Anyone else just write for fun as a hobby?
Does anyone write just as a self soothing cathartic release. Something to cheer yourself up and escape from reality. You feel like your writing is to personal to you, to share with the world? I write this way. I'll share little snippets but that's all. I just write cause it makes me happy and lifts me out of dark times. I write love stories just as something fun to do that makes me happy. Just to relax and escape. I've never been published. I just write stories for myself. This might have been asked before, but right now I am really struggling with genuinely enjoying writing. Don't get me wrong, I write 2~3 hours a day, and sometimes even look forward the time of day when I get to sit at my desk and open Word. Once I get to the middle of the story, however, every word becomes a struggle and I get really frustrated. Aside from the middle typically being the hardest part to write, I think the biggest cause of this frustration is that I cannot just let myself suck. I am very conscious of how my work will be received as I write it, and naturally end up becoming very critical of it once it deviates from its ideal form in my head. In short, I don't write for the sake of the story or even my own entertainment - I write for success, fame, and recognition. I used to think this was the norm -- you know, what with the whole notion of "tortured artist" -- until I came across the interview of Stephen King. When he said that finishing a book always leaves him wanting to spend more time with his characters, I felt so jealous because I had never, ever felt that way in my life. So I guess what I'm trying to ask is -- does anyone here feel the same way? That the journey itself is always more pleasurable and rewarding than the destination itself, and that the finished products on the shelf just seem like some "dead skin"? And if so, how did you get to cultivate that mindset? Is that cultivable at all? Hope this doesn't sound like too much of a rant. I actually use a typewriter (I know, I know) and I just keep everything in a fire proof safe. I've been doing it this way for 15 years. I have poetry, short stories, novels. Tons of stuff. I just write for myself. Sometimes my wife will read something, but most of the time it's just me wanting to get ideas out of my head. I guess that when I die my daughter will have to decide what to do with all of it (it's quite a bit).
I have to say, after about a year or more on this subreddit, I see a lot of the same questions. "Is this idea good?" or "If I write my characters like this, will it make my story good?" Something along those lines. It drives me a little crazy because it's almost like people want to know if their story is even worth writing, and I say to that, yes it is. Just like the majority of writers on the subreddit (I'm sure of it), we would, one day, like to be a published author, if you obviously aren't already. Waking up without having to rush out the door for work, sipping on your morning coffee and getting yourself ready to write for the day sounds like a pretty damn good way of living, if you ask me. To get to this point, I would need to be comfortable with the amount of money I'm making to pursue writing as a career, so obviously money will be something to look towards when trying to publish. However, it's important to tell yourself that it's NOT about the money. The reason why you write is because it's something you enjoy, and I don't mean the part where the chapter is perfect and ready for publication where you can start building a fan base and having readers buy your story. I'm talking about the hardships, too. Writing a first draft can be pretty easy but also the most disappointing. Yes, it's possible to write an amazing first draft, just as another post recently has suggested. Writer's need to learn to enjoy the entire process. The excitement of coming up with a new idea when you've been sitting on it for days, the butterflies you get in your tummy when you see it all get put together and the giddyness when you read your chapter over and say "holy shit, I can't wait until the next one." There's going to be edits along the way, but that's something that needs to happen. Chapters will end up being shit, but it's ok. You can add to it or rewrite it. Hell, you might not even know how you prefer to write until a couple of years down the road. I still wonder if I enjoy writing by hand more or by typing on my Macbook. Anyways, what's the point in all this? I'm just rambling at this point, but what I really want to say is that if you're writing, you're doing it because you love it. You do it because you have an extreme passion about a story that you want to tell and you desperately want to share it with the world so you can talk about it with people. Sometimes it may be hard to sit down and write because life gets in the way. You have to work your 9-5, sit in traffic for an hour, come home to the wife, play with the dog, walk it, have some dinner and then clean up. By the time that's all done, you feel exhausted, but it's ok. The next time you sit down to write, you know it's going to be a good time getting lost in the little (or big) world that you created for yourself and your little minions.
My advice? Have fun! So what if the chapter sucks? So what if someone doesn't like it? Why? Because someone WILL like it. Listen to your critics, especially the bad ones, and use the bad reviews as advice to help better your writing. Just write and enjoy all the ups and downs that come with the beautiful art!
I have zero inclination to publisher or pursue it. It's a hobby! Guys.... I need to confess that I’ve been writing only for myself, and don’t plan to ever share my writing with anyone. Is this allowed? Lord have mercy on my soul if it’s not. Do you write for fun?
I feel like every single person on this subreddit is like a professional writer who has published a best seller. Do all of you write as a profession or for fun? If you write for fun, do you make money for it? I just don't understand! Do you write a certain number of pages per day? Words per day? Per week? If you've finished a project recently, what was it and how long did it take?
