Welcome back! I had a great break and I hope you did too. I feel very refreshed and raring to go. I’m still getting used to writing 2009 though!

So where were we? Oh yeah, we were talking about how keep the CREATIVE HABIT through Variety. Have you found it helpful? I hope so.

Let me ask, are you sick of writing the same way, in the same style and even the same sort of stories, over and over?

Writers who excel at their trade will know that variety is the spice of life and it is difference rather than similarity that engages a readers’ interest in the topic.

But how do writers get the variety?

First, write about different topics

You may have been told write what you know, because this makes the writing sound realistic to the reader. This is true, in one sense, but writers can’t know everything first hand. Research is the key to learning. Writers with an endless curiosity will be a success. If you don’t know about a topic, do some research. Find someone who does know and talk to them about it. Then, you will be able to write about a greater diversity of topics.

Challenge yourself to broaden your horizons and get to know more about many different things. Even if you are not using it today in your writing, you may find you use that titbit of trivial information in another piece of writing.

Secondly, be curious

Talk to the old woman sitting at the bus stop, the young boy on the train and the mother pushing the pram in the supermarket. Strike up conversations with strangers and you will be surprised at what you will learn that can later be used in your writing.

If you don’t feel comfortable with talking to strangers, people-watching is a great pastime. Sit in the window of a café and watch the variety of people walking by. Consider what they are wearing, how they look, what they could be thinking about and what sort of family life you think they might have.

Thirdly, read everything

Sticking to one style or even your favourite authors when you read for pleasure will not necessarily help your writing style to improve. Reading an eclectic collection of magazines, newspapers and books helps you to pick up different techniques from a range of authors. You will be able to write on different topics and in a variety of techniques better if you read diversely yourself.

You will also increase your vocabulary with every book you read. Using synonyms in your writing boosts your reader’s interest.

Fourthly, make an eclectic collection of friends

Most people limit their friendships to those within their families and those within their own age and peer groups. This is because it is easy to relate to people you have something in common with. However, building relationships with a wide variety of people will give any writer greater understanding of human nature. You may learn what is it is like to be an 80 year old widow, and be able to empathise with the frustrations of a five year old child.

These relationships open up new worlds of possibilities in your writing. If you are writing fiction, characters will develop from the people you know, even just a little. Even if you are writing non-fiction, the broader your community net of relationships, the more you are likely to be able to write for the broader audience.

Many people go through life with blinkers on, just like a racehorse. They only see the narrow sphere of society in which they grew up. If they grew up in a middle class family, they are likely to marry and build relationships with other middle class people.

Challenge yourself to meet and talk with people from many different backgrounds. Be curious about the people you meet and broaden your life experiences by learning new cultures, views and belief systems of other people.

Finally, have diverse interests

Exceptional writers will have diverse interests and experience as many different things as possible.  Step out of your comfort zone to experience adventures in life that will enhance your writing.

Get out there and challenge yourself to write in different styles, about dissimilar topics and with a greater variety of characters and techniques. Live life to the full, build plenty of relationships and an eclectic network in your community and see the difference it can make to your writing experience.

That’s it for V=Variety in the CREATIVE HABIT series. Next time I’ll be discussing E=Environment, the last letter in CREATIVE. Until next time!

If you’ve  ever attended a lecture or speech where the speaker has droned on in a monotone, you’ll know how boring it can be.

Good writing uses a variety of techniques and styles that continually work to engage the reader’s interest. No-one wants to write in a way that puts their audience to sleep, because it is boring.

When you are writing, you don’t have the option of modifying the tone of voice, as you do when you are speaking. This is why writers should use variety in the way they write, ensuring the reader’s interest is maintained.

Writers should use a variety of different styles to express their ideas.

• One technique is to ensure you use paragraphs and sentences of varying lengths throughout the piece of writing. Some sentences should be quite short. This can add impact.

One of the most dramatic verses in the bible, for example, is one of the shortest. At the grave of his friend Lazarus, with all the disciples and a large crowd gathered around to see what Jesus would do, we are simply told two words: “Jesus wept.”

Using short sentences to break up long pieces of text adds interest and impact to the writing. However, if every single sentence is short, you end up feeling like you are reading a child’s story. “The cat sat on the mat. See Dick run. See Jane run.” BORING! Obviously, good writers will use variety in the length of sentences.

