The Joy of Writing

While I see writers bemoaning the misery of a block, or that their work is crap, I can’t recall seeing much about the inner emotional side of writing. I’m not talking about the obvious joy of landing a publishing contract, but the private moments that come unbidden at the completion of a creative task.

Maybe it’s just me, but there are times when writing—or, more accurately, the result of having written—brings a real, physical sensation of joy, or elation, or even arousal. Yes, writing can be sexy.

After finishing the first draft of my first novel, I read through the whole thing in one sitting. When I reached the end, “rush” is the only word that describes the joy and sense of accomplishment that swelled. Damn, it felt good. I walked around for an hour with a smile on my face.

I’ve been in the business of being creative all of my working life, first with over 20 years in advertising. There were many times when the lights went up after a screening of the final cut of a commercial that a wave of delight rippled through me. The successful realization of a creative act brings a sense of accomplishment like no other.

I first noticed the sexier side of writing when I worked as a story editor/script writer for an animation company in L.A. We did half-hour television programs for Saturday morning TV. One particular day I was really in the zone, and a script poured out with all the right elements of action and humor. When I read through it, it was a hoot.

When I finished, my energy was still so high that I needed to pace through the office a bit. And I noticed a low sense of arousal that I could only equate to, well, sex. Sort of a “warming.” I asked a colleague that day if he’d ever experienced anything like that, and he had. Not often, but he had. This could just be a guy thing, so I’d like to hear from you folks of the female persuasion on this.

Maybe these emotions are reactions to sort of a self-applause. We all know the feeling when an audience applauds us for our efforts, and I suspect that, when we’re alone with our creativity, there’s an inner judge that recognizes a special accomplishment and issues subconscious applause that percolates through us and into our minds.

It’s probably the same judge that brings up the “it’s crap” sensation.

There are smaller joys on a more day-to-day basis that operate like little treats strewn along the way. The inner smiles like butterflies in sunshine you get when, in the midst of rewriting and polishing, you come across a line of description or dialogue that just nails it. Or when the moment comes during re-reading a work you practically have committed to memory and it still has the power to choke you up.

Mostly, writing is work (though, for me, pleasurable because of the sheer fun creating of images and meaning), and mental sweat is involved. Sometimes there are dark clouds, and sometimes rain—anxiety and even fear can come around.

But if there were no valleys, there would be no peaks. You gotta love them peaks.

Anybody else out there have these kinds of experiences?

Image by Octavius.

Ray Rhamey

Ray Rhamey is the author of five novels and one writing craft book, Mastering the Craft of Compelling Storytelling. He’s also an editor of book-length fiction and designs book covers and interiors for Indie authors and small presses. His website, crrreative.com, offers an a la carte menu of creative services for writers and publishers. Learn more about Ray’s books at rayrhamey.com.

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