Happy Writer = Better Writer

Several years ago, I made a major break-through with regard to my writing. Left alone for hours everyday, I was writing faster–and better–than I ever had. Ideas were flowing, editing was no longer painful and I was reading constantly for inspiration–3 books at a time, a chapter in each book every day. There were definitely things missing in my life. But I was spending my days consumed with something I loved and it made me really happy. Though I knew that time wouldn’t last (and I wouldn’t have wanted it to) I was grateful for that happiness.

Sometimes happiness comes easily. At other times, it can be more difficult to find. Ironically, these are the times when we need it the most. Happiness is good for the soul. It benefits our health, makes life more enjoyable and even increases our lifespan. That’s to say nothing of how important happiness is to being a good writer.

One of my writing professors in college told me I needed to write a story that didn’t have a happily ever after. Since I hadn’t written one to date, I guess she felt it was important for me to exercise another part of the creative brain. I did the assignment, and learned from the experience that I wanted to write stories that end in happily ever after and ONLY stories that end in happily ever after. In my experience, a writer must maintain a degree of innocence in order to write in such an encouraging fashion. She needs to keep a positive attitude and have faith, faith that good things will happen to good people, that, in the end, love will always prevail.

The much anticipated new year is upon us yet so many people are unhappy right now. Our world and country seem so divided it breaks my heart. But, I think we can agree on one thing. Dwelling on negativity isn’t pleasant. And whether we believe it possible or otherwise, most of us aspire to living the happiest life possible. Some people read books to add a bit of happiness to their lives. As writers, we can’t write the stories that will bring our readers happiness unless we are first happy ourselves.

I’m not an expert in self-help or motivation. But I can honestly say that I don’t find it difficult to get into the writing zone and stay in the writing zone. Though I write slowly by today’s standards, I’m not a person who suffers from writers’ block. I don’t say this to brag, but to point out that I believe my “luck” to be at least partly due to the fact that I demand happiness in my life. Yes, bad things happen. But like the characters in my stories, I don’t want to be someone that things happen to, but rather, someone that makes things happen. I urge you to strive to be the same.

Naturally, there are times in all of our lives when life is just too much to handle. No one can change that, but here are a few simple tricks you can try that may make a positive difference for you:

1. Turn off the News – No matter what side of the political fence you reside on, no matter what your news source, it’s all almost entirely negative. Missing one headline isn’t going to hurt you. But, it might make your day (and life!) a lot less stressful.
2. Listen to Music – Positive, uplifting music, that is. Whatever makes you feel good. If like me, and you’re able to concentrate and even work better with music, all power to you!
3. Plan something fun to do every day – Even if you’re incredibly busy, surely you can find a few minutes a day to do something you enjoy (and look forward to!) Read a good book, watch a favorite movie, try a new recipe, spend a little extra time playing with your fur baby!
4. List 10 things you’re happy about right now – One of my all-time favorite things to do! I try to do this once a week, or whenever it occurs to me to do it. Even if the only thing you can think of to be happy about is a recent purchase, this exercise reminds you that there is always something in your life right now that you can be happy about. Doing this long-term, you may even observe yourself really moving forward and reaching major goals.
5. Eliminate negative people and influences from your life – Easier said than done but do your best to surround yourself with positive people who care about and support you. Strive to end toxic relationships which do nothing but drain you of your energy and drag you down.

Being happy won’t “make” you a better writer, but in my humble opinion, you can’t write uplifting stories unless you’re happy. As humans, happiness is something we should all be striving for. As authors of the romance variety, it’s paramount!