Stretching Your Writing

Writers sometimes have to step outside of their comfort zones in order to grow. Creativity is like a muscle. It must be stretched in order to strengthen. This means you play to its weak side. You help it grow by asking it to do unusual movements. The same principle is true with writing. If you only attend to your strengths, you achieve minimal growth. It's when you stretch yourself to try things you're not comfortable with that you begin to see your skills broaden and strengthen. That doesn't mean that you abandon your strengths and focus on things you're not particularly good at. It does mean being willing to try something different to see if you can enhance the strengths you already have. For instance, are you a nonfiction writer? How about trying to write some poetry? You may think that sounds absurd, especially if you have no particular skill or experience with poetry. But if you give it a try, you may find talent you didn't know you had. At the very least, you may find something in poetry that will enhance your nonfiction writing - for instance, using poetic techniques of rhythm and meter to make your prose more fluid and interesting. Trying other things will build, not diminish, your talent. But first you must give yourself permission to try something new and perhaps to fail miserably at it. It's the exploration process that's important, not the result. Stretch your creative muscles whenever possible and watch your writing skills improve in unusual and surprising ways.