Are you open minded? Are you able to see the other side of arguments, not just your own? Are you open to new experiences? I’m a writer so I like to experience new things, keep an open mind about pretty much everything. I never know what I could use in a book some day. So I’m a big believer in also trying new writing experiences.
I love to write thrillers with serial killers. But that was all I had been doing for a while so I decided to try something completely different. Scripts. What I found was writing scripts helped me grasp some of those novel writing rules I’d been hearing about and thought I understood. But based on one rejection I clearly did not. It wasn’t until I started writing my first feature script that I truly “got” show, don’t tell because you have to show in screenplays. I’ll be dedicating an entire post to show, don’t tell later.
If novelists really want to learn show, don’t tell, keeping the writing active, story structure and dialogue I highly recommend studying movies. Those things are so much more clear in movies/screenplays. Debra Dixon’s GMC: Goal, Motivation and Conflict, though written for novelists, uses movie examples to illustrate her points. And she does it brilliantly.
I didn’t stop the new experiences with scripts. I moved onto something else completely different. Sci-Fi and horror short stories. Not a serial killer in sight. I discovered there were a lot of calls for submissions out there for short stories for anthologies. Why not try to break in that way while still honing my craft? Short stories are great, as are screenplays, to teach you to be economical with words. I’ve written about seven short stories so far, four of which have been submitted. I’ll keep writing them because they’re quicker than books and I have a finished product a lot sooner.
Writing in different mediums and different genres helps you grow as a writer. It may help you understand concepts better. Am I suggesting you write something you don’t like just because it’s different? No. You still need to like what you’re doing. Remember when you were younger and you refused to eat something because you said you didn’t like it? And your mother said, “You haven’t even tried it. How do you know you don’t like it?” Same concept applies. How will you know you don’t like writing screenplays if you don’t try? And don’t give up just because it’s hard.
A former critique partner wrote brilliant historicals. I loved them. She couldn’t sell them. She switched to contemporary settings with classic themes and sold her first book.
Whether you’re writing a short story, a novel or a script you still have to paint a picture with words. Personally, I would want every edge I could get. For me that means experimenting with different genres, mediums, structures, writing processes. You never know. You might find a new favourite genre to write. Or a new writing process that works better for you. If you keep an open mind about things in general, why not your writing too?
How open minded are you?
Until next time…
Cindy
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