Writing can be a strange hobby to have sometimes. With all the talk of “publishing” and “editing” and “making money from your hobby”, it can easily become like a job.
Over the past year or so, writing felt like a chore. I got wrapped up in the expectation that I need to be making money from my writing. I got wrapped up in school and figuring out what to do with my degree. I got wrapped up in the perfection bubble and it paralyzed me for a while.
I used to be able to put out first drafts in months, but for a long time my writing has been stagnant. I even posted on TikTok a few months ago when I finished a project that it didn’t feel the same, that it felt hollow. Still, I’ve been chugging along, hoping the inspiration will come back.
In the last few months I’ve made writing a daily habit and it no longer feels like as much of a chore. But that’s not what this post is about. Habits are important, but there’s something more important than habits.
A few days ago, something clicked. Most of the pieces I’m working on are still first drafts. First drafts are supposed to be fun, they’re supposed to be quick and ugly and hastily written garbage, but most of all FUN!
Even the edits I’m currently working on can still be fun. So far, I’ve added a few songs, and a few more prophecies. It’s been an enjoyable process, because I finally realized I’m making it fun.
I can’t believe it took me that long to realize I wasn’t having fun, or letting fun in. Writing is a hobby before it’s a business. Writing is something I do for fun, and if it makes me money eventually, that’s fantastic.
I will be an author some day, but I am still allowed to have fun with my hobby. I’m allowed to not take myself seriously sometimes.
Here’s to more fun and more silliness.
Stay tuned!
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