The Happy Writer

I don't really write for fun anymore, and that's a shame, because I used to really enjoy fiction writing as a creative outlet. I was reminded of this long-ignored hobby this week while reading the online work of Cleolinda Jones (her work can be found here). She's most well-known for her hilarious commentary on the "Twilight" series and other works in the fantasy genre. She's often self-deprecating about being known as an expert/commentator on "tween" literature. However, in an interview I read, she talks about the importance of writing about what you love. Later, she re-tweeted an article about the same subject written by author Rosemary Clement Moore on Genreality.net. Moore divulges a writing exercise found in the book, "No Plot, No Problem," to help you determine what you really love to write. Here's her description of the exercise:

Draw a line down the middle of a page to make two columns . . . At the top of one put: Things I love in books. List all the things that you love in a story. Do not edit yourself. No matter how trite, cliché, cheesy, un-feminist, un-macho, or what your mother would say about it… put that on your list. (For example, I love witty verbal fencing between the hero and heroine. Also, books with dogs.)

Got it? Okay. Title the second column: Things I hate in books. List all the things that turn you off, bore you, or make you throw the book against the wall. No matter how classic and erudite, or how popular or trendy, write them down. (My example: I have an arbitrary dislike of present tense, despite many wonderful books being written that way.)

Remember! These aren’t things that are bad writing, just things that you don’t like. The whole point is, these are subjective. Your may love something your best friend hates, and that’s okay. Neither one is “wrong.” (For both lists, it’s more useful to list general things rather than specific books/authors. If you dislike a book, try and figure out why.)

Okay, so now here’s the complicated part. Sit down and write your book. Put in everything (well, maybe not everything) you have on your “love” list and don’t put in what’s on your “hate” list.
What happens sometimes when we write–All of us!–is the inner editor says: That’s a dumb idea. That’s cliché, no one likes that but you, you freak. And in the other ear, the inner English Teacher speaks from the part of your subconscious where she’s been living since the ninth grade and says, “These things you hate make great literature. They are Worthy and Important. You just hate these things because they’re Good For You.

     Reading all this has really made me reflect on my own writing. I've realized that I suppressed myself in my writing because the voice of my inner critic is so loud. Even my "fun" writing has been limited because of what some hypothetical person might say in some hypothetical situation in which my stories would see the light of day. I've been inspired this week to reclaim this part of my life, and also challenged to make my own list. Stay tuned.