04

Sep

Writing For Pleasure

Many freelance writers lose sight of why they started writing in the first place. Writing to a deadline, completing assignments and forever pitching ideas to magazine and website editors can become a stressful experience. Then there is the competition from other writers bidding for the same piece on sites such as ‘Upwork’ and the writer can become frustrated as somebody else always seems to get chosen. These and other frustrations can lead the writer to give up and get a ‘proper job’. That is a pity.

If you can identify with the above, then take a step back and consider why you began writing. Perhaps you excelled at school in writing essays. You may have spent a lot of time writing stories for yourself and others. At some point in your life you discovered that you had a natural gift, possibly with the encouragement of others. Looking back then and looking at yourself now, do you still see the same person? Are you still enjoying writing as you used to or are you jaded and frustrated as you attempt a career in what was once a hobby. If so, return to your roots. Spend some time of your week writing for pleasure.

Regain your writing muse and enjoy yourself again. Take a break from the writing that is causing you stress and write for fun. There are many ways to do this and only you know what form of writing you enjoy (or used to enjoy). Here, as if you need them, are some ideas:

Create a blog on something you enjoy. Many of us blog but occasionally we are restricted in our creativity by trying to please others and gain an audience. Instead write on the themes you are interested in. Forget other people and focus on pleasing yourself. Write how you want to write on a subject you want to write about. Or forget themes and write something random, bizarre, funny, anything that pleases you. Chances are the less work you do in trying to gain an audience the bigger audience you will find. This is because you are being yourself and your blog will likely be unique because of it. However do not worry about that last sentence. Unique or not it doesn’t matter when you are having fun with it. Write what you want.

Write a story or play on something you would enjoy reading. Writing stories can be fun. Creating new characters and doing what you want with them gives you creative freedom. Whatever the style of story, be it sci-fi, horror, comedy, or drama, write on themes that are your usual choice when you read the work of others. Create your own world and populate it with characters of your making. Let your mind go wild with no boundaries. Enjoy your creation without the fear of others rejecting it. This is for you, not them, so write what you want, how you want, and bring to life a story that you enjoy being a part of.

Write socially. You do not have to write alone. If you are part of a writers group or have friends or family with a similar interest to you, then make writing a social affair. Play word games. Write a story with somebody else taking turns to write chapters. Challenge each other to write a themed story or rhyme. Write down a number of random words on pieces of paper, share them with somebody else and form a story or piece of writing from it. There are many sites that will give you ideas for group or paired writing so have a look and find something fun.

Write anything. You don’t have to spend hours on a piece of writing. As well the ideas listed above, there are many other ways in which you can write for fun. These could include Facebook posts, tweets, newsletters, emails (or letters) to friends and family, doodles, poems, letters of complaint (to help you vent out your frustrations), and so much more. This is your time so write whatever interests you at the time. Find a quiet place, get into the zone, and let your imagination go into overdrive.