People that write for a living, is writing still as fun as it used to be when it was just a hobby?
I'm pretty sure someone made something similar to this topic and it made me curious. Would it be different? Do you still enjoy writing or does it seem like a chore since writing is what pays the bills? It probably depends on the person but I'm afraid it won't be as fun once it becomes like a job.
I'm really curious how folks on this subreddit get everything written out. Hello Everybody!! I hope everyone is going to have a relaxing weekend.
I have a question for you:
Why do you write?
Is there any specific reason?
I am interested to know how many of you write just for fun?
And if so, what to you do with all of your content?
Is it stored away, deleted etc.
I am really interested to know what excites or motivates you people to write!! Thanks everyone - I am interested as I love being creative and am considering beginning to write! Do you write for yourself or write for your audience?
What mentality do you take? Do you write based on whatever you personally like (whether or not you think it will sell), or do you write what you think your audience, editor, publisher, etc would prefer? How do you make writing fun?
Lately, I've seen some posts that treat writing as 'hard work'. But I don't think it should all just be that. So I wanted to know how you guys made writing fun? How can I train myself to just write for fun?
When I'm answering a Prompt from some of these writing subreddits (like r/SimplePrompts), the stories just flow out of me like a waterfall. Absolutely no problem with getting the words down on paper. But when I sit down and begin my own projects, I end up getting stonewalled, over-sensitive, frustrated, and too touchy-feely with the Backspace button.
I think it's because I'm taking my own projects too seriously, more than Prompts. I originally thought it was just a compulsive self-editing problem (you may have seen my previous threads) but I think its because I don't know how to write for fun.
Anyone relate? Thanks! When you write things purely for your own enjoyment, and *not* for the readers, what are the things that you write? Do you stick to a common theme or subject matter? Do you write fiction or non-fiction? Short or long? Slice-of-life or adventure? Grimdark or happy or something else? Anyways, I began writing out their stories today. This time I'm hoping to stick with it. I'm planning to make use of this sub as I go. Sometimes I find it frustrating to write because I always feel like the scene falls short when I transfer it from my head to paper. There's definitely some parts I really want to just jump right into, and I've definitely written some scenes out of order. I have a small plan but I'm just writing and seeing where it takes me. I'm planning to ask my sister to read the "novel(s)." If she likes them, I was wondering if there is somewhere casual I could post them or what my next steps would be. That's definitely jumping too far ahead, so in the meantime, I'll probably have questions about structure, describing scenes, and character development. Hey guys. I've been writing since I pretty much learned how, so it's a huge part of my identity. When I was younger, I used to do it because it was a way of living the lives I really wanted to live and I loved it so much. But as I've gotten older, the fun slowly seeped out of it and it became this really serious intellectual endeavor. I put so much pressure on myself to be good because I know I can be. It's really difficult to be be playful if I'm constantly micromanaging every single sentence I write to see if it is as good as I possibly thing it can be.
Any advice for loosening up my fingers? Anyone else in the same position? Any inspirational ideas? On just about every writing site and resource, people go on and on about how your work has to be deep, meaningful, relevant, profound, deeply and profoundly theme-based, have a total mastery of all aspects, and plenty of other things. But what about writing just because you want to make something fun? I'm writing right now because I want to make a cool story, not because I'm trying to make some deep and profound statement or commentary. And I leave more up to the characters than the advisors would probably like. Is this a bad idea?
EDIT: Hearing everyone insist that your work has to be deep and profound is especially disheartening because it feels like it kills a lot of the fun, especially with fight scenes. Yes, I know a lot of people think fight scenes have to be deep, profound, and resonate perfectly with your characters in their arcs, but that feels way too limiting. Case in point: near the end of the story, the two leads get married and invite all the friends they've made throughout their adventures. Right after they kiss at the altar, a whole army of Nazis (that they had pissed off on one of their earlier adventures) break in to capture them, not realizing that all the guests have superpowers. What follows is a scene where everybody fights Nazis side-by-side in a fun little sequence before going to a big party afterwards. Is it deep, profound, and tying in to the characters at the deepest levels of their core conflicts? Not at all. Am I doing it anyway? Depends... There was this author who came to a school in my town saying that writing was profoundly painful for him. Thing is, he’s written over 100 books.
I find that it is a love hate relationship with words for most authors. Sometimes I want nothing to do with the art after I overdo it. It takes a while to come around again. It’s tiring; it’s painful for most, but it’s somehow worth it in the end, not when you have a physical copy of your finished work, but when you have written for yourself.
