Writing Requirement: Have Fun

Writing Requirement:  Have Fun

by Saralyn Richard

I have taught creative writing off and on for a long time—to high school students and to senior citizens, to aspiring authors who made writing their careers, and to leisure-time writers who were testing the waters of their talents. No matter who the learners were, the process was the same.

The way a person learns to write fiction is by writing fiction. It helps to have a knowledgeable teacher and a good curriculum. It helps to have comprehensive lessons that probe the various elements of fiction and the techniques for creating them. 

It especially helps to have strategic practice in implementing these techniques through targeted assignments with the support to fulfill them. In my classes, all assignments were required, and I never had anyone back out or hand in anything late, even when no grade was attached to the work. That told me my students found the assignments relevant and meaningful, and they felt prepared and empowered to complete them. 

Other teachers asked me how I was able to create this sense of efficacy within my students, and my answer was an easy one—have fun. For me, writing is a grand adventure. I can tap into my wildest thoughts and dreams, ask my most outrageous what-if questions, and put together a whole world of characters and conflicts that connect me to other human beings. The process of doing this is pure joy. I approach the task with excitement and wonder, and I can’t wait to see where these will take me. 

I believe the fun that I have while writing soaks into the words and sentences and paragraphs and transfers to the reader. Joyful writing leads to joyful reading. 

The corollary is true, as well. As a long-term English teacher, I’ve graded many thousands of papers. Some were written happily, but others reeked of drudgery and lackluster craftsmanship. Those who don’t have fun while writing produce duds.

Thus, I have become famous for requiring every creative writing assignment to be crafted with fun. When you sit down to write, I always say, put a smile on your face, a good thought in your head, and some pep in your fingers. You are about to play in the most original playground of your mind, where everything is bright and new. Even if you are writing a sad or serious scene, the act of transferring that to your manuscript needs to be positive and pleasant.

Having fun can take you far in writing. It can bring you back to the computer or desk time and again with a sense of coming home to a comfortable environment. Most of all, joyful writing draws readers and gives them the kind of literary experiences that make them connect, think, and learn. And that’s what good writing is all about.

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Saralyn Richard writes award-winning humor- and romance-tinged mysteries that pull back the curtain on people in settings as diverse as elite country manor houses and disadvantaged urban high schools. Her works include the Detective Parrott mystery series, two standalone mysteries, a children’s book, and various short stories published in anthologies. She also edited the nonfiction book, Burn Survivors. An active member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America, Saralyn teaches creative writing and literature. Her favorite thing about being an author is interacting with readers like you. If you would like to subscribe to Saralyn’s monthly newsletter and receive information, giveaways, opportunities, surveys, freebies, and more, sign up at https://saralynrichard.com. 

 

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers