YOUR PLAYING SMALL DOESN'T SERVE THE WORLD.
Marianne Williamson
This makes me think about my writing. I know I don't push hard enough, don't dig deep enough. It's scary sometimes to go to those places. It's easier not to. "Playing small" is playing it safe.
Now, I think there's a definite place for "safe" in my writing world - the market I'm pretty sure will accept my story, the contest I think I have a good shot of placing in, the familiar, the routine.
But if we only stay within our comfort zone, we never find out how far we can actually stretch, we never know what we can actually reach.
What if I let myself really get into the mind of my story's villain?
What if I truly let myself mourn along with a character's grief?
What if I send my story to a more literary magazine?
What if I enter a prestigious contest?
What if I go to a writing conference where I don't know anyone?
The only way to get the answers is to ask the questions. I'm going to start doing that, and I hope you all will, too.
You make good points, Madeline. I have asked myself some but not all of those questions, answering only the ones within my comfort zone? I hope not. In order to grow, we must challenge ourselves, even if it's scary.
ReplyDeleteSign me... Cowering in California
Arlene, aren't you the one with the great bucket list?! Cowering indeed! :) And I'm great at asking the questions - answering, not so much.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely food for thought!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Brenda!
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