How unsafe do you make yourself when you are writing? Do you ever write anything that scares you? What about it makes it scary? Do you ever write anything that makes you uncomfortable? Is experimentation (and making mistakes!) vital for the creative process? Do you get revelations when you’re writing? Is writing “new” things the only way to grow as a writer? Would love to hear your experiences.
In a physical / emotional sense I have to be in a really safe space. Often by myself, in comforting lighting and in a familiar place. But when it comes to subject matter, I think it's vitally important to tackle subjects that are difficult (even if only sometimes). Well as a horror author I would hope so! But outside of horror, I like to approach philosophical arguments that I don't necessarily agree with through the eyes of my characters. It helps me understand and further appreciate the perspective of others. It's essentially the same as above. to a certain extent I believe it isn't possible to make truly transformative art unless the artist is challenging something, whether it is their own or another's beliefs. Necessary to create? No. Necessary to be great? Absolutely. In order to become good at something one must first actually try the thing. And, almost certainly, the first attempts will be flops. It's through repeated attempts and iteration that growth occurs. Often! I like to say I'm at some weird middle point between plotter and pantser. I have a general sense of the direction I want the story to go and I roughly plot scenes before I write them, but almost always they drift in unexpected directions. I always allow those surprises to occur and I then re-evaluate the goals I had in mind and see if those surprises are worth changing the trajectory of the story, or if they should be revised in some way. It keeps me on my toes and it allows my stories to have a more natural progression with genuine twists for both myself and the readers. I think yes, but only in the sense that it has to be "new" to the person writing. I don't believe there are any truly unique ideas, everything is derivative of something or a culmination of other ideas. But to grow one must step out of the familiar and into the unknown. One must broaden their literary horizons through a type of mental exploration. Whether that's trying a new genre, writing from the perspective of characters who disagree with you philosophically, or something else entirely. I think "new" is vital.
@SoulFire - thank you so much for the thoughtful reply! I especially like your use of the word "challenge." I think that's what we as writers need to do - challenge ourselves.
How do you expect to break new ground if you are too afraid to step into it? Honestly? To really get into techniques and styles, even narrative structures you aren't comfortable with, you really need to just try them in full force. Sure, reading a bit in the intended new ground is vital, but you just need to write the garbage, crap, vomit, gum you left stuck on your shoe for three days on a hike writing first. Take the trash, put it on a page, scrutinize it, and then let others see it. See how they respond. I think this site is great for that. There are a lot of very bad writers, me included, who just need to get past the first steps of sucking hard and having the courage to be criticized. This place has been a boon for me because the population is full of those who get where you're coming from. Doesn't mean they'll be soft, or the best writers you can find, but they're an understanding group that's willing to not only praise your work but also rip it apart in a way that's digestible that you can learn from. If anything, it's a great place to spend a few years getting comfortable being uncomfortable. Letting others see what you put your effort into. So, I guess I'll get along to answer the questions after my little rant. If you've read a lot of my poetry, the answer is very unsafe. If you've read any of my short stories or novel chapters, I need to get out there a lot more. I tend to fall back on poetry as a safe space because I know I can be okay at it. At least be readable. But I try to push into stories more and novels because I love them. I just need to make myself unsafe. Romance scares me. It does. It's so hard to make it sound natural, unforced. And to make it feel real. I like to experiment with it because I really do enjoy the romance parts of non-romantic novels, but I feel they can be some of the weakest spots. When they're done right, however, they make the consequences of the novel carry so much more weight. But it's scary. I'm most afraid of sounding incredibly lame. Yes, if you are trying to break into new ground. Otherwise, refinement of stylistic and narrative forms is more important. But I prattled on about this already for a long time. Does anyone not? Haha. I feel writing is discovering a story out of the mess in your head. You're always revealing something. Not at all. Not even remotely. There is very little new ground to go down. Better to look at what works and how you can work on concepts that are new to you, just not necessarily new in general. Well, that's enough of me preaching. Good questions.
I can relate to this. But I love constructive criticism! Because the story comes first. I understand this. I have written very few romance stories. I love this! yes, I can relate! Thank you so much for the very thoughtful insights!
Nahhh, you put it there. You knew exactly what you were doing when you posted it. No saving my head now... Woops.
