Writer’s Corner: Variety

Many writers have one thing that they like to write above everything else, and usually stick to that type of writing exclusively for a long period of time. This is especially true of novel writers who are in the middle of writing their next masterpiece and want to keep the flow going for fear of losing their train of thought, or blog writers who do the same type of content on their regular schedule. I’m not saying that there’s anything particularly wrong with this if it suits you, but many people will find that they tend to burn out if they write the same type of work all the time.

This is one of the reasons why I tend to write for the FOCUS Inspired blog on a weekly basis, as it allows me to do other things throughout the week that interest me, rather than dedicating my time to the blog much more regularly when I have free time. Reading also tends to be one of my favoured pastimes, and as any good book enthusiast can relate to, there is always a heaping pile of books still to read in a pile or on a shelf somewhere that need some TLC.

While I do mean taking breaks from writing to explore other interests, I also mean just doing other writing. If you’re constantly writing your novel and that is the only thing you’re doing, you may find that your writing gets stale after a while of doing the same thing day after day. For me, I tend to do a few different types of writing just to keep my brain fresh, from coming up with mini one-page story ideas that could come in handy later, to poetry. Sometimes I also just write whatever comes to my head, and while that type of outlet can be satisfied here on the blog, sometimes you just want to let loose and allow your hands to do the talking.

Seriously! Try just writing the first thing that comes to your mind, no matter how silly it sounds. When you read it back, chances are it’s going to have a lot of gibberish and nonsense in the middle of it, but there may actually be a few interesting points in there. Those interesting points can sometimes be the best writing prompts, and you’ll find yourself off on a whole new exciting writing tangent that you never would have been able to go on otherwise. To me, that can be some of the most entertaining writing, and where some of my best ideas come from.

Take some time for yourself and your own mind and do yourself a favour by allowing yourself the freedom to write whatever you want. Trust me, you’re going to feel so much more refreshed, and you may just find that you have a few new ideas for that novel you’re working on anyway. I can’t tell you how many times a tangent has given me a new idea for a longer story I’m writing.

What about you? Do you write for fun, beyond the stories you’ve already started?