Writing.Com General Discussion

Like you, I am not a grim person. I don't like to write about grim things and I don't read grim things. Action and comedy in a fantasy world suit me just fine.

The thing that immediately struck me in your comment was this idea of "writing without a purpose in mind". What in the world made you think that would ever be a good idea?

I fell into that in the field of art. (I also like to draw and paint as well as write.) I sometimes made the foolish mistake of setting up the paints, laying out a blank canvas, and then thinking that somehow art would appear. No, no, no! It doesn't work that way.

You must immediately get out of the habit of thinking you can "write without a purpose in mind". Creative activity is the most mentally intense activity you can do. Not only does it require a purpose, it requires a well-defined purpose with a path to achieving it.

WRONG: I think I will write something exciting.

RIGHT: I think I will write a scene like one of those old West gunfights.