Being creative…

I haven’t written much in this blog for a while, but then I haven’t written much fiction at all for a while. It’s not that I've eventually came to my senses, decided I'm not good enough, will never catch a break, and decided to do something less ethereal with my limited time or anything, err nothing ‘normal’ like that…

But I have been productive. I’ve been spending most of my free-time, which isn’t much, on my other ‘hobby’ recently… Ah, yes, you noticed the quotes did you. I was always under the impression that hobbies were supposed to be something you did to relax. Well my hobby is writing, writing fictional stories, and writing computer games, the type of thing that is referred to as Indie. And the latter has largely taken my attention away from the former over the best part of the past year... Although I have done a bit of writing, honest.

I read a few blogs on why people write recently. It’s always an interesting subject because, although you do get the same old tropes rearing up, every single person has a different take on what makes them write, or be creative. I've also noticed that there seems to be an ever-increasing number of people seriously intent on becoming a fiction Author out there. Not that I’m saying that’s a bad thing by any means.  Perhaps I lucky to have an established career away from fiction writing, or perhaps this is a safety-net that stops me taking it more seriously than a hobby and pipe dream.  Although I honestly don’t think I’m good enough to make a living out of it anyway, which brings me back to my other writing hobby, writing games programs… And it is writing, and it is creative. I program computer applications for a living and am often amazed at how dry people perceive this to be, compared to the similarities I find with fiction writing. You have to design things in your mind and write them out in a format that works for other people, you have to design your output to appeal to people and to be easy to take in and understand, and most of all you need to be creative.

And I think that’s the root of why I like to write, it’s why I like to make Indie computer games, and why I have an avid interest in art; and like to draw and paint, although I’ll never be all that good; it’s because, even though none of it is ever going to make me rich or famous, I am a naturally creative person, and sadly not everyone is. To be honest if the point of someone’s writing, or doing any of the things I mentioned, is solely to make money I think they must be forcing it and surely there must be much better, and easier, ways for most people to make money. But hay, if they have the talent and skill why not. People do jobs they don’t particularly like every day, for most of their lives…

I'm by no means bread-line poor, and would quite like to be comfortably-well-off, but I don’t think I’d like to be famous, and nowadays writers tend to be ‘sold’ as a commodity much more than before. I’d like to eventually finish my OtherWhere stories in one form or another, and would be quite happy if they were moderately successful. I still have some games to finish off, but next year will be the year I get back to fiction writing and finish off those stories, even if nobody else on the planet notices. I do think the ‘hobbyist’ is generally being squeezed out, scoffed at and looked down upon a bit more in general now though, especially in on-line writing sites. I don’t know why because some of the best literature came from people who, at least initially, saw what they were doing as a hobby or pastime. But if you are a serious beginner write, I sincerely wish you the best of luck… And know you are going to need it.