Comments on: Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone: A Writing Exercise http://www.writingforward.com/exercises/writing-exercises/stepping-out-of-your-comfort-zone-writing-exercise Sun, 21 Mar 2010 01:43:09 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Team Reading List 6.2.08 » (EMP) E-Marketing Performance http://www.writingforward.com/exercises/writing-exercises/stepping-out-of-your-comfort-zone-writing-exercise/comment-page-1#comment-3966 Team Reading List 6.2.08 » (EMP) E-Marketing Performance Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:47:51 +0000 http://www.writingforward.com/?p=214#comment-3966 [...] Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone and Pushing Your Boundaries [...] [...] Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone and Pushing Your Boundaries [...]

]]> By: Melissa Donovan http://www.writingforward.com/exercises/writing-exercises/stepping-out-of-your-comfort-zone-writing-exercise/comment-page-1#comment-3300 Melissa Donovan Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:21:05 +0000 http://www.writingforward.com/?p=214#comment-3300 @Deb (gscottage), Yes, I imagine that it would be helpful to have a solid support system while doing NaNo - some folks to help keep you on your toes ;) @Friar, You're a smartass? No! I never would have guessed! It's fun to explore the many sides of oneself as a writer. You never know what you're going to get ;) @Deb (gscottage), Yes, I imagine that it would be helpful to have a solid support system while doing NaNo – some folks to help keep you on your toes ;)

@Friar, You’re a smartass? No! I never would have guessed! It’s fun to explore the many sides of oneself as a writer. You never know what you’re going to get ;)

]]> By: Friar http://www.writingforward.com/exercises/writing-exercises/stepping-out-of-your-comfort-zone-writing-exercise/comment-page-1#comment-3273 Friar Sat, 14 Jun 2008 02:08:20 +0000 http://www.writingforward.com/?p=214#comment-3273 Melissa I took your advice and stepped out of my normal boundaries. I'm normally a smart-ass, and when I write, I like to parody and make fun of everything. But this time, I wrote a more serious and sad story. I didn't know what kind of response to expect. I never wrote anything like this before. But I was suprised to see all kinds of postive feedback. Now I've discovered a whole "different" kind of writing that I can start exploring, and it excites me. I never realized I could do this before. Thanks for the tip, to help get me started. - Friar Friars last blog post..<a href="http://deepfriar.wordpress.com/2008/06/13/the-dog-nobody-wanted/" rel="nofollow">The Dog Nobody Wanted</a> Melissa

I took your advice and stepped out of my normal boundaries.

I’m normally a smart-ass, and when I write, I like to parody and make fun of everything. But this time, I wrote a more serious and sad story.

I didn’t know what kind of response to expect. I never wrote anything like this before. But I was suprised to see all kinds of postive feedback.

Now I’ve discovered a whole “different” kind of writing that I can start exploring, and it excites me. I never realized I could do this before.

Thanks for the tip, to help get me started.

- Friar

Friars last blog post..The Dog Nobody Wanted

]]> By: Deb http://www.writingforward.com/exercises/writing-exercises/stepping-out-of-your-comfort-zone-writing-exercise/comment-page-1#comment-3133 Deb Thu, 05 Jun 2008 22:25:14 +0000 http://www.writingforward.com/?p=214#comment-3133 One other thing; find a NaNo forum community you can trust and be real with. NaNo would not have been possible without our weird, wacky, and downright hilarious group of women over 30. Jokes about knitted turkey hats (Google it) at 2am ET and name that 50/60/70's tune. Okay, I'm in hysterics still after all these months. But I was the slowest typist and they all logged on and posted 30 minute prompts for 4 hours until my purple bar popped up with 90 minutes to go. And we formed a LiveJournal community where about half of us still hang out. One other thing; find a NaNo forum community you can trust and be real with. NaNo would not have been possible without our weird, wacky, and downright hilarious group of women over 30. Jokes about knitted turkey hats (Google it) at 2am ET and name that 50/60/70’s tune. Okay, I’m in hysterics still after all these months. But I was the slowest typist and they all logged on and posted 30 minute prompts for 4 hours until my purple bar popped up with 90 minutes to go. And we formed a LiveJournal community where about half of us still hang out.

]]> By: Melissa Donovan http://www.writingforward.com/exercises/writing-exercises/stepping-out-of-your-comfort-zone-writing-exercise/comment-page-1#comment-3127 Melissa Donovan Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:38:39 +0000 http://www.writingforward.com/?p=214#comment-3127 @Deb (gscottage), It sounds like you learned a lot about your own writing from NaNo. I hope to do the same this year. One thing you said that I completely agree with is that you don't write things "the way it happened." I think the same is true in movies. There are tricks to making it real without adhering 100% to reality, and that's part of the fun! @Deb (gscottage), It sounds like you learned a lot about your own writing from NaNo. I hope to do the same this year. One thing you said that I completely agree with is that you don’t write things “the way it happened.” I think the same is true in movies. There are tricks to making it real without adhering 100% to reality, and that’s part of the fun!

