Come a new year, most writers begin to think of new projects and start to plot out their writing agenda for the new year. While you're figuring out what new projects you want to write, how about figuring out what new style or genre you want to write in? Writers should always be about stretching their literary wings and fine-tuning their writing craft, and they can do that by switching up what they've been doing and trying something new. If you've always written romance, why not add a mystery element to a story? If you spend your time writing dramatic stories, why not try your hand at a comedic piece? If novels are your thing, why not attempt a screenplay? By doing something new, we can learn our strengths and weakness as writers—make it a learning experience.
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Writing in 140 is my attempt to say something somewhat relevant about writing in 140 words or less.
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Shon Bacon is an author, editor, and educator. She has published both creatively and academically, and her debut solo novel, Death at the Double Inkwell is now available for purchase. Shon also interviews women writers on her popular blog ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING. You can learn more about Shon's writings at her official website, and you can get information about her editorial services at CLG Entertainment.
Currently, Shon is busy editing, promoting her debut project, writing screenplays, and pursuing her Ph.D. in Technical Communication and Rhetoric at Texas Tech University.
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Writing in 140 is my attempt to say something somewhat relevant about writing in 140 words or less.
~~~~~~~~~~
Shon Bacon is an author, editor, and educator. She has published both creatively and academically, and her debut solo novel, Death at the Double Inkwell is now available for purchase. Shon also interviews women writers on her popular blog ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING. You can learn more about Shon's writings at her official website, and you can get information about her editorial services at CLG Entertainment. Currently, Shon is busy editing, promoting her debut project, writing screenplays, and pursuing her Ph.D. in Technical Communication and Rhetoric at Texas Tech University.
I've always been a screenplay guy so my agenda this year is a novel.
ReplyDeleteAlex
Breakfast Every Hour
Good point, Shon. One of the best challenges I ever received was to write poetry when I belonged to a writer's group that encouraged all forms of writing. I initially resisted as I don't consider myself a poet by any stretch of anyone's imagination, but I finally decided to try it. I am still not a poet, but I learned a lot about imagery and choosing just the right word by trying that medium.
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to do exactly that, Shon. From mysteries, I've moved to historical women's fiction, a suspense/thriller, and I'm now giving short stories another try. It gives my muse a chance to show her stuff.
ReplyDeleteYou can learn things by switching up your "specialty." I know I learned a lot when I took a screenwriting class.
ReplyDeleteEverything I've written - plays, short stories, games, etc. all had mystery has its main component. I've got a romantic comedy in a draft stage right now. It was an interesting exercise - and still is!
ReplyDeletegood point and very much what I've been thinking about recently. I want to move towards nonfiction writing this year.
ReplyDeleteI needed this gentle nudge of a post, Shon! Thank you for it. I've started doing more short fiction over the past few months, and I've put myself on a pretty strict schedule, which is a first for me. I'm loving the results, so I will continue to stretch and grow. Best of luck to all of you, my fellow lovers of the written word!
ReplyDeleteSame for a majority of the art field. If you do something new and different, it may fail at first but the end result is usually the strongest piece you ever created.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments, everyone,
ReplyDelete:-)
Maryann makes a good point in her comment. There have been times that I tried new things and realized that I might not be good at it; however, I do learn something from the experience that helps my writing overall. I'm not a poet either, but I've taken classes on form and theory of poetry and have learned a lot about words, sounds, rhythms, movements, etc. in poetry that have helped my storytelling.