I went to a class at the gym last week that discussed Muscle Memory and working outside of our comfort zones. The trainer who gave the seminar taught us that our muscles have memory. I remember this vaguely from college, so it was awesome to have a refresher. She brought up the great point that most of us sit down at our jobs all day and have our arms in front of us on a keyboard. Then she pointed out all of the different machines that we use and how most of them put us in the position of sitting. How are we changing our muscle groups?? How are we giving our butt something different to do?
It got me to thinking about writing. We get into modes of writing a specific genre, age group or premise. I know I do. So, I thought....and this is scary....what if I tried something drastically different? Not to publish or try to make it perfect. But to stretch those writing muscles and give something different other than the norm. In writing, I tend to follow a pattern. I tend to keep my characters a certain age. I tend to have tragedy and deep, serious issues. So, today I'll be attempting to write a humorous romance. Short one. And I'll post it for you next week on WIP Wednesday. I may find different 'stretches' for my current WIP by doing something different. It's all about staying in shape! :0)
What about you? Should you try to shake up the writing muscles a little?
I think it's fun to stretch. My last ms was romantic suspense, my current one is YA steampunk. :)
ReplyDeleteI did this in the beginning of the year. Writing a novella (which was new for me) and "hot" (which was new for me). It was a great experience. I really enjoyed it and got something publishable from it.
ReplyDeleteI've only had two short stories published since I started writing and, strangely, both are stories that I'd consider waaayy outside my comfort zone. I started them as a test to myself, to see if I *could* do them, and so far they've been my most "successful" pieces. I think it's important to sort of stretch your writing muscles and expand your horizons. :)
ReplyDelete