you’re doing (probably taken from your Pinterest board) and make a collage of them. You can also add fun color dots or elements to add to the effect.

#3: Story Aesthetic: For this, you do the same thing as you would for a single character only for your whole story instead. This is what I enjoy doing even more than a character aesthetic sometimes. If you’re struggling with motivation, consider putting this on your wall or wherever you write so that you always see it.

#4: Flash Fiction: This may seem a bit odd to do when you’re going to be writing a whole novel with these characters, but it’s actually something I enjoy doing before starting a new idea. It really helps you get the feel for a new main character and get in his or her head before starting the actual novel. It doesn’t have to be anything long, sometimes I just do a snippet of dialogue and sometimes it even finds it’s way into the novel. But whether it does or doesn’t I really enjoy doing this and thought I would add it as a suggestion.

As you can tell, I’m very much for aesthetics. I know for me personally, they do wonders in motivating me as well as getting me in the right headspace. You have to find what helps you get into the right headspace for your story because it may be different from person to person.

Make it Fun

This is something I have really embraced lately. I’ve been making a lot of natural candles and enjoying burning them while writing. Sometimes something as small as burning a candle can change so much when you write. It’s all about enjoying the process and having fun! Don’t make writing a chore–make it something you look forward to!

Maybe it’s lighting a candle, going outside, or to a coffee shop, getting a special pen, or a new sticker for your laptop. Whatever that special thing is for you, find it and implement it for your writing. Do something to make the process more enjoyable than ever and something you can’t wait to do. For me, lighting a candle is all I need to do some days to get myself in the place I need to be to write. It’s so much fun.

Sprinting

Many people depict writing as a lonely art but it’s not. Writers who write in isolation do not succeed. We need community more than ever with writing. We need encouragement and to know others are struggling as we are. We need other writers to motivate us and keep us from giving up.

This is why I love writing sprints so much. My friends and I enjoy sprinting all the time and enjoy how motivating it is. I also love word crawls, sometimes more than sprints. Both are so great in getting a lot of words written and having a lot of fun with others.

Conclusion

In the end, you have to discover what makes you enjoy writing because it will be different for each individual writer. The point is to make it fun, make it enjoyable. Don’t make it a chore.

I think, in a way, that’s what I had done for a while and it gave me burnout and then zero motivation to get back to it. I’ve struggled to enjoy anything I write because I’m not enjoying the process. I haven’t woken up in the morning and thought, “I can’t wait to write today!” in quite some time.

When I get like this, I can’t help but remember what it was like to write when I was younger. Then, anything could happen. Possibilities were endless in the realm of my imagination and I felt as though I could never write enough.

But, as I got older, something changed. I think I got bogged down with too many expectations, and things I hold myself to that I need to give up. Sometimes I need to take a deep breath and just let the words fly, even if those words are barely understandable. It’s freeing.

So enjoy the process, make writing fun, and don’t heap too many expectations on yourself that you get overwhelmed. Don’t worry about what others may or may not think about your story because no one will ever have an opinion on it if it’s never written. And the only opinion that truly matters is God’s. Remember that.

Your turn!

How do you enjoy the process? What makes it fun for you? Do you ever get bogged down by expectations?

Blessings, Allyson

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