By: A.B. Timothy
Exposing yourself to new things is hard. It takes willpower to explore things that might make us uncomfortable. That is not a bad thing; however, unless you are recovering from a concussion and using your brain too much can actually hurt you. If that doesn’t sound like something you’re going through, get out there! Explore your city/town, check out a new bookstore, try a new coffee shop, or hike a new trail. Now, sometimes the comfortable is reliable, cheaper, and better, but sometimes it’s not. For example, today I am writing this at a new coffee shop about 20 minutes farther away, and I got the same drink I usually get at my regular store. Two things: 1: the coffee tastes a bit better, and 2: the portion sizes are a little bigger while being almost half the price.
The very same is true for writing. Are you twenty thousand words deep into a Fantasy book and stuck? Try something new, it doesn’t have to be in that world, or maybe it can be. Try writing from a new POV, or write a far-flung story that takes place in the same world but 4,000 years in the future. This could be the refresher you need to reignite the spark of inspiration and finish the story you are stuck on.
Now, does this mean you have to abandon what you started with? No way! Do I think I’ll spend an extra 20 minutes driving out here to this coffee shop for a little bit better coffee and a smaller price tag (which might not be as enticing after the gas prices)? Probably not. But maybe once a week I’ll trek out here and enjoy a little time away from my usual routine. Maybe next time I come out here, I’ll see this nice lady Rachel I met today, again, and we’ll hit it off, who knows what could happen.
What about you? Have you tried new things? Will you try new things? Tell me about a time when you tried a new thing and something beautiful came out of it. Leave that tale in the comments or on one of my social media pages linked at the icons below.
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