I'm willing to go quite far out of my comfort zone, and I don't really feel "unsafe" doing it, at least not anymore... It can be daunting, for sure. For example, when I took the step from writing short stories to actually finishing some novels, and from there to whole series, it felt like being in deep water and that I was drowning in the sheer weight of words, never mind having to keep it all organized. I didn't feel so safe then, but I've since learned to swim reasonably well. The only aspect of writing I can think of that still feels unsafe to me is everything having to do with publishing. I write about lots of things that would scare me if they were to happen, but I don't take my writing seriously enough to be scared by it. Not quite sure if that's a good thing or not. It helps that these days I mostly write fairly lighthearted stuff, but even the darker material I dabble in doesn't affect me like that. I guess what scares me the most is having a story with great potential and ruining it by failing to execute. I might not get scared, but I sometimes make myself uncomfortable with the subjects I choose to tackle. It could be diving deep into a character with a dark and twisted psyche, investigating the evil in a person, and the actions that might lead to. It could be trying to write real, raw interpersonal stuff, or deeply emotional matters. Some of that stuff hits unpleasantly close to home. Uncomfortable, but often cathartic. Again, I mostly do lighthearted comedy stuff now, so nothing too hellish, but even those stories have a fair bit of dark in them. Experimentation (and making mistakes!) practically is my creative process. All right, so that's not quite true anymore, though sometimes it feels like it. I do go back to the well of things that I know work for me, but filling that well has been and continues to be a process of trial and error. I like to experiment and take wild chances. I play a lot with narrative structure, chronology, tons and tons of meta stuff, and overall just approach the storytelling process in a spirit of curiosity and whimsy. Any other method of writing, a more formulaic approach, I think would just bore me. I know I'm not doing anything revolutionary or breaking new ground with this, outside of maybe the odd fluke where I do pull off something actually unique, but I try a lot of things that I haven't tried before. And of course mistakes are a natural part of the bargain. I've written myself into so many corners. Constantly. I'm an almost pure discovery writer (or gardener or pantser if you prefer) and anything past the initial inception of the idea is technically a revelation, I guess. But I think we might be talking about the big ones here. Yeah, I get them often enough. This has been the case especially with my second novel series, where I've had two or three Epiphanies that radically changed everything about what the story is at a core level; cue tons of rewriting and retrofitting. This story started out as a very generic fantasy adventure, and it's those two or three revolutionary leaps that gave it true identity. My first novel series on the other hand had one big revelation early on, which informed the trajectory, and many smaller but still significant ones along the way. This may be too much of a tangent, but I'll put it in anyway. I don't just get revelations about the story in question when I write, I get a real broadening of my own understanding as well. This is again especially true of my second novel series, which at this point is heavy on themes of spirituality, philosophy, the nature and meaning of life et cetera. Those investigations and musings (and bad jokes) I made there have sort of synthesized my own beliefs and reflected them back to me in ways I can more easily digest and take to heart. It's nowhere close to a 1:1 model of my worldview, of course, there's a lot of stuff in there I wouldn't dream of believing in. I find it strange how different stories reveal different things to you. These novels feel like they're writing me almost as much as I write them, symbiosis-style, and I've taken working on this specific story as part of my spiritual practice. There are shades of the same in my earlier novels, but to a far lesser degree. Okay, that was a lot. I think we can call that a resounding yes from me, on the revelations thing. No, but I think it's an essential part of the growth process. I'm writing things now that I wouldn't have dreamt of touching with a ten-foot quill a decade ago, to say nothing of when I first started out. I've improved a lot through branching out. I wonder if it isn't equally important to write the "same" thing a few times, though. My two novel series are hugely similar in a lot of ways, such as themes and topics, writing style, character archetypes, story beats, sense of humor, etc. and yet are very different beasts when taken in their totality. In a sense I'm "writing what I know" and staying in my comfort zone, but in a way where I write about those things in a new, mirrorwise context. I think it's important both to refine the old and investigate the new. I have my thing that I do with novels, there's a lot of overlap there, and if I want to try something radically different I can always knock out a short story, or half a one anyway. My approach does leave a bunch of unfinished WIPs. This was supposed to be my two cents, but I think it ended up being at least a quarter.
Wonderful insights! Thanks so much for sharing. I think you've touched upon things that a lot of writers can relate to.
