How to Make Writing Fun Again
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Article by: Mel Piper, freelance writer at Globe Soup.
Seeing our writing as a ‘serious’ venture can lead us to feeling rejected, unhappy, and demotivated with our works in progress. Whether it’s due to difficult themes, or that plot point you just can’t work out, we begin to overthink our work, leading us to be dissatisfied with our writing. Pair that with the string of rejections that comes to all writers and you begin to question if you even want to write any more. It’s all too easy to stop and watch the latest series on Netflix instead. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. Remember when writing was just...fun?
Whether you were a keen writer as a child or not, you were always making up stories. And when you didn’t like what you were doing, you just started something new!
Now, I’m not telling you to screw up your five-year-long-novel project and chuck it into the bin. However, that childish joy of writing what we want, when we want? That’s something that we can embrace too, even as adults.
So, when your writing routine isn’t working and you’re stuck in a bit of a rut, here’s a few ideas to get you having fun with writing again!
Write in a Different Location
Do you have a set writing location? Writers often have places they prefer to write in, be they their desk, a coffee shop, or even in bed. But why not take a moment to take your writing elsewhere, or follow the lead of this writer who tried a whole series of favourite writer spots.
Pop a notebook in your bag and go exploring! You could try the park, a train journey, visiting an art gallery or going to a new restaurant. Whatever your writing style, going outside can work wonders. You can continue working on your own piece or try something inspired by your new location. You could write a piece focussed on a character eating the dish you are trying at a restaurant or imagine immersing yourself in the world of a painting. Plus, new writing locations often means overhearing snippets of conversation from other people- nectar for writers and incredible writing prompts all on their own!
Draw it Out
We often have the whole world of our stories just in our heads, swimming around and intermingling with our day-to-day thoughts. Sometimes, we note them down to help plan.
However, why not try drawing instead?
You don’t have to be the next Monet or Rembrandt, and it doesn’t matter if your drawings are all stick figures. It simply allows you to see your work in a different way. Turn your character sketches into actual character sketches. You can just use pencil, or why not go all out and use felt tips or paint. Alternatively, you could draw out a whole scene: that bar where your characters meet for the first time, or the mountaintop where your heroine slays the dragon. By visualising our worlds in this way, it can give us a better understanding of our characters and the environments they interact with.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, why not try and map out your story into a storyboard? By plotting your story through six boxes on a piece of paper, you may notice a bit of your story that needs work or a missing link you had never noticed before.
Use Silly Prompts
Silly prompts are such a great way to kickstart your writing.
Before your next writing session, why not find a couple of fun prompts and set your timer for 15 minutes. Then, just write whatever comes into your head. No one ever has to see what you produce, so just use it to be free, write something a bit odd, and have a little fun! Then, when the timer is up, you can feel warmed up and ready to get back into your work in progress.
There are loads of prompt generators online. Investing in a set of Story Cubes is another great way to spark the imagination-just roll the dice and start writing!
An alternative version of this game is to put your music on shuffle and click play. You have until the end of the song to write a couple of sentences inspired by the lyrics, mood, and overall vibe of the track. Repeat until you’re ready to move on.
Try a Completely New Genre
Are you currently working on a horror novel? Write a favourite scene as a romance short story. Currently working on your crime short story? Write a favourite scene as a fairy tale.
Changing the genre of something we're really familiar with can be a challenge but also really rewarding. Seeing our stories in a less familiar way gives us an insight into what our characters would do in a completely different situation to what we see them normally face.
If you don’t have a current work in progress, you can also rewrite a scene from one of your favourite books, poems or plays. Extra points if you can turn Fight Club into a regency romance.
And, if you like trying new genres, why not take part in the our free 7 Day Story Writing Challenges? For each challenge, participants are randomly assigned one of twelve literary genres, and are given 7 days to write a new story in that genre. The challenges are a lot of fun, and we’re always adding exciting new genres into the mix.
Writing Party
Whether you have a writing group, a bunch of writer friends, or even just some curious family members, one of the best ways to have fun with writing is to host a little writing party!
Writing parties are great, particularly as not everyone needs to be an experienced writer. Meet up, either virtually or at a location of your choice, get the snacks, and take part in loads of fun writing party games.
Possible games include:
Consequences: a game where you each write a sentence, fold the paper over, and pass it on so the person next in line only sees the prompt directly before their own sentence. Consequences is a great game which gets the imagination juices flowing. Plus, it's a brilliant game to play with anyone regardless of writing ability. Prepare for the end stories to be utterly bonkers!
Use your senses: We often use sight and sound to give us writing prompts-but what about our other senses? Get each person to bring in one item that can be held by other party members. Shut your eyes, and have another member of the party give you one of the items. Before the item is revealed, begin writing about the texture of the item, what it smells like, or maybe what it even tastes like! Doing this task gets you to interact with objects in playful way and see them in a completely new light. Give it a go and I hope, like me, it’ll help you find that childish wonder again. It could even provide that bit of description you were after for your story.
Lonely hearts: On a piece of paper, everyone creates two characters and provides basic descriptions about them (name, gender, human/creature, likes, dislikes). All papers go into the middle, and everyone takes two at random. Congrats! These two are now on a date at a location of your choice (locations can be provided as well for even more fun). Now set the clock and write about how well (or not well) the date goes.
These games are all wonderfully playful ways to get you writing and having fun with friends. Of course, you might also come up with your own games amongst the group, of if you are looking for even more to play, there are lots of resources and suggestions online. We also have a handy list of the best online writing challenges.
Now Over to You
So there you have it, a few tips and ideas to bring that fun back into your writing. These ideas may seem silly and trivial, but that's exactly the point of them! By encouraging ourselves to play and try out these no-pressure new activities, you can re-find your spark to get back into writing.
Give them a try and see what you can create. And, if you create something great, why not enter it into a writing competition. Find a list of writing competitions here.
Mel Piper is a writer based in Coventry. With an MA in Creative Writing from Keele University, Mel’s work focuses on bringing the weird into the everyday. Her work has previously been shortlisted by Sleek City Press and soon to be published in the latest Thi Wurd anthology. She has run workshops for adults and children, as well as edited and curated anthologies of creative work. Mel also has experience writing and editing copy for British Blind Sport and Keele University amongst others. Outside of writing, Mel is also a keen photographer, her work featured in multiple publications.