On Pushing Your Boundaries As A Writer

As many of you know, all of my books so far have starred feisty female protagonists who are roughly around the same age as I am. It's nice to stick with what you know somehow - especially when you write science fiction and paranormal fiction. Let's be real here. I will never know what it's like to live as a vampire or in a post-apocalyptic society - hopefully. So sometimes my characters are the only familiarity I get to keep while writing. It's safer to write about someone or something you understand - there are lots of great books out there about writers, English majors, and characters who love to read. 

On the other hand, you can learn a lot by throwing yourself outside of your comfort zone while you write! I'm working on a story right now about an alcoholic man who is descending into madness. I while it is quite possible that I may also be descending into madness, I am definitely not a man, and I don't drink. Rather than writing in the past-tense like I usually do, I'm writing this one in the present-tense. The result is a work with a lot of indirect characterization, powerful sentences, and a whole lot of action. When I reread what I've created, it seems more like a book I would pick up at Barnes & Noble and take home with me than it does a story I've written myself. 

Although it's harder to make myself sit down and work on it, I find myself feeling much more rewarded once I've pushed through a chapter or two. 

Want to try the challenge with me? Here's a list I've put together to help you push outside of your boundaries as a writer and get your words flowing! 

1. Create & listen to playlists that help set the tone for your story. If you plan on writing something dark, Taylor Swift isn't going to cut it. 

2. Read lots of books that you wouldn't usually be drawn to. (I've been reading the love letters of Heloise and Abelard this week.)

3. Go somewhere you haven't been before. This can be as simple as sitting in a new coffee shop and watching the people around you. This leads into my next tip.

4. Get a feel for someone else's life and way of speaking. 

5. Try to mimic it in writing. 

6. Take everything a step further than you think you should. You never know what could happen.