bowling
Last Saturday, my husband and I went bowling with our good friends. We played two games. The first we played normally, and it was fun. We enjoyed it.
But the second . . . the second one we switched things up. We bowled left-handed (we were all right-handed normally). It was hilarious! Infinitely more fun, even though our scores were a lot lower (okay, two of us might have done a little better than expected), but the gaffes were great. The flying-arc ball. The flip-out-of-the-gutter ball (twice!). The directly-into-the-gutter ball. The slow-rolling strike.
Anyway, So while I’m sure you’re all wildly interested in our bowling night, I really wanted to compare this to writing (surprise, surprise).
As humans, I think we tend to do things the way we’ve always done them. And that includes writing. Of course, there’s nothing WRONG with that. But sometimes changing things up just a little can have a big impact.
I mean, on Saturday, we didn’t change the activity. We still went bowling. We didn’t even change any of the rules of the game. We simply changed one thing, and that made all the difference.
So if your writing feels a little stale to you . . . or it’s just not as fun as it used to be, why not change something up? Here are some ideas:
- Change where you write.
- Change your ink color.
- Switch to writing by hand (or vice versa if needed)
- If you outline, write without one.
- If you don’t outline, try making one.
- Change the setting of your story.
- Write with a partner.
- Tell the story from a different POV (1st vs. 3rd, or from a minor character’s POV).
- Work on a different story altogether.
- Work on that story you’re dying to write . . . but are afraid of.
- Try a different form of writing (Picture book, poetry, short story, novel in verse, vignette, flash fiction, SO MANY OPTIONS!)
What small changes have you made that really helped your writing?
Speak up:
20 comments | TAGS:
bowling,
writing
Dear Grammar Nazi,
I need your help. Your answer will effect a lot of people as we have a little bet going on at the office. See, Bill in Accounting says that ‘affect’ is a verb and ‘effect’ is a noun, but I’ve been using verbs for years now, and I’m certain ‘effect’ is a verb.
Rita in HR says we should ‘just look in a stinkin’ dictionary for crying out loud,’ but I trust you over a guy named “Merri” any day. So who’s right?
Counting on your help to pay off the bowling jersey and matching shoe set I splurged on. Best dressed bowler on the office team, baby!
Mr. Kirk N. Scottie
Wow, I hate to think what kind of bets are taking place in your office that what I say would effect actual people. Right up there with the birds and bees. But perhaps you only meant I might affect people. I’ll pretend you did.
Ironically, you are both right.
Affect is a verb, as in to influence. For example:
- Wearing a bowling jersey will AFFECT people’s opinion of you.
Effect is a noun that can also be used as a verb. Noun:
- The special EFFECTS in Star Trek are totally outdated. (I’m just guessing you’re a Star Trek fan)
And as a verb, meaning to cause or bring about:
- HR should effect a change in the office betting policy.
Hope that helps as I’ve given you all that I got, capt’n.
Sincerely,
The Grammar Nazi
Speak up:
19 comments | TAGS:
Affect vs. Effect,
bowling,
Grammar Nazi,
Star Trek
