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Be A Daring Writer – Why Taking Risks With Your Writing Pays Off

By on June 3, 2016
Be A Daring Writer - Why Taking Risks With Your Writing Pays Off - www.writerslife.org

Writing is a scary business, there is no doubt about it. Any writer has to struggle with, often overwhelming fears, on a daily basis. We often focus on how, frankly terrifying, it is to share our writing with others. The fear of being rejected, not only by publishers, but by our peers, strangers, and even family and friends can be enough to put us off writing altogether!

However, what is less often discussed is how scary it can be to take risks with our writing. On top of everything else, the temptation to play it safe, to stick to tried and tested formula’s can feel like the most comfortable and attractive route.

If you don’t take risks with your writing the problem is you can end up writing something that isn’t really what you wanted to say. Is it better to have success yet still struggle internally, knowing that you are not really being true to your passions, to yourself?

Taking risks with your writing can be dangerous, and sure, it may expose you to even more criticism, but then again you could be heralded for writing something truly fresh and unique. Writing about what inspires you, and constantly pushing yourself to try new things, new techniques, new styles, new genres, can open you up to another whole world of creativity, satisfaction, and, quite possibly, success. 

So why is it a good idea to take risks with your writing?

It’s a challenge

Writing in the same way gets boring. It get’s boring for you, and for your readers. If you were an athlete, an artist, or musician you wouldn’t just get to a certain level, and then happily remain there. You would try to get better, you would try new things, you would constantly be pushing yourself to improve, employ a different technique, become more accomplished at your craft. Without doing this you aren’t developing as a creative artist. Don’t make life easy for yourself, make it tough , inspiring and interesting - it will be so much more rewarding if you do.

It keeps you alert

Taking risks with your writing, whether fiction or non-fiction keeps you aware of what is happening in the world outside of your little writing zone. If you are constantly trying different ways of writing and testing new techniques you will cotton on to trends, or interesting styles that are becoming popular, and if you master them, you can tap into that market and gain recognition for it.

It helps you understand your own writing style

Practising writing in different ways can really help you develop your own voice and style. By widely reading, learning and practising different writing styles you can use these a variety of influences to create a wonderfully unique voice that is just yours. This will make you stand out from the crowd.

We all know that getting published, and gaining a good readership is very hard. By taking risks with your writing you avoid being caught in a crowd of other writers all trying to do the same thing and therefore simply blending in. You don't have to invent a new genre or completely unusual way of writing. But by finding ways to be original with your story, with your characters and with the language you use, you can find a gap, a place where you can emerge as a writer, and if you can do this, you never know where it might take you.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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