I have a secret to share…

I’m new to this creative writing business.

Unlike many of my fellow indie authors, I did not come out of the womb bursting with stories and an eloquent vocabulary. Over the years I dabbled with the occasional journaling and embellished non-fiction aka “inspired by real events” storytelling, but by and large my writing was contained to research papers, corporate memos, and a never-ending stream of emails. Talk about a snore. A good life skill and yet…zzzzz. No wonder I didn’t think writing was any fun.

The idea to write a novel about mermaids tugged at the back of my mind for years. I would occasionally write a chapter or two then get distracted. It wasn’t until I volunteered to help edit a non-fiction educational manual that it dawned on me: I’m finding time to edit the equivalent of someone else’s dissertation and can’t come up with time for fun writing?

The math wasn’t mathing. And I decided no more.

Fast forward in time, and I spend zero hours outside of my day job writing anything other than fantastical, fast-paced, drama-laden, fiction. It’s 60% make-believe, 20% research on bizarre topics for ideas, and 100% creative. At 180% there’s no way you can go wrong.

Needless to say, I have fallen in love with creative writing. I’ve written two novels and hundreds of thousands of words. I’ve come to depend on creative writing as a necessary stress relief and find that if I go too long without it, I start to get ornery.

Here are my top five reasons you need creative writing in your life.

1) The laws governing your universe are limitless. Don’t care for the laws of physics? Is the presence of gravity ruining an otherwise awesome fight-scene? Simply wave your magic writing wand and…poof…pesky limitations be gone. To be sure, your creative world should have consistency, or at least an explanation of why the rules of nature have suddenly changed, but beyond that create away. The world you imagine comes to life on the page and no one will ask you to cite your scholarly sources.

2) You get to make up words, plants, animals, food…you name it. Maybe your protagonist survives solely by consuming lava crust with its dense nutritional value of thaluminum. Perhaps your villain travels with her pet rodent who has clouds for feet and leaves puddles wherever the furry creature wanders. And don’t forget the villages, cities, and bodies of water you get to name.

3) You can research weird things that would otherwise label you as a murderous psychopath. I have joked that if my computer is ever confiscated during an innocent investigation, I’m totally screwed. Why? Because my online search history includes gems such as:

• How much jellyfish venom renders a human helpless?
• How quickly does a human die from blood loss?
• World record distance for knife throwing.
• How to regenerate organs in a petri dish.

And other such hypothetical questions and topics that make zero sense unless you’re trying to write a mystery action mermaid novel.

4) Noveling makes you more empathetic. When writing characters in a novel, their motives, feelings, and emotions bring a story to life. As the author, you spend a lot of time in your protagonist’s head. You create the character’s strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. Their logic and actions must make sense given their backstory. And don’t forget your villain – chances are they’re not randomly evil. Why would someone behave in this nefarious way? The fun increases exponentially when you write a novel from multiple points of view (POV). Now you’re not in one head, but all your character’s heads. It’s a wonderful and intimidating prospect.

Suffice it to say that, while doing this character development you’re likely to understand people better in the real world. You find yourself being calmer and more forgiving because you naturally gravitate toward people’s “why.” Who knows, you might even do a little introspection (gasp). All in all, if you were ever curious about other peoples’ functional and emotional behaviors, creative writing might be your sweet spot.

5) Creative writing is stress-relief central. I have found no better way to decompress than by sitting down to build worlds and characters. With every other hobby I’ve tried, I get distracted. Pesky work issues creep into my head. I worry about that stupid thing I said at the social event. Or rehash the argument I had with a loved one. Basically, when I’m not thoroughly distracted my monkey brain takes over and the result isn’t always mood positive.

What’s great about creative writing, is you literally cannot think about other issues when you’re trying to map out a romance arc, or when you’re working on character consistency, or scheming the next plot twist.

• Have a sink full of dishes? Think about your novel.
• Hours long commute? Think about your novel.
• Someone’s yapping and you could care less?... Well, maybe pay attention anyways. Think about your novel later.

You get the gist. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve intentionally worked on a novel to distract myself from mundane reality. Is this escapism? Probably. Is it productive and do I feel better after a writing session? Yup. Do I present to the world less work-obsessed and less irritated in general? For sure. Am I happier? Absolutely. Full stop. End of discussion.

So, there you have it, Merworld. My top 5 reasons creative writing is the BEST! If you’ve read this far, I am both impressed at your dedication and wondering if my skills of persuasion are lacking – because you should be scrawling book ideas on the back of a junk-mail envelope by now. However, I understand these are my favorite aspects of creative writing. I trust you will find your own inspiration along the way.

Then again, if you’re a natural skeptic, you might be thinking: that’s very nice, but what’s the catch? If you’re not sure whether to invest time and energy into a novel, check out my counter article: Top 5 Reasons Writing Stinks a Big Deuce. If you can weather the frustrating aspects of noveling, the creative writing world has no limits.