]]> By: Deb http://www.writingforward.com/exercises/writing-exercises/stepping-out-of-your-comfort-zone-writing-exercise/comment-page-1#comment-3108 Deb Thu, 05 Jun 2008 01:47:18 +0000 http://www.writingforward.com/?p=214#comment-3108 (the other Deb) I found the disconnects that arise in fiction the most frustrating thing. Where I started typing ended up becoming chapter five (I think) and the parts that percolated up that that chapter needed to have established as "facts in text" didn't align the first couple of attempts thus the shift from chapter one to five. But hey, words on the page are words on the page when you're doing NaNo. One thing I had heard in an NPR interview with a writer-editor was that fiction writing is not about putting down what happened the "way it happened" because that will not feel real and nobody will believe it. I think it has to do with our monoptic (?) perspective because I had passages where I was drawing on a personal experience that felt very plastic until I assimilated the other person's role and began to imagine things they might have debated with themselves or alternate choices they might have been forced to select from among and so forth. And that was hard because the character became a fallible human instead of the cold stone statue that survival had rationalized. Hmm, maybe it is time to print it out and read it from beginning to end; just a thought for now. (the other Deb) I found the disconnects that arise in fiction the most frustrating thing. Where I started typing ended up becoming chapter five (I think) and the parts that percolated up that that chapter needed to have established as “facts in text” didn’t align the first couple of attempts thus the shift from chapter one to five. But hey, words on the page are words on the page when you’re doing NaNo.

One thing I had heard in an NPR interview with a writer-editor was that fiction writing is not about putting down what happened the “way it happened” because that will not feel real and nobody will believe it. I think it has to do with our monoptic (?) perspective because I had passages where I was drawing on a personal experience that felt very plastic until I assimilated the other person’s role and began to imagine things they might have debated with themselves or alternate choices they might have been forced to select from among and so forth.

And that was hard because the character became a fallible human instead of the cold stone statue that survival had rationalized. Hmm, maybe it is time to print it out and read it from beginning to end; just a thought for now.

]]> By: Melissa Donovan http://www.writingforward.com/exercises/writing-exercises/stepping-out-of-your-comfort-zone-writing-exercise/comment-page-1#comment-3090 Melissa Donovan Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:33:52 +0000 http://www.writingforward.com/?p=214#comment-3090 @Deb (gscottage), I'm definitely looking forward to NaNoWriMo! It's not for four months but I have a feeling it will sneak up and be here before we know it! @Anna, Yes, I think fiction is far more difficult than nonfiction because you can't rely 100% on facts. Research may be involved but there's also a lot of imagination at work. It takes commitment and dedication, especially when writing a novel as opposed to a short piece. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts! @Deb (gscottage), I’m definitely looking forward to NaNoWriMo! It’s not for four months but I have a feeling it will sneak up and be here before we know it!

@Anna, Yes, I think fiction is far more difficult than nonfiction because you can’t rely 100% on facts. Research may be involved but there’s also a lot of imagination at work. It takes commitment and dedication, especially when writing a novel as opposed to a short piece. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

]]> By: Anna http://www.writingforward.com/exercises/writing-exercises/stepping-out-of-your-comfort-zone-writing-exercise/comment-page-1#comment-3083 Anna Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:32:09 +0000 http://www.writingforward.com/?p=214#comment-3083 I was just reading your blog about fiction-writing and felt a lot of your comments rang true for me too. I have dabbled in writing, mainly as a journalist, now as a part-time web content writer for a few years, and always felt fiction too difficult to write. However, for some people there imagination is overflowing with ideas, but for others you perhaps need to feed it with research of your own. You may follow a similar story line, but write totally originally. And from what other successful writers have said, a lot of them draw from their own experiences or those of others and adapt them to the story. In journalism typically you're never short of information, so it's easy to write about something. I think you need to do a lot more research about the kind of subjects you want to write about, and then I'm sure you're book will be finished in no time at all. I was just reading your blog about fiction-writing and felt a lot of your comments rang true for me too. I have dabbled in writing, mainly as a journalist, now as a part-time web content writer for a few years, and always felt fiction too difficult to write. However, for some people there imagination is overflowing with ideas, but for others you perhaps need to feed it with research of your own. You may follow a similar story line, but write totally originally. And from what other successful writers have said, a lot of them draw from their own experiences or those of others and adapt them to the story. In journalism typically you’re never short of information, so it’s easy to write about something. I think you need to do a lot more research about the kind of subjects you want to write about, and then I’m sure you’re book will be finished in no time at all.