I used to think that writing something worth reading was some impossible feat. I’m now writing a book of quality that has caused me no pain whatsoever. I’m actually having fun writing! It’s my favorite thing to do now, and I also read everyday. What makes it so much fun for me is that I consider my characters as real people. They have full personalities. They are growing and changing as the book chugs along. I genuinely wonder what’s going to happen next. I think about it all week and then I finally get to writing the chapter once it’s plotted out. I don’t write daily because it’s important for me to not get burned out because I am known to want to rush and go crazy. But it feels different with this piece. I think I’ve found my true love.
Another thing that makes it fun is that I’m writing about something that has a deeper meaning than what’s on the surface. It’s really the only way I can stay sane. I feel like I’m actually doing somebody some good if they read it.
Also, I don’t waste time on fanciful words. I much prefer the simple style of things, because people are going to notice what you have to say rather than how many SAT words you used. This makes it so there’s nothing to hide under.
Writing shouldn’t have to be painful. It’s only the editing that’s a real pain. That’s my two cents anyways.
I have to say, after about a year or more on this subreddit, I see a lot of the same questions. "Is this idea good?" or "If I write my characters like this, will it make my story good?" Something along those lines. It drives me a little crazy because it's almost like people want to know if their story is even worth writing, and I say to that, yes it is. Just like the majority of writers on the subreddit (I'm sure of it), we would, one day, like to be a published author, if you obviously aren't already. Waking up without having to rush out the door for work, sipping on your morning coffee and getting yourself ready to write for the day sounds like a pretty damn good way of living, if you ask me. To get to this point, I would need to be comfortable with the amount of money I'm making to pursue writing as a career, so obviously money will be something to look towards when trying to publish. However, it's important to tell yourself that it's NOT about the money. The reason why you write is because it's something you enjoy, and I don't mean the part where the chapter is perfect and ready for publication where you can start building a fan base and having readers buy your story. I'm talking about the hardships, too. Writing a first draft can be pretty easy but also the most disappointing. Yes, it's possible to write an amazing first draft, just as another post recently has suggested. Writer's need to learn to enjoy the entire process. The excitement of coming up with a new idea when you've been sitting on it for days, the butterflies you get in your tummy when you see it all get put together and the giddyness when you read your chapter over and say "holy shit, I can't wait until the next one." There's going to be edits along the way, but that's something that needs to happen. Chapters will end up being shit, but it's ok. You can add to it or rewrite it. Hell, you might not even know how you prefer to write until a couple of years down the road. I still wonder if I enjoy writing by hand more or by typing on my Macbook. Anyways, what's the point in all this? I'm just rambling at this point, but what I really want to say is that if you're writing, you're doing it because you love it. You do it because you have an extreme passion about a story that you want to tell and you desperately want to share it with the world so you can talk about it with people. Sometimes it may be hard to sit down and write because life gets in the way. You have to work your 9-5, sit in traffic for an hour, come home to the wife, play with the dog, walk it, have some dinner and then clean up. By the time that's all done, you feel exhausted, but it's ok. The next time you sit down to write, you know it's going to be a good time getting lost in the little (or big) world that you created for yourself and your little minions.
My advice? Have fun! So what if the chapter sucks? So what if someone doesn't like it? Why? Because someone WILL like it. Listen to your critics, especially the bad ones, and use the bad reviews as advice to help better your writing. Just write and enjoy all the ups and downs that come with the beautiful art!
I have zero inclination to publisher or pursue it. It's a hobby! Guys.... I need to confess that I’ve been writing only for myself, and don’t plan to ever share my writing with anyone. Is this allowed? Lord have mercy on my soul if it’s not. Do you write for fun?
I feel like every single person on this subreddit is like a professional writer who has published a best seller. Do all of you write as a profession or for fun? If you write for fun, do you make money for it? I just don't understand! Do you write a certain number of pages per day? Words per day? Per week? If you've finished a project recently, what was it and how long did it take?
People that write for a living, is writing still as fun as it used to be when it was just a hobby?
I'm pretty sure someone made something similar to this topic and it made me curious. Would it be different? Do you still enjoy writing or does it seem like a chore since writing is what pays the bills? It probably depends on the person but I'm afraid it won't be as fun once it becomes like a job.
I'm really curious how folks on this subreddit get everything written out. Hello Everybody!! I hope everyone is going to have a relaxing weekend.
I have a question for you:
Why do you write?
Is there any specific reason?
I am interested to know how many of you write just for fun?
And if so, what to you do with all of your content?
Is it stored away, deleted etc.
I am really interested to know what excites or motivates you people to write!! Thanks everyone - I am interested as I love being creative and am considering beginning to write! Do you write for yourself or write for your audience?
