Is writing supposed to be fun?

Sure, there are times when writing is a lot of fun for me. When I'm feeling inspired and creative, what I have to say seems to flow like water. But then there are those times when that water seems to have frozen to ice, and it's a grind, like I'm a sculptor with an ice pic hacking away at what will eventually become a beautiful ice sculpture, but right now it's just a block of cold, shapeless ice.

Whenever I'm in that very un-fun space and hacking away at a piece, I always think, "Gee, isn't this supposed to be fun?"  And then I hear my mother's voice saying, "Who ever told you that?"

The truth is that no one ever told me that, but I have a tendency to expect it to be enjoyable because it is fun for me so much of the time.  So much so that I am actually surprised when it's not.  I'm disappointed, and I have a little internal, mental temper tantrum about it.  Of course, the temper tantrum doesn't make it any easier or more fun, so the hacking grind continues until I either take a break or finish the project.

Now, you would think that recognizing this pattern would enable me to change it, right? Well, not entirely. I think there are times when the writing will just not be fun.  In fact, isn't it true that even things you love are not so great in excess?  Have you ever eaten so much chocolate that you couldn't look at another piece of chocolate for awhile?  O.k., that's a bad example, but I think I made my point. I think the same thing happens with writing for me. There comes a point when I have done so much of it in such a short period of time that it's just not fun anymore.

So, knowing that, how can I make it less of a grind?  Here's what I try to do:  I take breaks.  I switch projects when I can. I remind myself why I am writing what I am writing.

In the end, it's more enjoyable than not.  And I focus on the good time.

Also, completing a large writing project is something like giving birth to a baby (minus the physical pain and blood, of course). Once the baby is here, you tend to forget all about the pain and the difficulty of the process.  All you can see is the good.

That's the fun part.

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