Writing Muscle

Writing is like a muscle. A muscle must be exercised regularly to maintain its tone and stability and to do its job of supporting bones and body parts. If a muscle is not exercised regularly (daily), it can atrophy. So can writing. To gain strength and flexibility as a writer, you must write regularly. There isn't an easy way out. You have to exercise your creativity in order to expand it, and that doesn't mean doing the same thing repeatedly. Just as muscles need a variety of exercises to stay strong, so does writing. Challenge yourself to do things differently as often as you can. Write a genre you haven't written before. Put seemingly opposing or odd ideas together and work them into a descriptive passage or storyline. Ask your creative muscle to stretch in ways it normally doesn't. By writing regularly, even when you don't feel like it, you will gain the same benefits over time that you gain by exercising regularly. Musculature needs attention AND tension to grow and strengthen. Your creativity also needs your regular attention and it needs tension from the challenges you throw at it in order to develop. Exercise your writing every day, challenge yourself every day to write just a little better or a little differently, and keep the pressure on. You'll be astounded at the results.