Writing Outside One's Comfort Zone

You may not be creating publishable words. You may not be creating amazing words. You may not be creating words you like. But by creating words, you are doing something actual, tangible, verifiable. And that puts you ahead of all the people who aren’t writing.

Someone once said to me at a party, “I would write, but I need to conquer some inner demons first.” And honestly — in my opinion, that’s bullshit unless he was talking about the inner demon of procrastination and not just being a pretentious jackass. Because, come on – who says that kind of thing and takes themself seriously?

Writers just fucking write.

Do you need to send stuff out? Do you need to polish what you’ve produced? Do you need to promote your writing? Yes, and yes, and yes, but all of those things are dependent on having written.

Let me reiterate this, because it’s important. Writing always comes first.

When I teach, we do a lot of writing exercises. And I hear people say, just before they read what they’ve produced, “I’m not sure I did this right.” And then they go on and read me something wonderful. Maybe it’s not exactly what I was envisioning when I came up with the exercise. Maybe they’ve turned the exercise on its head and done something completely different. But that’s okay. The only way they could do the exercise wrong, in my opinion, is to not do it.

I have seen stories workshopped that were…sometimes difficult to say much about. Some are seared on my memory; others kept me up at night trying to figure out what to say. Some were politically a bit problematic. But you know what? At least they got written.

If you are writing, you are being a writer. If you keep at it — and think about writing and getting better — you will get better. There are things you can do that will help you get better faster, but all of them depend on…well, you should know what I’m going to say here by now….writing.

If it’s fear of getting it wrong that’s stopping you, then knock it off. Here’s the reassurance you need. You cannot do it wrong.

Now go write some words.

Enjoy this writing advice and want more content like it? Check out the classes Cat gives via the Rambo Academy for Wayward Writers, which offers both on-demand and live online writing classes for fantasy and science fiction writers from Cat and other authors, including Ann Leckie, Seanan McGuire, Fran Wilde and other talents! All classes include three free slots.

Prefer to opt for weekly interaction, advice, opportunities to ask questions, and access to the Chez Rambo Discord community and critique group? Check out Cat’s Patreon. Or sample her writing here.

Had a short short story, aka flash, appear this morning and shape itself while en route to coffee. Just finished writing it out, although the last line needs a lot of sharpening. Huzzah for starting the day with a new story, though! I think one reason for recent productivity is the reading and thinking about short stories involved in teaching the short story class.

And here’s a teaser from the short story I’m finishing up today. It’s a secondary world S&S piece, with a working title of “Love’s Footsteps”.

At the time he did it, Moulder found the idea of removing his heart, applying a calcifying solution, and storing it in a safe place, all in the name of immortality, quite reasonable. He performed the ritual in the diminutive but ominous tower he had built in one corner of his parents’ estate, watched over by dour-jawed examples of taxidermy, crocodiles and glassy-eyes owls, assisted by his faithful servant, Small. She held out the iron receptacle to hold his heart, her face impassive and unjudgmental, and afterwards laved his hands with cold water and wiped them dry.