To begin, I am having fun with my WIP for NaNoWriMo. It is a fun, and slightly fluffy story which requires me talking to myself in slightly ridiculous accents as I create the characters. I am particularly enjoying as my grand villain develops and she winds her conniving web around the other characters.

Now to the title of this post.

At the bottom of the word document of anything I’m writing, I write notes to myself – often a brief outline of the story, sometimes notes on tone or key character notes, sometimes a line I’d like to use sometime. While working on my recently completed booty-kicking, epic fantasy version of Sleeping Beauty, I kept the note “This is supposed to be fun” at the end of the document so I would see it every time I wrote.

I left it there to remind myself of two things:

1. Writing is supposed to be fun
2. Reading is supposed to be fun

[This is especially important to remember when your main character is incredibly depressed and going through a grieving process after waking up a century after her family and kingdom have been destroyed. (This happens within the first page or two of the story. This is not much of a spoiler.)]

As a writer, I may have days of frustration, but there are also beautiful vistas of in which the imagination flares. These are what writers live for, the addicting excitement of writing what happens next. Whether that next is the most horrible thing that could possibly happen to a character or a scene of physical comedy, we as writers should enjoy writing it. Enjoy may not be the right word all the time. It is really a matter of emotional connection, when the world melts away and all that exists is this book. That is fun.

As a reader, we are always seeking that emotional connection for ourselves. We want to feel fear as the main character enters the dark crypt to obtain the magical object of macgufin-ness developing which consume the imagination. We want to laugh as the improbability drive kicks in and the absurd happens. We want to read books which break your heart and touch your soul, and books which make us giggle. And whether its crying from heartbreak or laughter when we reach the end of a book, we need to have had fun. We need to remember that as a pleasurable experience.

I know part of the spirit of NaNoWriMo is to encourage people to actually sit down and write the novel that has been kicking around in their head for years. There is much on the website and other people’s blogs on the challenge and excitement of the event. I’m playing this year, and as I am hurtling along, I find myself realizing that we need to stop and remember what is truly important:

This is supposed to be fun.

Like how this is fun:

NaNoWriMo Status (Day 19)

Word Count: 32000 / 50000.

That’s 18,000 to go. Not bad.

Creative-O-Meter: 3.5

I’ve had somethings happen in my personal life that may effect my Creative-O-Meter. Once I know more about certain circumstances, I will let you know. However, the flu is 95% overcome. I am still working on building up my physical stamina.

The Story

As I mentioned at the beginning, this is a fun story to write. I added a few flares the other day that I think push in some more physical comedy. Always good. I actually haven’t written a scene with the main character in a while, but that is because two of the major characters are working on trying to save him before he knows he is in trouble.

Also, despite the working title is The Frog, The Lady, and The Beanstalk, I have decided to scrap the entire “Beanstalk” element of the story. I’ll be working on a new title that does not give away the ending when everyone turns into tap dancing penguins who shoot sparkles out of their feet.

Wait. That is the ending of a different story.

I’ll leave you with the song that goes with the scene I’ve been working on today. This scene is a fun tango of lies as two characters dance around the secrets they both know.

• How goes your NaNoWriMo?
• What do you consider fun about reading and/or writing?
• How do you remind yourself to have fun?
• Are you excited that the Day of the Doctor will be simulcast this Saturday? It is coming!
• Or are you busy getting ready for the big Turkey day? (That’s Thanksgiving here in the US, by the way. It’s a big day where we eat big turkeys.)