The Joy of Writing
Yes, there is a book called The Joy of Writing, and it’s definitely worth a read (and yes, I’m pretty sure the similarity of the title to another well-known book is intentional). However today’s post is not inspired by the book, it’s inspired by Christina Katz, writer of the Prosperous Writer newsletter and books such as Writer Mama and Get Known Before The Book Deal. I love the Prosperous Writer. There’s something about prosperity that is so much more attractive than wealth. Prosperity implies that you are not just doing well financially, but emotionally and spiritually as well, which brings us to what this post is actually about – finding joy in your writing.
Throughout 2010 Christina Katz, via The Prosperous Writer newsletter, is highlighting the 52 Qualities of Prosperous Writers, and this week, coming in at 26, is joy.
Most people would agree that a life devoid of joy is a tragedy, but people often seem to forget that they spend a huge percentage of their life working, so if you want joy in your life you need joy in your work.
Here are ten experiences in my writing life that have brought me joy:
My first acceptance from an editor.
An editor who accepted my work with the words ‘I would love to publish your excellent article”.
An email from an editor I’ve worked with regularly that said ‘I love all your work’.
The feeling of finishing editing a piece of writing and knowing that I’ve said exactly what I wanted to say.
Coming from a non-technical background but managing to get ChangeThe World With Words up and running with only minor recurring glitches.
Receiving wonderful, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious comments from readers of my blog and other articles.
Writing about stuff I love.
Losing myself in my art.
Receiving an award for a short story I wrote.
My 9-year-old son saying (about above story) “Your story was really good, Mom. Not boring at all.” (I’m sure the judges will be relieved to get this very important confirmation of their taste in literature!)
Some of these things are not ones I would have expected to make the list, and some of my “bigger” achievements are conspicuous by their absence.
Maybe that’s what Christina meant when she suggested:
Perhaps it’s worth writing or blogging about [joy] because the answers may not be on the surface. You might need to write your way deeper until you hit joy-dirt.
Does your work bring you joy? Or is joy something you save for when you’ve finished your work? If you do, consider the following quote:
Don’t postpone joy until you have learned all of your lessons. Joy is your lesson.
- Alan Cohen
Did your work bring you joy today?
Twitter: Purplesong
says:
Good for you, Karen. You’re patting yourself on the back and finding joy that results alongside each of these accomplishments. I really think joy is found after the all the hard work and sweat, a quote that I recently came across is:”I don’t like writing, I like to have written.” I also like in the beginning of your post you mentioned prosperity is a type of emotional and spiritual joy or perhaps when we tap into the joy we become open to more prosperity.
Twitter: writeandchange
says:
Thanks Vanessa. I like that quote. Sometimes the writing process is hard, but there is nothing quite so satisfying as having written something – especially when it actually expresses exactly what you were trying to say. (Sometimes it takes a few re-writes!) And yes, I just love the word prosperity. To me it implies a type of success that goes way beyond material wealth.
Thanks for this piece of wisdom. I was just sitting here enjoying the thrill of writing a new piece when I got distracted by social media (it has that effect, doesn’t it). And it led me to this piece which has got me right back on track to go back and enjoy writing again. Thank you and thanks for finding me via twitter!
Liesl Jurock´s last post ..Flying Solo
Twitter: writeandchange
says:
Thanks for stopping by, Liesl. Great to connect with you
Another great example of your mission in action… change the world with words. Now if you can just figure out how to get everyone to read. I heard recently that there are a lot of people that never pick up a book again once they leave school. Now where is the joy in that?
I love reading and learning. I am always moved by the words I read here. Thanks Karen!
Cheryl James´s last post ..“MLM” is a Cuss Word…
Twitter: writeandchange
says:
Thanks Cheryl, and oh yes – the joy of reading. If only more people embraced that (instead of reality TV, perhaps?) the world would be a better place!
Twitter: stevensuchar
says:
Hi Karen!
Thanks for inviting me to your Blog…it’s so nice meeting you.
KUDO’s on your writing accomplishments so far. To have your work recognized by others must be a feeling of inner satisfaction!!
Have a highly inspired day…your tribal friend Steven Suchar
Steven Suchar´s last post ..Do You Absolutely Need A Highly Sociable Blog