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.

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?