The Fear Factor … Or - Don’t be Afraid to Jump!
by Woman of Letters
Thanks to hlwar for the inspiration.
Most people spend their lives afraid to move in new directions.
That can be as true for writing as it is for other facets of our lives.
For many people, experimenting with new styles, dabbling in forms that are unfamiliar (and perhaps uncomfortable to them) is scary.
Do you notice that when you say you’re a writer, the next question most often asked is “What do you write?”
What do you answer? Most people tend to pick one form and stick to it - they’ll find themselves drawn to poetry or short stories… perhaps they prefer the length and twisted paths of novels.
And it’s certainly easier to say, “I’m a poet” or “I write short stories” than to say, “I write many things and go wherever my fancies take me.”
Do you falter at the thought of going outside of your comfort zone? Does taking a detour into a new genre feel like you’re jumping off a cliff?
Why not take the plunge?
The most exhilarating thing about being a writer is: you can leap over that literary cliff and survive. The only limit is your own imagination. Defy conventions, change expectations, challenge assumptions.
Stretch yourself as a writer. You don’t need to change genres or forms to do that. You can do it in small ways.
Write a short story from two different points of view and see which one works better.
Set a story in two different time periods and go back and forth between them. How do the time shifts relate (and how do they move the story forward)?
Try writing in first person and make the narrative as alien to your own point of view as you can. Try to imagine yourself in the shoes of a little boy if you’re an older woman, or as a mother if you’re a man.
Set your writing in a different era.
Experiment with description or with brevity - how flowery or concise can you make your writing? How do you do this while moving the story along and keeping the reader interested?
There are dozens of books with writing exercises. (And many of them are available at your local library.) Start with one of these books - or use writing challenges that are available online, many of them on communities like Writerverse on LiveJournal. Do an exercise a week.
The more you flex your writing muscle, the better you’ll become. And that’s a win-win.
So what leap will you take this week? I’d love to hear about the writing exercises and experiments you’ve done. Post ideas for writing experiments in the comments below.
Thanks to hlwar for the inspiration.
Most people spend their lives afraid to move in new directions.
That can be as true for writing as it is for other facets of our lives.
For many people, experimenting with new styles, dabbling in forms that are unfamiliar (and perhaps uncomfortable to them) is scary.
Do you notice that when you say you’re a writer, the next question most often asked is “What do you write?”
What do you answer? Most people tend to pick one form and stick to it - they’ll find themselves drawn to poetry or short stories… perhaps they prefer the length and twisted paths of novels.
And it’s certainly easier to say, “I’m a poet” or “I write short stories” than to say, “I write many things and go wherever my fancies take me.”
Do you falter at the thought of going outside of your comfort zone? Does taking a detour into a new genre feel like you’re jumping off a cliff?
Why not take the plunge?
The most exhilarating thing about being a writer is: you can leap over that literary cliff and survive. The only limit is your own imagination. Defy conventions, change expectations, challenge assumptions.
Stretch yourself as a writer. You don’t need to change genres or forms to do that. You can do it in small ways.
Write a short story from two different points of view and see which one works better.
Set a story in two different time periods and go back and forth between them. How do the time shifts relate (and how do they move the story forward)?
Try writing in first person and make the narrative as alien to your own point of view as you can. Try to imagine yourself in the shoes of a little boy if you’re an older woman, or as a mother if you’re a man.
Set your writing in a different era.
Experiment with description or with brevity - how flowery or concise can you make your writing? How do you do this while moving the story along and keeping the reader interested?
There are dozens of books with writing exercises. (And many of them are available at your local library.) Start with one of these books - or use writing challenges that are available online, many of them on communities like Writerverse on LiveJournal. Do an exercise a week.
The more you flex your writing muscle, the better you’ll become. And that’s a win-win.
So what leap will you take this week? I’d love to hear about the writing exercises and experiments you’ve done. Post ideas for writing experiments in the comments below.