Is Writing a Form of Entertainment?

Is Writing a form of entertainment? This is a question I’ve often asked myself.

We all know what are considered the typical forms of entertainment. Movies, music, video games, books, and so on. But should creative pursuits be considered entertainment as well. I argue that any creative pursuit is a form of entertainment.

The basis for my theory that creative pursuits are a form of entertainment is the way they can trigger the dopamine response. While it is not a scientific study, the anecdotal evidence observed in how people talk about their creative pursuits in various online groups and forums is that many spend time with their writing, painting, photography, etcetera in the same way that others do with other entertainment. This suggests that some people enjoy internally generated entertainment.

This is interesting to me, because I believe it is the basis for others enjoying the results of our creativity. I believe this is similar to how some people are better cooks than others. There is something that draws artists to what they do, and their extraordinary sense of what would be enjoyable to others that keeps them going.

So, why even ask this question in the first place?

I started thinking about this question one day when I was asked what I do for fun. I responded with my usual list of working out, reading, writing, etcetera. But what seemed to stick with my new friend was that I consider writing to be something I do for fun, not as an act of labor.

I think this may seem odd to those that do not engage in such activities, as they do not have the same subjective experience that I or others do when being creative. But this is a different kind of dopamine rush from the kind one gets when watching or listening to something.

It’s a strange sense of control. Control over an imaginary world. The power to explore emotions and scenarios from a different angle. Or do not exist entirely.

The only thing better than creating is when someone tells you how much they enjoy something you have created. This is a joy that is only surpassed by seeing the birth of your child. Or graduating college.

The subjective experience I’m talking about is a sort of dopamine high that kicks in when you know you’re creating something that previously did not exist. It’s hard to describe without making it sound like you have a god complex. But perhaps that’s what being creative is.

It’s taking the things from the known world, and creating something new from them. This is most obvious in works of fiction, even when that character is set in an environment that is realistic in every way except for their presence. You are creating something that has never existed, and would not exist if it were not for you.

I would argue that this is even true in nonfiction. While nonfiction relies on being grounded in reality, you are still writing about a new subject. Or at least on a subject in a new, and novel way that would not exist if you had not taken interest in that subject.

This effect holds true for me as well when it comes to drawing. There’s something special about seeing your mind’s image come to life. And because I sell many of my drawings as stickers, it’s exciting to see that others enjoy them enough to buy them.

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