Ask writers how they prefer to spend their time and the answer will be—writing! (Eating cookies while writing is a close second.) But when life is confusing, stressful, and uncertain, it’s understandable to feel a bit down and uninterested in the writing process. At Writer’s Relief, we know that there are easy ways to bring joy and fun back into your writing life even when you feel distracted and unmotivated. Here are our best tips to help you smile while writing.

5 Ways To Rediscover The Joy And Fun Of Writing

Write Out Of Order: If your writing feels rote, shake things up! Write the last line of your poem or the last paragraph of your story, and work backward to the beginning. Or jump around: Write the middle, the end, and then the beginning scenes! Explore the setting you’ve created and throw in a few fun details—maybe a neighbor tossing pancakes like Frisbees to her dog, or a librarian trying to walk silently in squeaky shoes. You’ll have fun writing and your reader will enjoy the unexpected touches that will make your story, poem, or novel stand out from the crowd.

Try A Different Genre: Are you a horror writer who suddenly finds a headless monster “ho hum”? Or maybe humor is your go-to genre, but lately all your jokes fall flat. It’s time to try something new and stretch your creative muscles by writing in a different genre! Imagine the possibilities of writing humor with a creepy horror touch, or a poem’s romantic theme that gets the “kooky clown car” treatment. (Editor’s note: And they said I couldn’t work the phrase “kooky clown car” into an article. Ha!)

And if you really want to try a different take on your story or poem, sketch or paint a scene, character, or setting! It’s a fun way to experiment and spark your creativity.

Take A Break: Back away from the keyboard and put down that pen! Call or video chat with friends and family. Play a board game or binge-watch that series everyone’s talking about. Go outside and sit in the sun or take a walk, since getting even a little sunlight can help boost your state of mind. When you do come back to your writing, you’ll be energized and refreshed.

You can also listen to music while on a break (were Rachel and Ross really on a break?). Studies show people who listen to upbeat music improve their moods.

Read Someone Else’s Writing: Now’s a great time to catch up on your To Be Read list—which is something to smile about! Reading a great book can remind you why you enjoy writing, and it can also inspire your muse. Search the Internet for book reviews and interviews with your favorite writers. You might be pleasantly surprised by interesting observations and fun facts about the writing and authors you enjoy.

Delegate The “Not Fun” Stuff: It can be difficult to find joy in the creative process when you’re worried about all the time you’re losing to hours of researching, proofreading, and formatting your short story, poems, or book for submission. To bring back the joy and fun of writing, let someone else do the time-consuming busywork while you spend your time writing!

At Writer’s Relief, we’ll proofread and format your work to publishing industry standards, then pinpoint and target the best markets for your writing to boost your odds of getting an acceptance. And if there’s one thing that can bring back the joy and fun of writing—and inspire some Happy Dancing—it’s getting an acceptance!

To learn more about how Writer’s Relief can help bring a smile to your face, submit your short prose, poetry, novel, or memoir to our Review Board today!

Question: How do you bring joy and fun into your writing process?