When I say comfort is the enemy, I’m not talking about how cozy your writing nook is, but how we as writers sometimes get stuck in a safe place. Whether that safe place is a genre, a series, a book, or even our tribe.
I’ve seen writers work on their first book for years, rewriting and revising, never taking the next step of getting it into the world. Sometimes it’s fear that keeps us in our comfort zone. Other times it’s because we don’t know anything else.
The best thing we can do for our writing is take a chance.
Write something new. Something you’ve never tried before. Maybe it’s time to send that query, or start that path toward indie publishing. Maybe it’s time to stop writing in a series and take a chance on new characters. Or maybe it’s the perfect time to grow your tribe, to find new readers or community support.
How do you step outside your comfort zone? What is one thing you’ve done this week that is fresh and new?
Hi Julie! I spend all my writing time outside my comfort zone, trying new genres, exploring stuff I know nothing about, even writing characters that defy the current hysteria over cultural appropriation. Of course, I’m not trying to make a living writing, either, and that’s liberating.
Hi Pat, good for you. I wish I did more of that. And I don’t think any of us are crazy enough to think you can make a living off writing alone. Thanks for coming by!
checked out new exercise classes in the area… told my husband about something in our lives that makes me worry…set up a roof inspection. Yes, I needed to do some things not writing related.