How to Make Writing Fun Again

When I was younger, writing was more fun. Pure creative expression with no limits. Yes, in adulthood I’ve become more serious and I’ve learned more about the craft, but that doesn’t mean the fun should be lost from the process. There are a lot of benefits to making your writing feel fun again, most importantly, I think, because creativity and playfulness are intertwined. This is why children are so creative: they are playful and imaginative without rigid limits. Another reason is that it makes sitting down to write less daunting. It’s less of a chore. There’s less pressure. It suddenly becomes something you want to do because it’s just for fun!

With that, here are some ways of making your writing process feel fun, playful, and carefree again even when you’re a “serious writer”.

Change your font – choose a playful one or a different one to your norm; maybe change the font every time you sit down to write to keep it fresh and track how much you wrote each day at a glance rather than by word countChange the colour of your font – makes it feel less serious; could have a certain colour for a certain mood for each scene/chapter; different colours for different POV charactersHave a moody playlist going – different ones for different characters, scenes or chapters (easy to find on Spotify or YouTube, just search for the vibe you want e.g. “fight scenes, epic scenes, dark forest, whimsical, etc.”)Use writing sessions and timers – this makes you feel competitive and that can be fun! Also live writing sessions with others online, like Abbie Emmons hosts, helps you to feel less alone as you writeVideo call your writer friend and write together – again, that solidarity of writers writing togetherDress up – as your character or someone you think looks like a writer (maybe a checkered blazer?)Insert pictures into your manuscript – this helps you to visualise it as a book or feel more like the world is coming aliveDance in between every hundred words – gets the energy and creative juices flowing tooWrite in your notebook instead – removes the pressure of word count and you can doodle in the cornersDon’t write in chapters – this makes it look like a book and books are long and scary to write; stories, not so much!Light a candle – I’m currently reading The Little Book of Hygge and he states that candles are the most cosy and hygge thing there is which means relaxation and good vibes only!Write from different places each time – office, living room, kitchen, bedroom, library, coffee shop, friend’s house, parent’s house, garden, park…Only write when you feel like it – this is a slippery slope so be careful but this helps you to associate writing with something you genuinely want to do again not something you have to doMake a fun Pinterest board for your world and characters – perfect inspiration and without fault has always got my creative juices flowing when I’ve sat down to writeCreate a Canva collage for your story – again, pictures go a long way to immerse you in your story world which feels so fun and they’re fun to make; set the collage are your desktop and/or phone wallpaperGive yourself permission to write a zero/skeleton draft – this means you feel “allowed” to write quickly, badly and playfully without worrying about it being goodGive yourself a treat after or during writing – don’t overindulge but a little treat or reward helps make mental connections between writing and dopamine and happy feelings

There are many other ways that you can personally make writing feel fun for you again. Let me know in the comments if you have more advice to share with others.

Sincerely,

S. xx