Originally I titled this post "do good, be happy", but the point here is not just doing, but making. Creating something that you, personally, believe is good makes you happy.
This is not opinion; this is a fact.
In recent weeks I've been writing a large body of work with no style guide and little tonal direction. I wrote outlines that said I'd edit existing content, but then when I came to do that, I found that that content said nothing, so more often than not, I deleted it.
So I've been doing a lot of making—so far, around 9000 words in draft, plus whatever I used in the outlines for the drafts.
And right now, I'm not sure if it's what the client wants, because I've had very little stakeholder feedback indeed. My project sponsor's back from break on Monday, and will, I'm sure, give me sound direction then. But will it be "scrap this and bring back our lovely, fluffy corporate motherhood statements"? I sincerely, sincerely hope not.
Not just because I like my writing to actually say something, but because I'm happy with what I've made here. There is something immensely, deeply satisfying about communicating through something you've made, and I think what I'm making here is good.
Will the client be satisfied? I don't know. Am I? Hell yes. If I could write more about their business—write more that makes their superficially boring, dry story arresting and compelling (or at least, in the especially dull parts, readable), I would. Gladly. This is satisfying work.
If I had children, this is what I'd tell them: make good, be happy.
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