I’ve spent the last year working on various projects and following the advice of “write what you love.” Still, I keep hitting roadblocks. Why? Why can’t I mentally get past these obstacles that are getting in the way of polishing my manuscript? Or allowing a new idea to flourish into an outline or plotted story?
Perhaps I am slower than the rest, but it finally dawned on me that I keep falling into another trap that many writers face: playing it safe.
What I mean is that it’s easy to guard your imagination or ideas, keep them in check into these acceptable little boxes so they fit nicely into categories. It’s safe, and it’s not as messy. It keeps us in our comfort zone. But man, does it cripple any kind of potential a story might have.
I don’t have a fix or an easy solution. Just like it’s hard to shut up the inner editor in your had, it’s equally as hard to shut up all the other voices. (Thank goodness we’re writers, and we can get away with saying things like that.)
Just ask yourself when you’re plotting or outlining or reviewing or whatever process you have: is this as far as I can take my idea? Or am I afraid? What places can I take this story?
You might be surprised what you find. I know I was!