Why writing is fun

In my professional life, I have had to do plenty of writing. Earlier in my career, I worked for a large grant-making foundation, and every quarter I had to write carefully-crafted grant recommendations for the board of trustees. I also worked on a variety of research projects and often had to analyze data and write about the findings. Some of that work ended up being published, but much of it was just part of a bigger process, always as part of a team. I’ve also had to write grant proposals, grant reports, project updates, business plans, memos, and the like.

Was this kind of writing fun? To be honest, no, not really. Challenging? – yes, certainly. At times satisfying to see the final product? – perhaps. But enjoyable? If anything, it was more burdensome and stressful than anything else. And often a bit repetitive and predictable. Plus, the projects may have been interesting, but they were not necessarily something I was that passionate about. It was work. I had to produce writing for my employer. I did my job, and was reasonably good at it.

But writing fiction is completely different. It really is fun! So, why is it fun? First of all, there are no deadlines (goals, yes, but since I set them, I can change them!). I write when I feel like it, for as long as I want to, and I don’t write when I don’t feel like it. Second, writing fiction is creative. It’s fun coming up with new ideas. And, as Margaret Atwood said (see previous post), writing is a form of problem-solving. Problem-solving is also fun, especially when you have complete control over everything in the universe you created!

A novel writer truly starts with a blank canvas and has complete freedom to shape and revise his creation the way he or she wants to. I love the way I can go back to a previous paragraph or chapter and, with a few clicks and keystrokes, send the story or character in a new direction, or fix a problem that had unexpectedly cropped up. To stick with the canvas metaphor for a moment, I suppose painters have a similar freedom, but to me it seems that a painter might have less freedom to go back and make changes, without a lot more trouble, or without actually starting over with a blank canvas. Perhaps I am wrong about this, but writing seems wonderfully easy and flexible compared to other art forms.

Finally, writing novels is fun because other people get to read them and enjoy them. At least I hope they enjoy them! It’s fun when other people get excited about something you have created. I am sure this is the same pleasure musicians get when audiences love their music, that chefs enjoy when diners love their food – really, this must be true for all artists and creators. I believe it is even true for God. I think he is honored and pleased when people enjoy his creation. Yes, I think we can say it: God enjoys it when we enjoy what he has made! So perhaps that is a fourth reason writing is fun: creativity is a way we express our true identity as God’s image bearers.