Why Writing Fantasy Develops Strong Work Habits
In order to be successful in the professional world, you need a good work ethic and strong habits. Strong work habits are required outside of the professional world as well. Having a good work ethic will benefit all areas of your life, including relationships and hobbies.
Some people are naturally more inclined to keeping good habits than others, but everyone needs them. With hard work, dedication, and good strategies, proper habits can be developed even if you struggle with focus or motivation. Once you’re in the habit of something, it will become easier and more routine.
How does one develop a good work ethic and productive habits? There are many ways you can go about it, and different strategies and methods will work for different people. If you’ve got a creative mind and a way with words, putting yourself on a daily writing regimen can help you. You’ll not only have an outlet to create but you can develop the habits you want to have in your work life. If you’re unsure where to start, writing fantasy is a good thing to learn.
Here is why writing fantasy can help you develop strong work habits:
It Requires Organization Skills
While writing anything requires you to be organized, writing fantasy takes it to the next level. A strong and engaging fantasy takes place in a complex, complete, and well-explained new world that the writer has created themselves.
The world is perhaps the most important part of the story. If things don’t make sense and rules contradict each other, readers will get lost and lose interest in the book.
In order to develop a strong world for your fantasy, you need to be organized. Whether you do this with specific software designed for writing or old-fashioned pen and paper, there are a lot of things to keep straight:
- City and Country names
- Magical system
- Type of ruling body/government
- Political climate
- Economical climate
- Physical laws
- Magical systems
Depending on the type of fantasy you’re writing, there may even be additional elements to manage. Creating a fantasy world will flex those organizational skills and prepare you for other, similar projects down the road.
You Must Be Dedicated
Writing fantasy is a complicated endeavor. World building is only the start. Crafting your plot and fleshing out your characters are just as important and take up just as much time. These are elements required by any novel genre, including fantasy. With fantasy, however, you have the added responsibility of the world you’ve created.
Writing fantasy is not for the faint of heart. If you can get through writing even a short fantasy, you’ve got it in you to see almost anything through.
It Develops Problem Solving Skills
As you create your fantasy world, you will no doubt run into roadblocks. Even if your organizational efforts are expert level, the process won’t be flawless. With all the elements a fantasy requires, some of them will clash with others eventually.
Working these things out to prevent plot holes from developing is a task indeed. It may seem like little things but if you ignore enough of them, it will become a big problem. It will require brainpower to work everything out and ensure you’re not contradicting yourself.
Good problem-solving skills are especially important in the workplace. Conflicts come up all the time. If you’re instantly prepared to solve them in the best and most efficient way possible, you and everyone else will thrive.
It Requires High Levels of Creativity
While all writing requires creativity, writing fantasy is a special kind of creative. Your mind has to go beyond characters and settings and develop a whole new reality. To write a functioning, comprehensive fantasy, you’ll need to use your imagination to the absolute best of your ability.
Even coming up with a solid idea takes work. While much fantasy takes place within a novel because of its level of complexity, it can take the form of a short story as well. If you’re struggling to write a full novel, or if you’re simply not interested in doing so, try flash fiction.
Flash fiction is usually around 1000 words in length. It’s a quick way to get your writing fix and it can serve as a refreshing break from the monotony of a longer project. To find ideas and get inspired, try using these flash fiction writing prompts.
When at its full capacity, creativity is a skill that translates into many different areas of your life. If you’re a writer by trade, it will help you in all your endeavors. Within a professional workplace, it’s always good to be coming up with new ideas, innovations, and solutions. In fact, there are many jobs that require constant creativity.
These include graphic designers, fashion designers, editors, software developers, artists, and music, to name a few. Use fantasy writing for a boost in your creative abilities and reap the benefits throughout the rest of your life.
Use Fantasy to Develop Important Skills
Even if it’s not going to be the next best-seller, sitting down with a fantasy project can teach you a lot about hard work, organization, and creativity. These skills will benefit the rest of your life if you can use and improve them. If you’re a writer by trade, this will be especially useful for you. Even if you’re not, don’t be afraid to branch out and try something different and challenging.
