I think I have a pretty clear idea of where I’m headed; I know which genres I prefer to write in and in what form, yet, once in a while, I go off the track.  I want to experiment with something different.

Experimenting with different styles of writing is not self-doubt; it is quite simply spreading your wings.  How will you know if you are any good at freelance writing  or personal essays, for example, if you don’t try?  Recently I have taken writing poetry seriously, which was once something I put off as it never really interested me.  Now, I’m quite happy to keep trying.

Getting off track occasionally is good for a writer; it can be refreshing and less rigid – even cure writer’s block.  By using different forms of writing you begin to multi-task and therefore you’re not ‘putting all your eggs in the one basket’.  You begin to work out what you like and don’t like, and where your strengths and weaknesses are.  Above all, you become a better writer.

Unfortunately, I have overlooked one important fact when concentrating on my goal to publication.  Writing should be fun!

Image by Debbie Johansson.