]]> By: Deb http://www.writingforward.com/exercises/writing-exercises/stepping-out-of-your-comfort-zone-writing-exercise/comment-page-1#comment-3069 Deb Tue, 03 Jun 2008 22:07:12 +0000 http://www.writingforward.com/?p=214#comment-3069 (The other Deb, here.) Okay, so little time to much to say. Hmm, I'll have to come back for a part 2. Anyway. I hope you do NaNo and don't over think it. You will love it, you will hate it, you will curse it; but you will finish it. The thing I got out of it that has been most useful every day is that I can sit down and start writing more quickly. I started with no plot and never did name my characters; I used the initials MMC and MFC etc, and just knocked it out. I started with cards that prompted "a person," "what happened," and "an observation." It was essentially Birdie Jaworski's 3 index cards from "Words in a Row." More Later. (The other Deb, here.) Okay, so little time to much to say. Hmm, I’ll have to come back for a part 2. Anyway. I hope you do NaNo and don’t over think it. You will love it, you will hate it, you will curse it; but you will finish it. The thing I got out of it that has been most useful every day is that I can sit down and start writing more quickly. I started with no plot and never did name my characters; I used the initials MMC and MFC etc, and just knocked it out. I started with cards that prompted “a person,” “what happened,” and “an observation.” It was essentially Birdie Jaworski’s 3 index cards from “Words in a Row.”

More Later.

]]> By: Melissa Donovan http://www.writingforward.com/exercises/writing-exercises/stepping-out-of-your-comfort-zone-writing-exercise/comment-page-1#comment-3063 Melissa Donovan Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:35:46 +0000 http://www.writingforward.com/?p=214#comment-3063 @Greer, I wish I had the answer to your question. If I did, I would probably have completed a novel by now! I do think it would help to push through. I tend to drift away from projects not because they bore me, but because a newer idea has captured my attention. I think it could help to store the new ideas in a notebook or journal and stay focused on the first idea. Also, setting goals and establishing a schedule might be helpful. For example, "I will write one chapter a week." I'm the same way when I go through old notebooks. My reaction is usually either "This is horrible, what was I thinking?" or "Damn! Did I really write that? It's pretty good!" @Greer, I wish I had the answer to your question. If I did, I would probably have completed a novel by now!

I do think it would help to push through. I tend to drift away from projects not because they bore me, but because a newer idea has captured my attention. I think it could help to store the new ideas in a notebook or journal and stay focused on the first idea. Also, setting goals and establishing a schedule might be helpful. For example, “I will write one chapter a week.”

I’m the same way when I go through old notebooks. My reaction is usually either “This is horrible, what was I thinking?” or “Damn! Did I really write that? It’s pretty good!”

]]> By: Greer http://www.writingforward.com/exercises/writing-exercises/stepping-out-of-your-comfort-zone-writing-exercise/comment-page-1#comment-3047 Greer Mon, 02 Jun 2008 22:55:06 +0000 http://www.writingforward.com/?p=214#comment-3047 It's funny, I read this post and then thought about it for a few days and decided that my biggest weakness is that I don't finish things because I think of something else to write instead. Then I came back to write about it and I see that others have the same problem :-). So I'm wondering Melissa (and others), do you think it's worth it to just push through and try to finish something that you've kinda lost interest in- just for the sake of finishing something? It seems like it would probably 'build character', but it would also be tough! I will say that when I go through old notebooks with abandoned stories or whatever, I'm sometimes a little amazed at what I wrote and wished I'd finished it... so maybe that is my answer- whether I like it or not! Greers last blog post..<a href="http://asweetunrest.typepad.com/weblog/2008/05/contrast-podc-3.html" rel="nofollow">Contrast Podcast- 2008 (so far)</a> It’s funny, I read this post and then thought about it for a few days and decided that my biggest weakness is that I don’t finish things because I think of something else to write instead. Then I came back to write about it and I see that others have the same problem :-) .

So I’m wondering Melissa (and others), do you think it’s worth it to just push through and try to finish something that you’ve kinda lost interest in- just for the sake of finishing something? It seems like it would probably ‘build character’, but it would also be tough!

I will say that when I go through old notebooks with abandoned stories or whatever, I’m sometimes a little amazed at what I wrote and wished I’d finished it… so maybe that is my answer- whether I like it or not!

Greers last blog post..Contrast Podcast- 2008 (so far)

]]> By: Michele http://www.writingforward.com/exercises/writing-exercises/stepping-out-of-your-comfort-zone-writing-exercise/comment-page-1#comment-3044 Michele Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:49:30 +0000 http://www.writingforward.com/?p=214#comment-3044 Me too, Melissa! I need to focus. I'm pretty easily distracted with those newer, better ideas you're talking about. :-) Micheles last blog post..<a href="http://writingthecyberhighway.com/?p=222" rel="nofollow">Guest Post - Motivation to Write: Is There a Magic Formula?</a> Me too, Melissa! I need to focus. I’m pretty easily distracted with those newer, better ideas you’re talking about. :-)

Micheles last blog post..Guest Post – Motivation to Write: Is There a Magic Formula?

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