Learning new things is scary, even thinking about trying something new is scary too. If you want to grow as a writer (or even just a human being), you’ve got to step outside the comfort zone.
What’s an author’s comfort zone?
Writing the same sort of stories, the same genre day after day, maybe even year after year.
Nothing stretches and strengthens your writing muscles like trying something new. Roaming into territory that you’ve never dared venture before.
I’d never written about shifters until one day I decided to give it a try. I’ve never looked back and I think it gave my creativity a boost.
What if I’d been too scared to try writing these sorts of stories?
One, I would never have found a series that I love to write, and two, these are the stories that continued to get me onto various bestseller lists in that category. By taking a risk, I found a genre that connected me with a whole new set of readers.
Think about what you’ve writing and what you can do to get out of your zone.
Think of a genre you’d never dream about writing in. Maybe it’s horror, maybe it’s romance.
Even take an old story and turn it into a new genre.
Always write in third person, stuck in past tense? Go for a spin with first person. Turn a story into present tense and see what happens.
Always write fiction? Try non-fiction.
Only write magazine articles? Try writing a poem.
It’s a little like exercise, you do the same thing every day, but you don’t get the results you want because your muscles aren’t getting tested. And just like a new workout, venturing outside the writer’s comfort zone might be tough going for a few days, but believe me, it’s going to be worth it.
Give it a try and feel free to leave a comment about how you stepped out of the comfort zone.