What mentality do you take? Do you write based on whatever you personally like (whether or not you think it will sell), or do you write what you think your audience, editor, publisher, etc would prefer? How do you make writing fun?
Lately, I've seen some posts that treat writing as 'hard work'. But I don't think it should all just be that. So I wanted to know how you guys made writing fun? How can I train myself to just write for fun?
When I'm answering a Prompt from some of these writing subreddits (like r/SimplePrompts), the stories just flow out of me like a waterfall. Absolutely no problem with getting the words down on paper. But when I sit down and begin my own projects, I end up getting stonewalled, over-sensitive, frustrated, and too touchy-feely with the Backspace button.
I think it's because I'm taking my own projects too seriously, more than Prompts. I originally thought it was just a compulsive self-editing problem (you may have seen my previous threads) but I think its because I don't know how to write for fun.
Anyone relate? Thanks! When you write things purely for your own enjoyment, and *not* for the readers, what are the things that you write? Do you stick to a common theme or subject matter? Do you write fiction or non-fiction? Short or long? Slice-of-life or adventure? Grimdark or happy or something else? Anyways, I began writing out their stories today. This time I'm hoping to stick with it. I'm planning to make use of this sub as I go. Sometimes I find it frustrating to write because I always feel like the scene falls short when I transfer it from my head to paper. There's definitely some parts I really want to just jump right into, and I've definitely written some scenes out of order. I have a small plan but I'm just writing and seeing where it takes me. I'm planning to ask my sister to read the "novel(s)." If she likes them, I was wondering if there is somewhere casual I could post them or what my next steps would be. That's definitely jumping too far ahead, so in the meantime, I'll probably have questions about structure, describing scenes, and character development. Hey guys. I've been writing since I pretty much learned how, so it's a huge part of my identity. When I was younger, I used to do it because it was a way of living the lives I really wanted to live and I loved it so much. But as I've gotten older, the fun slowly seeped out of it and it became this really serious intellectual endeavor. I put so much pressure on myself to be good because I know I can be. It's really difficult to be be playful if I'm constantly micromanaging every single sentence I write to see if it is as good as I possibly thing it can be.
Any advice for loosening up my fingers? Anyone else in the same position? Any inspirational ideas? On just about every writing site and resource, people go on and on about how your work has to be deep, meaningful, relevant, profound, deeply and profoundly theme-based, have a total mastery of all aspects, and plenty of other things. But what about writing just because you want to make something fun? I'm writing right now because I want to make a cool story, not because I'm trying to make some deep and profound statement or commentary. And I leave more up to the characters than the advisors would probably like. Is this a bad idea?
EDIT: Hearing everyone insist that your work has to be deep and profound is especially disheartening because it feels like it kills a lot of the fun, especially with fight scenes. Yes, I know a lot of people think fight scenes have to be deep, profound, and resonate perfectly with your characters in their arcs, but that feels way too limiting. Case in point: near the end of the story, the two leads get married and invite all the friends they've made throughout their adventures. Right after they kiss at the altar, a whole army of Nazis (that they had pissed off on one of their earlier adventures) break in to capture them, not realizing that all the guests have superpowers. What follows is a scene where everybody fights Nazis side-by-side in a fun little sequence before going to a big party afterwards. Is it deep, profound, and tying in to the characters at the deepest levels of their core conflicts? Not at all. Am I doing it anyway? Depends... There was this author who came to a school in my town saying that writing was profoundly painful for him. Thing is, he’s written over 100 books.
I find that it is a love hate relationship with words for most authors. Sometimes I want nothing to do with the art after I overdo it. It takes a while to come around again. It’s tiring; it’s painful for most, but it’s somehow worth it in the end, not when you have a physical copy of your finished work, but when you have written for yourself.
I used to think that writing something worth reading was some impossible feat. I’m now writing a book of quality that has caused me no pain whatsoever. I’m actually having fun writing! It’s my favorite thing to do now, and I also read everyday. What makes it so much fun for me is that I consider my characters as real people. They have full personalities. They are growing and changing as the book chugs along. I genuinely wonder what’s going to happen next. I think about it all week and then I finally get to writing the chapter once it’s plotted out. I don’t write daily because it’s important for me to not get burned out because I am known to want to rush and go crazy. But it feels different with this piece. I think I’ve found my true love.
Another thing that makes it fun is that I’m writing about something that has a deeper meaning than what’s on the surface. It’s really the only way I can stay sane. I feel like I’m actually doing somebody some good if they read it.
Also, I don’t waste time on fanciful words. I much prefer the simple style of things, because people are going to notice what you have to say rather than how many SAT words you used. This makes it so there’s nothing to hide under.
Writing shouldn’t have to be painful. It’s only the editing that’s a real pain. That’s my two cents anyways.
