Play Is It’s Own Kind of Magic

Many of the writers I know and work with enjoyed writing when it was a hobby. When they turned it into work or tried to monetize it, their resistance kicked in. That’s when many writers stop writing.

We can have lots of reasons or personal stories around why this is, but it usually boils down to fear of some sort. It can take some time to unravel the knot of fear, but it starts by identifying the strands. (As an intuitive, I see fear as a kind of knotted ball of thread or yarn. Not at all a coincidentally, I’m a weaver. Source speaks through images that we understand most.)

If you can unravel your fear patterns, you can work on them. Journal or talk a path through with a qualified coach or therapist, practice letting it go each time it comes up until the knot stops knotting so hard and you feel the desire to write again return.

Or you can practice writing with ease by making it PLAY again. Write for the fun of it. Write stories that won’t sell. Write stories that have unsympathetic or Mary-Sue characters and unsatisfying endings. I’m not saying that these things are magically good, I’m just saying PLAY.

I’m saying PLAY is it’s own magic, because it helps you relax and untangle the knots that striving and pleasing others and selling put in you. Play once or twice a week. Keep a secret manuscript that you work on on the side just because YOU like it. And see what happens.

I said “or” like it’s one or the other. It’s not. It’s both. You can do both. Working on your mindset and allowing playtime are great for removing resistance.

If writing a side manuscript that you’re not planning to sell doesn’t seem fun, find another creative hobby that you do a few times a week. Key word = hobby! Don’t pressure yourself to make money from it. Don’t try to make it a side business, especially if writing is already a side business. Scattering your energy is not going to help you stay unraveled.

Side note: what if your side manuscript turns out to be the BEST THING YOU’VE EVER WRITTEN? When you take the pressure off and make it play, don’t be surprised if other things start to flow, too.