Having Fun – My First Step

In The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin writes about a year she devoted to making herself happier. One of the steps she decided to take was to have more fun. But that turned out not to be as easy as she expected. “When I thought about fun,” Rubin writes. “I realized to my surprise that I didn’t have a good sense of what I find fun.”

This morning, I went back and read this part of Rubin’s book because it expresses exactly what I felt after I boldly stated (in my last post) that I wanted to have more fun writing. I love writing—but I tend to approach it with a kind of heaviness. I might describe my writing life as “fulfilling” and “satisfying,” but fun? No. Not in the way you have fun as a kid in the summer.

So, I decided to lighten up, to infuse more fun into my writing. Unfortunately, like Rubin, I immediately come up against a roadblock. When it came down to actually having more fun, I couldn’t figure out how. Is this sad or what?

All this thinking and mulling led me to my first technique for finding more fun in my writing: Figure out what I find fun in everyday life.

Before I bring more fun into my writing, I need to get in touch with my playful side. To pay attention to what makes me laugh and take note of times I forget myself and just have a great time. Maybe even make a list.

This is my first step. In the meantime, I’d love to hear from anyone else who has trouble putting “fun” and “writing” in the same sentence—and anyone who already has ways of making their writing more fun.