Does writing make you happy?
Should writing make you happy?
I’ve talked with other writers and the results are mixed.
If It Makes You Miserable
One thing I hear even more than whether writing makes writers happy is how miserable it makes them.
I’ve encountered writers who talk about how they have to write, even though it pains them. They talk about writing in a very dramatic fashion, seemingly putting more effort into discussing how miserable writing makes them than they put into actually writing.
I never understood this. While I have a compulsion to write and can’t imagine not writing, I don’t have to write. I’m simply compelled to write; most days, I even want to write!
I sometimes wonder if writers who talk about how miserable writing makes them put too much pressure on the act to make them happy.
I wonder if those writers are happy in any aspect of their lives.
Is It Writing’s Fault That You’re Not Happy?
If you think about it, the physical act of writing isn’t very exciting. Most of us go into a room all by ourselves for hours and create something from nothing.
It’s fun, but it’s not easy. Some days, it is miserable!
Writing can be frustrating. Few things are worse than knowing what you want to create and not being able to do it when you sit down. Some days you see a better cadence to the pacing and better words on the page than you put down. Some days you know you can do sooooooo much better. (Which is why we revise.)
But is writing to blame for one’s misery?
What Else Do You Do?
I write every day. (In addition to the other writing I do, so far this month I’ve written a Juggling Writer entry a day.) I edit things, too.
I write fiction, non-fiction, and technical documentation. But I also get out and see friends. I workout more days than I don’t. I love hanging out with my wife. I juggle and have other hobbies.
Those things make me happy.
Writing doesn’t necessarily make me happy, though…
So What Does Writing Do?
While writing doesn’t necessarily make me happy, it satisfies me.
Every time!
Writing leaves me feeling like I’ve accomplished something and moved another step toward doing the writing I really want to do full time. It’s not the act of writing, but the thought of making it writing that makes me happy.
Right now as I freelance, I have more time to spend with people I love — I have more time to do the things I enjoy doing.
There are times I’m so incredibly happy while writing that I can’t even describe it. (Even though I’m a writer.) There are times the words flow and what goes from my brain, through my body, and makes it on a page makes me so happy and excited that I leap up from my chair, point at the monitor — at the words that surprised me — and laugh or cheer.
Seriously.
But most days, writing’s work…and hard work at that.
I like hard work when it has a payoff. It leaves me satisfied. In a sense, there’s happiness in that satisfaction, but when I look at a printed article, screenplay, or novel on my desk, there’s no bigger sense of accomplishment in my life!
Writing leaves me feeling satisfied.
Sometimes, it even makes me happy.
(I’m not sure it’s supposed to do any more than that.)
What About You?
Does writing make you miserable, happy, satisfied, or something else?
Do you have to write, or just want to write?
I’ve never understood self-flagellation and really would love to hear from somebody who absolutely hates writing, but keeps at it.
If I hate something, I don’t do it — so I’d love to hear why somebody chooses to be miserable, and what good it does them to keep writing.
Wow! Writing makes me happy. I’m happy even writing this comment. I have a smile on my face. 🙂 I also get satisfaction from working on a draft, or a finishing a manuscript, or a blog post, or even an email. Heck, even a shopping list. 🙂
Not sure what to make of the tortured writers . . I guess some people are masochists.
Yep, I always feel satisfied when I finish something, even if it’s e-mail to a friend. And when I step away from what I’ve written and look at something printed on my desk, it really does make me happy. Writing leaves me feeling satisfied almost every time I sit down (even if what I’ve written isn’t all I know if can be; I know I’ll get there). I guess constant satisfaction is a form of happiness 😉
The best I can figure with the tortured writers…maybe writing is a deeper form of therapy for them and they dredge up rough stuff? I don’t know — writing isn’t really therapeutic for me in the sense that I use it to work through things. I simply like making up stories or piecing together an article or blog entry so I feel like I’ve accomplished something I enjoy doing.
If I didn’t enjoy writing, I wouldn’t write.
“If I didn’t enjoy writing, I wouldn’t write.” That about sums it up for me too.
The tortured writer therapy thing- yeah, I can see that. But when I write as therapy I feel empowered. I feel like I’ve been purged of a festersome poison. That’s always a good feeling.
I’m not a writer, but I do creative things. Could it also be perfection? Maybe they’re being very hard on themselves, pushing to do the best they can, working hard, and then not being happy with the results.
It could be all sorts of things — you could probably ask every person like that and get different answers.
What is frustrating is not having enough time to write. Or on some days, enough energy. I do find time, though, every day, for something. Some days it does end with the satisfaction of a completed blog post or a first draft. Other days, maybe all I can squeeze in is an email or a journal page. The point is that once the discipline of constant practice sets in, the rewards are cumulative. Practice is the name of the game. Find time to do that, and the resulting increase in abilities will make your up-until-then lack of progress less frustration
Thanks for the reply, Christopher. (Great name, by the way!)
There are definitely days when I don’t want to write, or days when I don’t write as much as I set out to complete. Some days all I do is edit technical manuals and don’t find time for my own stuff. But like you said, you practice and do it enough and the rewards pile up.
You bring up a good point about the frustration that comes when there’s not time to write. I’ve found myself in that position in the past and it drive me nuts. I can deal with it if it’s temporary, but there have been a few times that it came down to writing or a job requiring overtime and I chose writing.
It’s much more satisfying than a job requiring ridiculous hours.
Sometimes writing does make me happy. Other times it is just ok. Writing has never made me miserable.
However, the thing that makes me most happy is to look back on things I’ve written and feeling proud that it exists. Writers are creators and creating makes me happy.
Perry,
Thank you for the reply. Like you, I’m most happy when I look back at things I’ve written. Having a body of work and seeing my progress as a writer over time is one of the best feelings in the world to me.
I see a lot of parallels with writing and running (or joggling in your case!). You start out with shorter stories or articles, and move on to bigger things; much like starting off with a slow jog around the block and picking up speed and distance.
Both take a lot of stamina, and when you’re in the zone doing either, there are few better feelings in the world!
i dont enjoy writing because i’m not particuarlly good at it. The reason i continue to write is because i have ideas and interesting perspectives to put out into the world. Sometimes writing feels like the most efficient means of communication.