I grew up in a rather bizarre universe called the Soviet Union, where written words on any, however frivolous subject were taken exceedingly seriously, while the life on the individual who wrote them was remarkably expendable.
As a result, it is sometimes difficult to write just for fun, without stuffing it with something unnecessary meaningful. Like I did with this answer.

The Three Little Pigs. It stressed the importance of building codes and suggested that a supposedly good guy still can indulge in animal cruelty with moral impunity. Lesson learned.

Frustration. Finding a publisher is a full time job and a skill in itself that I simply don't have. I would rather directly "rely on the kindness of strangers" and let them decide if my work deserves their attention.

I don't think it can be described as joy, at least not for me. It could be quite opposite to elation, particularly when you immerse yourself into your characters and their pain becomes yours. As Tolstoy once said, you don't know why you write, you just do it.

I stumble on an idea interesting enough for me to solicit it to everyone I know until someone expresses a wish to read it. Then I overcome my laziness and write it down.

The same way an opera composer approaches an overture - try to express the very essence of the piece, the visual synopsis, if you will. Less details, more symbolism.

I am always under the influence of the last book I read. Right now it is The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck.
A book is its language, regardless of its plot or subject. I look for the author's language, although it could be challenging to get into it at times. But once you are in, the writer can take you some places.

It may seem weird, but I truly enjoy reading historical, anthropological, linguistic research articles, reports on advancement in physics and medicine, political and economic news.

My latest book, Ballad of Liberty, simultaneously released in English and Russian-Ukrainian languages, is the history of Russian Revolution and Civil War, reflected through the life story of Nestor Makhno. This self identified anarchist and the leader of a wide spread peasant movement that today would be identified as libertarian, still exerts strange charisma and ignites the imagination of many Ukrainians and Russians.
I grew up in the area of Ukraine, where the Makhnovist movement was prominent, and his memory is still alive. I felt that I was in a position to understand not just the political and social motivations of Makhno, but a man forced by the circumstances of his time to resort to most brutal violence in order to achieve his vision of a better world of peace and brotherhood of men.
I lived in the villages that barely changed in a hundred years, walked along the Ukrainian steppe marked by ancient burial mounds, met those who met him. I thought that I could tell the story of Russian Revolution story from inside, because I am sure it will surprise those who think they know Russian and Ukrainian history.

I am trying to write my answer to the Bond movie Skyfall, which I disliked immensely. I want the modern Bond to remain the cool Bond of old, and the villains who are cartoonish and pleasantly weird.
Another one is a futuristic story where the entangled particles of quantum physics play the main role.