I think my writing allows me to be unsafe ... safely? I am able to write about stuff that I keep to myself, the parts I don't really want to let out otherwise. I don't think so. I think sometimes writing new things all the time doesn't really facilitate a place to find what fits a personal style. Maybe initially writing new things consistently aids in that, but once able to find a rhythm that fits, it makes more sense to me to stay there and grow that part. I used to think I could and should only write these weird little romances (no, they're weird, I promise), and then I read a few books outside of the realm I'd been pushed into (mostly soft fantasy that I still love to this day), and I realized I absolutely wanted to write darker themes. It kind of gave me permission to shed the shroud and pick up the Uzi while chomping on some bubblegum. Now that I feel I'm solidly in the darker stuff, I'm figuring out how far I can go and that I guess could be considered newness, but I think it's more about cultivating the joy I feel being able to see the deeper parts I've kept hidden. I was going to answer all of the questions, but these two were the ones I felt I was able to answer properly. Everything else I was saying felt superficial, and I wanted to give honesty.
This is a really good point, and food for thought. But I wonder if developing a personal style can still accommodate trying new things?
Not really to all three. I don't have much emotional reaction to anything I write. The process is so laborious, mechanical, and familiar that the emotions are several levels removed. Almost vicarious. I can tell if something is happy, sad, disturbing, or funny or whatever, but it's like somebody else is feeling it. Different story for other things I read--those things slap me upside the head--but my own stuff is very detached. And that's not to say I don't write with emotion because plenty goes into it, but it's a one way street. Once it's out, it's gone. Thinking about a bit more, I have the opposite reaction to music I write. That'll make me feel something every time. I think it's because music has a sensory/stimulus element to it while writing does not. It's literally sensation-less save for the visual appearance of black marks on a white background. The imagination is the G-spot for that stimulation, but if my imagination created it, it doesn't circle back the other way, if that makes any sense. To a degree, sure. I wouldn't say it's vital, though. Most successful writers do the same thing over and over. Many fall flat when they try something else, but that's probably an optimization thing. Only the best of the best of the best obtain serious success, at least in the monetary sense. And it's doubtful they got there doing anything other than what they do best. Having said all that, you definitely need to overcome your own fears/hesitations/bullshit. So if you need to branch out for that, then definitely. Not sure. Like what?
There's something to be said about not being too emotionally invested in your stories, to be sort of detached. It increases your objectivity towards them. Like the Buddhist ideal of "stepping outside the story" - and being objective observers. This is very interesting! Is there more of you in the music you write? For me, I guess it would be in the area of theme. As I am writing, all sorts of insights come to me based on the characters I have written and the situations I put them in. I start out with one idea, and then the ideas grow from that as I write. Like, if X, then Y, and then Z, and then surprise! A.
When I first ventured into writing, I was very niave and unsure what I was doing. I write quite deep Subject matters and the seriousness of these topics have spilled into my everyday conscious so-much-so I had to force myself to stop writing as became rather trapped in certain mind-spaces. Two writing friends shared their thoughts and concerns and I have had to find a distance with writing, creating a persona when I write (I prefer to write 1st person) in order to form a gap between reality and the fiction I was making. I dabble into magical Realism and yes it can yet very scary. I believe a good writer must 'be' the character they are writing, in a sense become the character for the story to be authentic and the words carry weight, and yes there have been times when writing has become very dark and strange, though the upside is that feedback from readers are that they felt that suspense and hauntedness in the writing. I come from a school of thought that a writer doesn't 'grow' by writing many different genres, but in developing what they know best. A motorbike champion excels in driving specific cars but would they excel in say... knitting a scarf? A ridiculous example (my apologies) but new is not always you. I believe growth is continuing to do your best at a few certain things that excites you. I write Fiction, I can write Fantasy, even cross over to Magical Realism and Romance, maybe Literacy, but anything outside these Realms and I would do a pretty poor job. Growth for me, is to do better in the areas I feel I am best suited at, so in my example, a motorbike rider can switch from two wheels to four. They may not be a champion but they have the skill set to make a good fist of a new challenge.
