Why I'm writing a book that no-one has asked for
in celebration of creating for the sake of it 🪄
As someone who encourages others to share their behind-the-scenes on social media, it might seem odd to say this.
But doing creative things not for money or acclaim or the dopamine hit of virtual saves, comments, and shares, but simply for the process—the act of creating in and of itself—is, as far as I’m concerned, one of the best things about being a human.
Some people sew. Some people bake. Others garden or write.
And they do so because it calms them down. It gets them out of their own head. It fuels their creativity. It makes them feel alive. It gives them a sense of purpose.
Many of these people will never capture photos while they do the thing they love. They won’t write behind-the-scenes newsletters. They won’t document the journey.
They will do, create, and make purely and entirely for the sake of it.
Not that there’s anything wrong with sharing passion projects with an audience (big or small). Some people thrive on the accountability this gives them.
As for me, there are two projects dear to my heart that earn me no money or acclaim.
I’ve written (unpublished) books for 10+ years
One of them is fiction writing, something I’ve done consistently since I graduated from university in 2014.
For anyone who’s read my previous #NotesFromMyDesk newsletters, you’ll know that I have briefly mentioned this project from time to time. I’ve talked about how most weekday mornings I wake up extra early to write for an hour or two. I’ve shared a little bit about the editing process and how I’m strengthening my characters.
But that’s it.
10+ years of doing a passion project that no one has asked for and earns me zero money, but for which I’ve poured literal days of my life into at this point, and all for…?
All for the love of it.
I love working on something that is all mine. Something that allows me to be creative without the reactions of others (good or bad) muddying the waters. Something that very few people (online or IRL) know about.
It takes a lot of willpower and self-motivation to write consistently when no one is waiting for your work. But fortunately, that’s not something I struggle with. And I know that for others who love gardening or crocheting or painting or DIY-ing, they’d say the same.
So, I’ll ask that question again:
Why do I do it?
Specifically, why do I do it most days, very early in the morning, when I could be sleeping or doing paid work?
Because there’s something so special about waking up and creating while the rest of the city is sleeping
Because writing is something I genuinely enjoy doing and if I leave it for “when I have time” or “when inspiration strikes”, I’ll never do it
Because getting good at writing (or something close to good) takes a lot of time and practice—endless practice—and I like getting a little less rubbish each week/month in private
Because I spend virtually every waking moment online (creating content and devising marketing strategies for clients) so to have something that isn’t available for public consumption and which I don’t need to write about in a caption or Instagram Story feels somewhat revelatory
Because in a society that still largely celebrates hustle culture and productivity, writing makes me feel a little less like I exist purely to earn money and stay afloat in a very expensive country
Because there’s no shame in doing something as audacious as writing a novel that no one has asked for. It took me a long time to realise this
Where my writing is concerned, I do set habits to ensure that I actually do it regularly.
But other than that, I don’t have goals attached to this project.
Okay, okay. So sometimes I do allow myself to dream of the day I send it off to a literary agent, sign a publishing deal, and get to mingle with the likes of David Nicholls at industry parties…
But for now, I’m quite happy plugging away, making edits, re-writing this latest novel for the 4th time, and generally doing something simply for the love of it.
What do you do that’s creative and fulfilling and all yours?
I’d love to hear, if you’re happy to share.
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So cool that you've been writing books for over 10 years just for the love of it. I wrote for purely myself my entire life up until a year ago when I started sharing on Substack.... when I write just for myself I find myself writing more poetically and take more risks than I would if I was writing with the intention to publish.
oooooo and I love to make collages just for myself!
Oh, I flippin’ LOVE this Bella! What a beautiful way to exist in the world. You’ve inspired me to start making time for writing just for myself again, like I did when I was a child x