• Diversity in the words used can also add interest and stop the reader falling asleep. Good editors will always look at the page to see if the same words are repeated several times. Use synonyms to make your writing more exciting. Expand your vocabulary to utilize the delicious variety of words available in the English language.

• Excellent writers will not start each sentence with the same word, or start each paragraph in the same way. It looks dull, especially as many readers will scan the page before starting to read. If every paragraph starts with the same word, it can be confusing and tedious to read.

• Sometimes using different characters to tell the story is far more interesting to read, than just one voice within the text. Consider the options for using different styles within your writing such as poetry, prose, letters, quotations, conversation and monologue. Use a variety of techniques to develop the plot and storyline of your writing.

• Reading many different authors’ work will encourage diversity and variety in your own writing styles.  Even if you find you don’t enjoy reading the work, look at the language used to discover why. You may find styles that suit your writing come naturally, but every now and then you should challenge yourself to try a new style of writing, just to expand your skills and continue to engage your audience.

Anyone who is serious about the craft of writing will use a variety of techniques within their work. Diversity adds interest, is more entertaining and more likely to be read. Writers should be able to write competently on a wide variety of topics, in different voices and characters and using a large vocabulary.  Titillate your audience with new words, styles and forms of writing.

Please note:

This is my last post for a couple of weeks as I’m going to take a break over Christmas and New Year period.  I’ll be back in early January 2009 (can you believe we’re almost into 2009!!) to continue on with the CREATIVE HABITS series.

Until then I wish you and your loved ones all the best over the festive season and stay safe and happy.

Best wishes, Jan

V=Variety

Wow, we’re up to V=Variety already in the CREATIVE HABITS series! I don’t know about you but I’ve really been enjoying it – and they’re my articles…

Having eclectic tastes simply means being fascinated by and enjoying variety. Writers who enjoy a wide variety of interests will be able to write to reach wider audiences and will have the knowledge to make their work believable.

It’s said variety is the spice of life, and a writer who has a broad range of interests will never get bored by what they write. More importantly, neither will your audience be bored with your writing. What does this mean?

• You never know when the unusual hobby you have will lead to a story. Writers who have a variety of life experiences can share more readily with their audiences. Your writing will have greater appeal, because of the variety of information included.

• Trivial facts can add spice and variety to any style of writing. Reading and researching on a variety of topics will help a writer to learn interesting facts to engage the reader of their work.

• Writers who have eclectic tastes will find research easier, because they will become fascinated by at least one aspect of any particular topic. A good writer is curious about the world around them and wants to learn more. They then use this experience in their writing.

• People with a very narrow range of interests rarely make good dinner conversationalists and, unless they meet someone else who shares their specific interest, are likely to bore the company. Just as people with a wide variety of interests are popular invitees to dinner parties, writers who have a wide variety of interests are popular with their audiences. A writer certainly will not be successful, if they gain a reputation for being boring.

• Journalists have been described as endlessly curious, jacks of all trades and masters of none. This means that they love to know a little bit about anyone they meet, the trade and occupation they hold and to share the experiences of their interviewees. They are not a master of any trade, except perhaps the one of writing, because they do not experience any trade long enough to become a master of that trade. However, these eclectic tastes, mean journalists can feel comfortable in interviewing a variety of people and writing about many different topics in one day, week or month.

• Any style of writer should encourage eclectic tastes in themselves and aim to experience many different things in a lifetime. This means that their writing will speak to more people and be able to relate to people with different experiences easier.

• Writers do not generally write for an audience of one (unless of course it’s a journal). This means that the audience of the work is going to be made up of many different individuals. Your writing should speak to every one of those individuals, in some way.

• Encouraging variety in your own interests means you will be more likely to write in a way that reaches individuals with those interests too. The more you are interested in yourself, the more enjoyable people will find your writing to read.

• Writers should have a variety of different friends, including those who are both older and younger than themselves, so that they have more understanding of the wider community and can relate their writing to the broadest possible audience.

Encouraging eclectic tastes, researching and writing about a variety of topics helps the writer to reach broader audiences, keep an interest in their work and their writing and to relate to the individuals who read their work.