Fun with Benefits

 There’s a story about Oscar Peterson, who was discovered one morning by a journalist playing Chopin.

‘Oscar,’ the journalist said, ‘you’re a jazz musician. Why are you playing Chopin?’

‘Warming up the fingers, man,’ came the reply. ‘Just having some fun.’

 

 I mention this because it explains a form of writing I really enjoy: my little book blog. I don’t write it for exposure – although I know a few people take a look and seem to like it – but because it’s a way of writing free of expectations. I have no rules to follow, nor any template or house style. Nobody is waiting for me to post a word. I can simply write.

 

As rewarding as I find writing fiction, it can be (really) hard, frustrating work. I never feel that way about the book blog; all I have to think about is finding the best possible way to say what I want to say. I get to play with words and sentence structures. It’s just writing for the sake of writing. And it’s fun.

It’s also a way of warming up, of practising the craft of writing. And the more I do of that, the better I get at being able to say what I want to say.

I see it as fun with benefits.