Diversify Writing Practice

Sometimes when I am stuck while writing an essay, I turn to poetry to grease the gears. There is merit to diversifying your writing practice in order to excel at what you like to write best. Writing poetry, even if it's not your strength, can help you develop flow and rhythm in your writing that translates into making your prose smoother. Conversely, if you're a poet at heart, writing essays or articles can teach you to tighten your writing and focus on clarity. That will help your poetry be more succinct and on target with its message. Nonfiction writers can develop the elements of surprise and drama by writing fiction. Incorporating these elements into their nonfiction will make it more entertaining and meaningful to readers. A writer who focuses only on one type of writing is at risk of stalemating. To continue to grow as a writer, you must reach into areas that are unfamiliar to you or that you may not be comfortable with. By practicing other types of writing, you are stretching writing muscles that may otherwise atrophy from doing the same type of writing over and over again. You don't have to try to publish other types of writing. Just practice them, enjoy them, and learn everything you can from them. Then apply that knowledge to what you do best and watch your skills grow in ways that will surprise you.