In stark contrast to that old romanticised view of the tortured artist channeling their misery into great works of art, I do my best creating when I’m a Happy Writer.
The whole Happy Writer thing can be hard. It seems like the world is stuck on negativity overload. All that noise crushes our minds and darkens our souls, even when we’re not aware it’s happening or to what extent. Even if we tune out the wider world, we all have our own lives going on in the middle of it, with all the daily stresses and pressures that brings.
Writing is my coping tool.
I use writing to express and release my worry. It’s how I escape, it’s how I process. It’s how I get my kicks and fill my cup.
But, I find it incredibly challenging to write and create when my brain is mired in negative thinking and stress.
For me, negativity is almost like a physical pressure, where I get too many thoughts, and most of them are somehow related to not being enough, not knowing enough, doing things wrong, or simply that we’re all doomed. It’s so difficult to pull coherent ideas out of that tangle and put them on the page to create something.
My writing process is more manageable when I purposefully seek positive experiences and intentionally add a bit of happy writer sparkly magic dust into my mind. When I do that, the writing flows more easily; I get more and better ideas, and life becomes a smoother, more pleasant experience.
Here’s how I serve up those positivity injections and sprinkle the happy magic.
1. Seek Out Good News
When I’m feeling low, particularly when that lousy feeling is connected to an overload of noise in my brain, adding good news to the cacophony helps quiet it.
A while before the pandemic (and before I quit social media), I discovered the power of positive news sites. An article popped up on my Twitter feed – I can’t even remember what it was about – from The Good News Network. That site still has me hooked. The Good News Network is a news site that only publishes positive news. It’s not the only good news source around, and many news sites have a “Light” section, but they’re rarely easy to find because good news doesn’t hold our attention like bad news does. Buck that system and find your own good news.
2. Gratitude and Positive Filters
Like many, I’ve tried keeping a gratitude journal. You’ve probably heard people talk about the practice. It’s a small daily act of writing down a few things you’re grateful for. Many folks swear by it.
After a couple of weeks, I found the daily practice became quite forced, and I was writing the same things over and over, sparking fears I was “doing it wrong.” So I stopped. Well, I stopped forcing myself to write it down. During the experiment, I noticed a mental lightness when I was thinking about what to write, so I made seeking that lightness in thought a regular practice. Sometimes I write it down, sometimes not. This moment of intentional, mindful positivity short circuits the negativity bias all humans are wired for.
Try it. For a short time, a few minutes or even seconds, look around and just see one thing that you’re grateful for. It doesn’t even need to be formal gratitude. Just see or feel something good, however small. Don’t analyze it; just experience it. And then get back to whatever you were doing.
3. Connection
Find yourself a writer friend. This is easier said than done in real life. So turn to online groups, or join up with a course at your local writer’s center, Udemy, or wherever is easiest for you.
Connecting with other writers lets you share your woes to a like-minded soul and helps you to understand that you’re not alone in whatever struggle your writing is facing right now, whether that’s craft, business, or mindset. Writers get it. Non-writers don’t.
If you need a writer connection, you can reach out to me. Seriously.
4. Channel Negativity into Writing
Horror writers are the nicest writers in the business. I’ve never met a horror writer who isn’t a well balanced and super friendly soul. I think it’s because they constructively channel their dark side into their work. I used to write horror and dark fantasy but my tastes changed. Nevertheless, now when I explore heavier and frightening notions in my fiction, I tend to feel lighter, more breezy after the writing session. The demons are out of my brain and locked safely on the page, where I can control and vanquish them.
5. Look After Your Physical Health
Feeling good in your body translates into feeling good in your mind. So that’s nourishing food and a delicious dose of exercise endorphins. Everyone has a different way of looking after their bodies in the way that’s best for them, so find yours.
6. Stop Writing
Honestly, I hate this advice. Writing is my happy place, so why would I stop writing to be happier? Because we all need a rest. When I force myself to take a break, I feel resentful about it for a while, but I’m usually soon grateful for the extra headspace and can take that clarity and renewed enthusiasm back to the page.
7. Do Something Silly
Not dangerous or reckless silly, but silly silly. Dance like a chicken, try to juggle, make up a nonsense song and sing it at the top of your lungs, wear something crazy. I pull out random silliness like this often – though you would never expect it if you met me in real life. I find it’s an instant mood lightener and a reminder that life doesn’t always need to be so heavy. Tip – it’s easier when you’ve got young kids around, and they’ll usually find it hilarious! Which brings me to the next tip…
8. Laugh
There are groups you can go to where people just get together and laugh. It’s true! It’s also odd, and I don’t want to do that. But laughter really is an amazing bodily function that soothes away negative tension in seconds. I’m not a person to force laughter, but I do seek it out. When things are a bit too heavy, I will go looking for something funny. YouTube is a good place to start, and I’ll also go looking for amusing TV or movies. Parks and Recreation and The Simpsons have been my go to for many years.
9. Write for Fun
So, remember how writing is a fun and rewarding activity? We make up stories, for goodness’ sake. We don’t have a life in our hands when we sit down to work. We’re not defending public justice. I write fantasy! Fantasy! It’s supposed to be fun and purely escapist. Release the pressure by reminding yourself that there is no pressure, no matter what you write.
10. Go Gently and Kindly With Yourself
When my kids are deep into an upset of whatever kind, do I yell at them and force them to work, all the while telling them they lack something? Of course not. I go in with gentle kindness. So why do I put such a hard-assed force on myself? The times I remember to treat myself gently, I give myself a kind word, often out loud, and, just like I tell my kids, I tell myself that it’s all going to be okay, that I’m doing well. It works.
11. Treat Yo Self
A little nod to Parks and Recreation.
Give yourself something lovely and treat your happy writer self to something that feels good. Bake a cake and enjoy eating it. Buy a book. Give yourself flowers. Have a date night with yourself. Whatever gets your dopamine flowing, indulge it, feel it, relish it.
12. Get Inspired to Write
It might be a podcast about writing, it might be a really excellent book. Whatever lights up your “I want to write” buttons, intentionally seek that out and get some Happy Writer vibes from another writer on that same frequency.
Even without a mass global crisis, there’s never going to be a time when the world isn’t crazy and filled with bad stuff. But there is good stuff too, so, so much of it. We just have to put a bit more effort into finding it. And when we do, our creativity flourishes.
I hope you find some of my strategies helpful in your quest to get a little more happy writer magic in your life and translate that magic into your writing work.
