Three Common Reasons Writing Doesn't Seem Fun

Writing is fun. Is that a surprise to you? Honestly, this thing we do... it's fun. It might not get us famous or make us money, but honestly, it's fun. Writing is one of the most amusing, intriguing, rewarding and exciting things you can do with your time. And that's before you factor in the publishing world (which is, let's be honest, a little less fun, although can be fulfilling) and marketing (which, if done well, is very enjoyable).

So if you just read that and thought: "Duh! Of course writing's fun, that's why I do it," then well done. That is fantastic and you have got the point. If you're still not sure, then let's try and work out what's going wrong. Here are three reasons why writing sometimes doesn't see fun:

1. You're Writing the Wrong Thing

Now, don't delete all trace of your boring manuscript just yet, but let's have a think: is what you are writing gripping? Does it have good pace? Is it using humour well? If your answer to any of these was "No" then you might need to have a look over your writing and see what you can improve. If you often think about the manuscript through rose-tinted glasses, seeing how deep, exciting, thrilling and beautiful it is, yet look at the actual thing and feel less complimentary, you're onto a winner. Honestly, with a lot of editing and polishing, your book will shine. You can make it what you want it to be and what it can be.


2. You've Been Writing This For Ages and it Still Isn't Going Where You Want it To

So, you had an idea. You started writing. You kept on writing. You were rattling off a thousand words a day. Then, five hundred. Then... well. The word count hasn't gone up much in the last month. And you know where this is meant to go and what the characters are meant to do. You're at A and you know where B is and you might even have a vague idea of C - but you can't connect the points. It's OK. Seriously, calm down and relax. Your book is great. Your book will be written. Do a bit more plotting, get to know your characters, take a long walk or a hot bath. Whatever. And just keep writing until you find a way. You will, believe me.





3. You Are Dedicated to Your Book And You WILL Keep Writing

Congratulations! This is the right reason to be bored of your writing. You might have "writers' block" or you might just be a little unsure of what happens next. But whatever it is, you will keep on writing. Behind every book, there are countless other versions, countless horrible paragraphs that got taken out, countless one dimensional characters who were scrapped. I'm telling the truth here. If you write and write and write and never stop writing, you will get your story into shape. Of course, editing is important too. The two go hand in hand, which we will explore in the next post.


So, that's it for this post. Keep on writing and keep on enjoying it! Writing's good, life is good, all's well. And even if all isn't well - writing makes it a whole lot better.

I Want it All!

This is sort of a follow-up to the last post. This time, we're going to look at relaxing. And breathing. And laughing and crying and smiling for all the right reasons. In short, we are going to find out about how to enjoy life while treading this sometimes miserable path of publication.

The most important part is remembering our family and friends. These are not irritating pests which get in the way of our writing. They are part of us, some of the reasons we live. Humans are sociable creatures. Sometimes I think it would be easier if we all just lived in our own little bubbles and didn't interact, but that's not the way it works. That wouldn't be fun. Whether we are extroverts or introverts or anything in-between, we all need some human interaction. It might be a lot, it might not. But please don't get so wrapped up in writing that you forget to look after your relationships. Apart from anything else, people are often a good source of inspiration! There is no way you can write realistic characters unless you talk to real people.

Next point - don't worry. Every situation we worry about can be split into two categories: things we can control and things we can't. If you can control the situation, then find a way to do something to help it. Don't just sit there brooding and getting miserable. If you can't control it, don't waste time worrying. Do the best you can to make the situation bearable and think about something else.

Set yourself boundaries. Don't let yourself spend all day every day writing. It isn't healthy. Write every day and write loads, but don't make it a chore. Write because you love it. Remember to have time relaxing and doing everything else you have to.

Final point - don't make your whole life revolve around your dream. Because one day, you will achieve it. And maybe it will be everything you wished for, maybe it won't. Whatever it is will not be perfect and you have to move on from there. So don't wrap every thread of your life around getting published or whatever else it is you want to achieve. Cling onto that dream, reach for it and appreciate everything you have in your life. Writing is beautiful. So is life.

I hope you all have loads of fun writing and doing everything else which you love!

Zoe x

Aspiration

We all have dreams, right? For many of you, that dream might be to finish a book, see your work in print, sign with a publisher or agent, be a bestselling author. These dreams are good. As Abdul Kalam said, "You have to dream before your dreams can come true." So, this is all great news. Keep on dreaming and don't give up on it. But there are a few things we need to do to help with this:

1. Remember, it is never too late. 
    Your dream might be to be a successfully published teenage author (it's one of mine!). But, perhaps  that doesn't happen. It might be a little setback, but really, I've already achieved half of this. I am a teenage author. I might not be published yet and I may have to wait a while, but I am a writer. That is fabulous. Even if I (or you) get to 100 without picking up a traditional contract, there are still other opportunities. We might have successfully self-published by then. We might have achieved other aspects of our dreams. And even at 100, it's not too late. So never give up.

2. Remember to live
    Ambition is not a bad thing. Unhealthy ambition on the other hand is... well, unhealthy. This is when it takes up all your time and thoughts. You don't care about anything but getting to where you are headed. Now, a little bit of that is okay, but really, if this is you, calm down. There are, amazing though it may seem, things bigger than our writing dreams. To be a writer, you need to have a life from which to draw experience. To be a successful published author, you need to network and have friends and connections. So breathe. Yes, write, write, write, market your book, send it off to agents, publishers, editors, booksellers, blog about it.... but live as well. Otherwise, you will get burnt out. Sorry, but it's true.

