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!
