Over the past year we’ve talked about where story ideas come from, letting your book cook, dialogue, and how no one cares about your story. There’s one piece of advice that stands above the rest, which is why I’ve saved it for the last post.

Have fun. 

One of the reasons I love Ray Bradbury is because of this quote I read early on:

“If you are writing without zest, without gusto, without love, without fun, you are only half a writer.”

I sure didn’t want to be half a writer, and writing stories that I love, with passion and zest and fun, sounded like a much better approach.

Please, whatever you do, don’t start writing just for the money. Yes, there are fiction authors (I’m thinking of indie authors specifically), who churn out books because the more books you have = the more people will buy = the more money you make. But, I’m in those writing groups online, and I see them talking about writing the books, but not loving the books they’ve written. 

Yes, I hear you saying, “but, making oodles of money from my books would be fun!” 

Of course it would. For a while. Until your audience demands you write book 5 in a series you loathe, and you’ve bought all the shiny new toys, and you no longer wake up and rush to the keyboard. 

If you’re an author, you’re playing the long game. It takes a long time to write a book, but the book will last even longer. 

If someone picks up one of your books, long after you’re dead and gone, you want them to feel the magic, the passion and excitement. The only way for that to happen is if it was written with passion, excitement and a bit of magic. 

I think the only way to do that comes down to one simple rule. 

Have fun. 

Jump. Build, Fly.
F.C. Shultz