Is Writing Fun for You?

I was having a conversation with my best friend and I told her I was starting a complete rewrite of my young adult novel (which she read in its original form). I told her that rewriting was a pretty laborious process, but that I wanted to do what was best for the book.

She said, "Well, at least you're having fun, right?"

And I said, "No, not really."

And she said, "Then why are you doing it?"

Hmmm. That one tripped me up.

I love writing. I really do. But is it fun? Sure, there are times when I get on a roll writing a scene or have a really great idea that makes me excited to sit down at the computer. Even when I feel good about what I'm writing and it's awesome, the actual writing part is still a crudload of hard work.

There are loads of things I think are fun. Reading. Watching TV. Riding a roller coaster. Most of those require pretty minimal effort on my part and that's part of what makes them fun. When I'm writing, I might sit there and kill myself for a half an hour thinking of the exact right way to describe how my character walks across a room.

But, I guess in the end I do it because I love it. Because I think I'm good at it. Because I feel like I'm writing a book I would want to read. Because I think, even after all the hard work, it will be worth it.

What do you guys think? Is writing fun for you?

-- Lisa