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"If you don't risk anything, you risk even more."
Erica Jong












Write about a summer fling






You are lost






What you see in the distance








You thought nobody noticed








This is what you need for the journey








Write about sleeping








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How to get started writing? Write.




Write about the best of intentions






Write about a time you wanted to leave but couldn't






Write what you try to forget






Write about a time you changed your mind










Take Risks


      All writing is risky. The risk of exposing ourselves - to ourselves as well as to others. The risk of going beyond known territory, of taking a stand, of trying something new. Of going against the grain. Telling the truth. And that great risk of self-discovery.

      Harlan Ellison said, "… the act of writing with serious intent involves enormous personal risk. It means one will walk forever on the tightrope, with each new step presenting the possibility of learning a truth about oneself that is too terrible to bear."

      But, Erica Jong said, "If you don't risk anything, you risk even more."

      If you're not willing to take risks, chances are your writing will be bland, shallow and boring. Even to yourself.

      So, what does it mean, taking risks in your writing?

      This is where you move out of safe, familiar territory, into something that feels a little dangerous. Risk-taking differs from individual to individual, so it's difficult to say exactly what "taking risks" means. One writer's risk is another's walk in the woods. And another writer's walk in the woods feels damned risky to a third.

      Following are some of the ways it might feel when you are taking risks in your writing: Maybe your hands tremble and your handwriting gets a little out of control. Maybe while you're writing, your breathing becomes shallow. Or you stop breathing completely. Sometimes you can tell when you're taking risks because this is where the censor will step in: "Hey, you can't write that." Or the critic: "That's certainly not a nice thing to write." Or the editor: "You might want to be a little less specific there, maybe use words that aren't quite so… well, graphic." Hearing these voices can almost guarantee you're working in risky territory.

      You may stop writing what you're working on, or it may deviate off into some safer territory, meaningless details or worse, generalities. You may feel restless and want something - a cup of coffee, a cigarette (and you don't even smoke), something to eat, anything to alter the direction of the writing and the way you feel.

      Taking risks means telling the truth, whatever your truth is. See "Avoiding the Truth" to discovers a number of ways writers sidestep the truth.

      An odd thing about taking risks in writing: somehow it seems easier to do when writing in groups. There's something about the witnessing by others that makes it feel less scary, though it may not seem so at first. I've noticed this in groups I lead, and in my own writing as well. Also, when writing in groups, another writer may take great risks and in so doing, model for you what it's like. "If they can do it, I can do it," is the feeling I've heard expressed.

      I urge writers, especially those just beginning or less experienced, to get in a writing group. Or to have one or two or more good writing friends who they can write with and talk about their experiences as well as their writing.

      It's not that the more we write the less risky it feels. Instead, I think, the more we write the more we become accustomed to taking risks. Finally, we know that all writing -- all good writing -- relies on the willingness of the writer to take risks. "If we had to say what writing is, we would define it essentially as an act of courage," said Cynthia Ozick.

      As you write, notice those places where it feels risky. Breathe in, loosen your grip on your pen, and write into the fear. Take the writing as far as it wants to go. Or you can begin a piece by writing, "I'm afraid to write this because … " Or, "writing this feels risky because…"

      Know that whatever you discover about yourself will not be a truth "too terrible to bear." Our pens will never take us beyond a place of no return. Trust your pen and trust yourself. And keep writing.

     

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