5 Ways to Make Your Writing Exciting

February 25, 2021– Yesterday we talked about 5 signs that you’re stuck in your writing comfort zone; today we’ll chat about 5 ways that you can take your writing to the next level and get excited about writing again!

1. Read outside of your genre. Non-fiction, biographies, anthologies, science fiction, cozy romances, and whatever else you can get your hands on! Read newspapers, blog posts, articles, and kids’ books to open your mind and find new ideas that excite you.
2. Write the opposite. If you write thrillers, try writing romance. If you usually write long pieces, try your hand at writing a short story. If you usually write on a laptop or computer, pick up a pen and some paper. Explore poetry or rhyming prose, if you haven’t already, and anything else that is outside of your comfort zone.
3. Write with risk. Try submitting to your favourite publication such as a magazine or series of books. Send in a letter to the editor of a newspaper, or write a piece as a guest for a blog that you follow. Find opportunities where normally you’d never think to look.
4. Change anything. Start a blog if you currently write novels. If you write books for kids, try writing a historical fiction novel. If you normally write in a quiet environment, put on some music or write in a public place with lots of background noise. Change whatever you’re doing and watch the ideas pour out of your brain and onto the page!
5. Get inspired. YouTube, TedTalks, live readings, spoken word, libraries, bookstores, nature, and museums are all great sources of inspiration. Ask yourself what inspires you! Get our there and start getting excited about the authors and ideas that have come before you.

Do you remember the Seinfeld episode when George Costanza decides that everything he’s ever done in his whole life has been wrong? He says, “My life is the complete opposite of everything I want it to be. Every instinct I have in every aspect of life, be it something to wear, something to eat, it’s all been wrong. Every one.”

So, George decides to do the complete opposite from that moment on, starting with his lunch order, which he makes the opposite of his usual order. Later, Elaine tells him that a woman is watching him from across the café. She tells George to go talk to her and he does! He finds out that the woman who has been staring at him just ordered the exact same thing as he did (his opposite). And now he’s met a new friend and a possible romantic partner. Stepping out of our comfort zone, and sometimes going against what we would normally do, can lead to exciting opportunities!