Pushing the Boundaries

by Clare Langley-Hawthorne

A writer friend and I recently made a pact to try something totally different – to push the boundaries of our writing ‘comfort zone’ – once we have finished our current WIPs . Our rationale was two fold – first, as a bit of fun and second, as a challenge to see if we could write something that neither of us felt we’d ever been able to write without either dying of embarrassment or dissolving into a fit of giggles. Yes, you guessed it – we have challenged each other to ‘tackle’ writing an erotic short story. The type of thing you might find on sites like Bitch Topia, or so I’ve been told.

Now I suspect that my story, at least, will never see the light of day but nonetheless, I am looking forward to pushing the envelope of my own writing and trying something that has never in the past felt comfortable to write.  Call it ‘expanding my writing horizons’ – but I think that, as an artist, you need to occasionally challenge your assumptions and do something that you have never attempted before. The results could be pitiful as well as crappy but the important thing is the challenge itself – and both my friend and I are doing it with serious intent (part of the challenge is that we are to submit what we write for publication). At the moment the challenge seems a long way off, as I doubt the first draft of my new WIP will be completed much before the middle of the year, but I am looking forward to flexing some important writing muscles to tackle something brand new.

So what is your view on challenging your own creativity and writing skills? Have you ever contemplated trying to write something outside your comfort zone just to see what happens?

In my own work to date I have tended to avoid graphic violence and sex, so for me, part of the reason for challenging my own comfort zone is to free up my own creativity. Though I doubt I will become the future doyenne of erotic fiction, who knows what might happen…perhaps the writing exercise alone will reveal new aspects of the craft of writing I never knew existed (either that or I will merely be mortified with embarrassment). Still there is no progress without taking a risk…right?  

When did you last step outside your comfort zone and take a risk with your own writing?

12 thoughts on “Pushing the Boundaries

  1. I recently wrote a shopping list that involved no firearm ammunition, hand tools, camping supplies or cheese. It did however include flowers, cake mix, and feminine hygiene products…way out of my comfort zone.

    Way.

    actually I have written a fair bit of poetry that didn’t involve anyone getting hurt, and even told a couple of nice Princess stories to my friend’s daughters when I ended up having to watch the whole gang of kids…and it didn’t feel as uncomfortable as I might have otherwise thought. My own son’s really do prefer when dad sticks with the warriors, magic, swords, and monsters though.

  2. Branching into YA has been my most recent leap. I’ve loved it. The imagination it takes to write for a different target audience, with paranormal elements (something else that’s new), has expanded my mind as a writer. I hoping to add fantasy elements so I can do more world building in a different way & really get out of my comfort zone, but for now my YA stories are grounded in “almost” reality. YA is a great genre to experiment in because the stories are cross genre & you can combine elements.

    Good luck with your experiment, Clare. Be sure to pick out a cheesy pen name for your erotica venture, even if it’s a short story, otherwise you might become very popular with the incarcerated set.

  3. I’ve written poetry in the past — the distant past — which actually got published. I also wrote a story without any graphic language or sex. It didn’t. Yet. Hope springs eternal. Anyway, I think stretching your boundaries is a great idea. Good luck, Clare!

  4. I’ve written poetry in the past — the distant past — which actually got published. I also wrote a story without any graphic language or sex. It didn’t. Yet. Hope springs eternal. Anyway, I think stretching your boundaries is a great idea. Good luck, Clare!

  5. I believe in artistic growth and expansion, and these days a writer can do that freely and might actually profit from it. I love doing zombie legal thrillers right alongside boxing stories set in the 1950s and contemporary suspense. Long form and short form. Every project presents its own challenges, and meeting those makes us stronger writers.

    The other nice thing is that you don’t have to publish all your experiments. Sometimes it’s best to leave those results locked up in the lab. You profit from the exercise, and that’s enough.

  6. Don’t worry I shall definitely use a pen name – that way no one will know if the experiment was a debacle or a raging success (except me, of course). I have written some dreadful poetry in the past (teenage years…don’t you just love them!) but perhaps I should follow Basil’s lead and write some princess stories:)

  7. Warrior Prince, my upcoming title and book one in the Drift Lords series, is my first venture into fantasy romance. I added elements of magic into a contemporary setting. It took a while for me to figure out how to do this but then I caught on. Now I’ve written 3 books in the genre and it remains to be seen what readers will think. You’re brave to tackle erotica. Good luck!

  8. I’m trying to write something in a different genre, and frankly, it’s been difficult. Instead of the words flowing easily, it’s like a tooth extraction. But I’ll keep going, because I think it’s good for one’s development as a writer.

  9. Good for you Kathryn, but I fear my foray into erotica will also be a bit like dentistry. Nancy – I think fantasy would also be an area I’d like to tackle as enjoy the genre as a reader – maybe I can combine the fantasy and erotica and see what happens…

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