These are not easy questions to answer, Louanne! That depends what you mean by "unsafe". Maybe it's my Asperger's talking, but I like to define the words I use, and since English words change their meanings all the time, it's difficult to know! Ahem. If by "unsafe" you mean, "Do I do something physically unsafe..." then no. I do not, personally, walk naked through a field of thorns and thistles in search of a lion's den! *grin* I let my characters take the risks -- and no, none of my characters have done ... that ... so far. Besides, before I let my characters do something as unsafe as ramble in the altogether, I give them some rational reason to do so. I did do it to my MC and his sidekick once, but: 1. They did it after dark; 2. The town they were sneaking into was unlit (it was ancient times); and 3. Their clothes were the property of a jail they escaped from, so said clothes would've made them instantly recognizable. Of course, this was still a major risk, and I gave them a chance to find new clothes ASAP ... and they blew that chance. Hey-ho. Life happens. (They got a second chance, of course, because they were the MC and the sidekick. They were needed for continuity. Besides, naked frolicking is always good for a laugh). I'm mildly arachnophobic, so you won't find me writing about spiders and scorpions. I try to do my research before writing a subject (to make it realistic), and I'd rather not look at pictures of creepy-crawlies. Aside from my arachnophobia, not many things scare me. *shrug* I often write scenes that put my characters in harm's way -- for instance, a scene where my MC has to sneak into the Big Bad's office and retrieve a MacGuffin of some kind. This is obviously very dangerous, especially since the MC in that story didn't even have a weapon (and didn't know how to fight with one!) Of course, I would never do any of that stuff personally. Not me. Nuh-uh. *polishes his halo* But I'm sure you can see how that would be scary. Being found in a place where you shouldn't be is obviously scary. Sure. Writing a scene where my MC is sneaking into the Big Bad's office and stealing a MacGuffin is uncomfortable, but fun. (Writing a scene where the MC is sneaking into a town while naked is more fun than uncomfortable. Just repeat after me: this is only a story. It's not happening to you. Thank $deity$). Having said that, fight scenes make me uncomfortable because they're not my forte. Personally speaking, I stay well away from fights. They are genuinely frightening. So, my lack of experience in fighting makes writing fight scenes uncomfortable for me. I much prefer dialogue scenes and banter, because I'm good at that. So, before I write a fight scene, I examine the need for it. Is it logically necessary? Yes? Fine. What weapons (if any) are people using? What damage can they do? Are they wearing armour? Good. Etc., etc. -- I do my research. Sure. I used to be much worse at fight scenes than I am now. In that, I am blessed in having a critique partner who knows much more about fight scenes than I do, and who provides good advice. What kind of revelations? *grin* I certainly don't have the clouds parting and a supernatural voice booming, etc. But yes, I have the occasional flash of insight. For instance, I have my MC walking through a village where a battle has taken place. I say to myself: rather than having nameless corpses, why not name them and give us a little info about why they're significant to my MC? For instance: Not the only, perhaps, but probably the best. My first two or three novels were based in ancient Rome and ancient Greece, where the MCs were skilled-but-starting-out warriors. It was getting dull. The next novel was based in ancient Babylon, and my MC was nowhere near being a warrior. So, I had to research a completely new place, as well as give my MC a means to survive. The last novel I wrote was back to Rome and Greece ... but the MC was no warrior. On top of that, it was the first novel I wrote with two MCs instead of one, which meant double the work, double the plan. It was a pain, but so worth it. And so on. If I never wrote “new” things, my writing would atrophy and die.
That's a good observation. I suppose I meant going into not only themes but writing techniques that are a exploratory thing for you. The story of mine that sticks out for me in this regard is a story I wrote with an unreliable narrator about a pathological liar who had dissociative identity disorder. No other story stretched me as much. I answered this above - revelations about the theme. This may be insights about human nature that come to you while you are writing. And they steer the story in a particular direction. I like this insight. Well said.
Nothing I've written has ever scared me. Certain things, if they align with my insecurities, would make me uncomfortable. I'm not sure what one would identify as a writing mistake. I don't think I even consider revision to be the process of fixing mistakes. Receive revelations? No. Finally learn how to articulate them? Yes. I think writing "new" things, depending on the definition, might be the only way to stay interesting as an author. Growth does not require writing new things, though. I think it can happen in at least a few ways: 1. The author can outgrow his current state due simply to suffering routine, like a plant's roots winding around the inside edge of a pot. 2. The author's brain will change as time progresses, mainly due to his own life experience, including what variety he reads.
I like the way you worded this. You gave me a revelation! And maybe the way to stay fresh is to keep on exposing yourself to new ideas and new experiences.