3. Don't just dream - do!


    Dreams are all well and good, but if they're nothing more than wishful thinking, you need to change that. And can change that. So start writing. Start researching. Get down to business. Stop procrastinating. Trust me, when you get to where you want to be, you'll look back and be so happy you actually did the necessary work.

I struggle with some of these. Often I get so caught up in the writing and planning and the publishing industry that I forget to have a social life. And I am known to be a little bit of a procrastinator. So, I should probably stop all that now and write.

Good luck!
Zoe    

The Power of Reading

"The Power of Reading" is a class which I take at school. It sounds mysterious, intriguing. Well, it isn't. There is a box of obscure YA books which is put at the front of the room. Everyone takes a book. We then sit and read for the period. That's it. Twice a week. You may think that sounds dull and a waste of time - precious time which could be spent writing - but believe me, it is invaluable.

A writer is a word-wright - by that I don't mean we make up words, but that we use them. They are what we craft with. There are all sorts of wonderful, bizarre words out there which we can use (sparingly) in our writing. Part of the art of writing is keeping the balance right, knowing just when to bring out a real gem of a word, without it sounding out of place and awkward. Sometimes we find a word which fits in with a satisfying mental click, flowing so well into our story that we have to stop and smile. Where do we learn these words? In books! And where do we learn when to  smuggle them in and when to get rid of all traces of their existence? In books!

I mentioned what a small part of the art of writing was, but we still haven't covered the real deal yet, the thing which all writers must do. That is... using the mundane words. Yes, I know, anti-climactic. But true. Think about it logically. Imagine you are George Orwell. You are writing the opening for 1984. It begins:

'It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.'

But then you think - wouldn't this be better with some more elaborate language (or what my primary school called Wow Words)? So you change it:

'Twas a luminous glacial day in April, and the chronometers were pealing thirteen.'

I think we can all agree that the second is a disastrous opening line. The first, it happens, is considered one of the greatest of all time. You notice that not one 'Wow' word is used?

Many people from my primary school who haven't wilfully read a book since then would probably tell you that the second is a better option. Although it doesn't take a great deal of common sense to realise how ridiculous that is, when you think about it, what is the main reason we know that the first is better? We read! If you want to be a writer, you must first be a reader. None of us are born naturally able to write a bestseller the moment we can hold a pen. No amount of writing courses are going to help if you don't immerse yourself in books. All sorts of genres, the good, the bad, the popular, the obscure, the new, the old. Reading expands your mind. When you read, you learn. You find out how to write for your target audience and how to write something which will stand out. You will see examples of what works and what doesn't. It will enlighten you, uplift you and improve you as a writer and a person. So keep writing and get reading!

Zoe

   

Stickability

So, you have an idea for a book. You think it's really cool. You start writing and you get to chapter three... and then you get bored and give up. This is a common thing! Believe me, I know. The problem is, the gap between a cool idea and a finished book perhaps seems a step too far for many writers. What you really need is one thing... stickability,

If your story idea was good enough to begin to write, it is good enough to continue being written. Believe that. Of course, stickability is not something which you can just have and use. It has to be a conscious decision. Tell yourself "I will write 1000 words of my novel every day and then when it is complete, I will go back and make it into a real book."

The road of writing is a long and complicated one, with lots of different routes and stumbling blocks and countless different destinations. But all of us slogging along this road are united in our love of writing. Finish your book. Stick to it. Give it all that it deserves. I believe in your book's potential. You will get there - honestly.

Zoe

Writing Every Day

Since my last update, I have got a laptop. This has been a huge blessing as it means I can write a lot more often! It is great to be able to write most days, but, obviously, it is difficult to commit to this, especially if you are new to writing.

When you first get an idea, quite often you are really excited about it and write a lot, but gradually it all peters out. Don't be discouraged if this happens to you. Just spend a little time not writing, and thinking about where your story could go. Go over it in your head until you know exactly what to put down on the paper when you come back to the writing.

If you are really on a roll, don't just keep going until you are totally worn out. Stop while you know what's happening next and come back to it the next day. That way, you always want to go back to it, and you are never tempted to just leave your work untouched.

I hope you found this advice helpful, and you find committing to your writing that little bit easier.

Writers' Circles - A Must for Every Budding Writer!

I am tempted to say that joining my Writers' Circle was the best thing I ever did for my writing. Honestly, it makes all the difference.

I've found that being a lone author is, well, lonely. And it keeps you so out of the loop. You don't have the contacts with people who know the publishing business inside out, you don't have the opportunity to talk about your writing with people who really understand, you don't feel pushed to work harder. Well, all that changes once you're in your writers' group.

Every meeting is useful. You can talk to other writers about what is going on with your writing, you can hear of their stories of success and failure which is really helpful. When you here about the amazing things they've achieved, you always want to go home and write for all you're worth. It injects you with a new vigour. Also, you'll find that a lot of your fellow group members have the amazing ability to sniff out each and every great competition, new publisher, anything which could be helpful to you. Being part of a writers' circle lets you get into loads of events which are otherwise not available to you. You will learn all about writing in different genres. You will have the opportunity to have your writing evaluated by the other writers. The best thing about being in a writers' circle is probably the workshops they have. You will meet some amazing writers, as well as publishers who will give you great advice.

You may think that you are not good enough to be in a writers' group, but that is never the case. Writers of all abilities are welcomed with open arms and very soon, you will be a much better writer and feel much more worthy of being called a "writer".

I hope that was helpful to you in some way and encouraged you to join a writers' circle! I urge you now, sniff about and visit one. Have a look and see if it's for you.