Going Outside of Your (Reading and Writing) Comfort Zones

Venturing Out

I’m a person who likes my comfort zone. However, for many years now, I’ve made an effort to regularly venture outside of my comfort zone. I make it a point to try things that are a bit scary; I make it a point to stretch myself: to visit a new place, to travel alone, to try a new activity. The pandemic put a damper on many such activities, but it still gave me the opportunity to try new things and become comfortable with these new things. In March 2020, I had only used Zoom a handful of times and wasn’t very comfortable with it. By March 2021, though, I had used it several times a week for nearly a year. It was no longer new and daunting. Instead, it was old hat. It went from being out of my comfort zone to being in my comfort zone. It is in that way that one expands their comfort zone; it is in that way that one grows as a person.

Surprisingly, it hasn’t been so hard to continue venturing out of my comfort zone, even as I’ve stayed home and avoided the kinds of activities that were once so normal (e.g., socializing/writing/reading in coffee houses). Now that I’ve adjusted to being home all the time, I have a new comfort zone. Perhaps it’s somewhat smaller, perhaps not. Now, breaking out of my comfort zone might actually involve doing some of the activities that I did pre-pandemic. The truth is, though, that even though I’m fully vaccinated, I’m quite hesitant to resume certain activities, especially with restrictions being lifted. I’m in no rush to resume to what was once normal. Instead, I continue to stretch myself in other ways, ways that are reading- and writing-related–more “homebound”-friendly.

Flash Fiction

I have long been interested in flash fiction. (Flash fiction is typically described as fewer than 1000 words, though that definition can vary greatly.) I recall reading it and attempting to write it more than 15 years ago (and I recall thinking it should be “easy”–ha!). And in 2016, I taught a half-semester flash fiction class at the university where I was working. Back then, part of the lure of flash fiction was its brevity; I could write a draft in one sitting. In that way, it seemed very similar to poetry, which I had written regularly for over twenty years.

As an MFA student, I learned better how to create longer fiction and spent a few years refining this ability. I also became intensely interested in experimental fiction. When the pandemic hit, though, I initially had a lot of difficulty focusing. As a result, reading novels or even long stories felt overwhelming. So I revisited my old love: flash fiction. In doing so, I became interested in shorter and shorter fiction: microfiction, pieces of maybe 100 or 200 words. The shorter, the better! The more microfiction I read, the more I learned and the more intrigued I became. Despite being short, microfiction is not an “easy” form–the other night I spent over an hour tweaking/editing a 100-word story that had already felt like a “final” draft!

In March 2020, I wasn’t thinking of microfiction. I also wasn’t regularly submitting work to journals. By March 2021, though, I was knee-deep in flash fiction/microfiction and had been submitting work to journals on a regular basis for about nine months. In March 2020, the journal submission process was unnerving; now it’s well within my comfort zone. So, even while staying at home, I managed to venture out of my comfort zone and create a new one.

Your Call to Action

Guidelines for Writers

There are two general guidelines for writers:

1. Write.
2. Read.

(There are, of course, lots of other guidelines for writers, but these two, in my opinion, are paramount.)

It probably seems obvious that one who wants to write ought to be writing. More than just writing, though, aspiring writers ought to be delving into writing communities (either virtually or face-to-face) and learning about the overall process of writing. Writing is so much more than just writing. So when I say “write,” I mean “write,” but I’m also including every part of the writing process in that one little word, too.

It may seem less obvious that one who wants to write ought to be reading. But I consider it essential. If, for example, you are hoping to publish in literary journals, you should be reading said literary journals and learning a bit about what different journals publish. Reading is a good way to keep up with trends in writing. (Yes, there are trends in writing.)

Imitation is the Highest Form of Flattery

Besides reading journals that you hope to be published in, you should be reading the kinds of things you want to write. You may have heard that imitation is one of the highest forms of flattery, but it’s also a great way to learn. Studying the kind of writing that you want to write and trying to write in a similar manner is an extremely useful exercise. Not only does this exercise require that you analyze/study the writing you are trying to emulate, which is helpful from a craft perspective, but it can also help you develop your writing voice; it can help you find your place in the creative writing world.

Guidelines for Writers, Amended

Much like writing itself, developing your writing voice is an ongoing process. Studying the craft of writing is an ongoing process. To that end, if your writing or reading habits have seemed to stagnate, I would urge you to push yourself just a bit further. Thus, I am thereby amending the two general guidelines for writers to the following:

1. Write outside of your comfort zone.
2. Read outside of your comfort zone.

Benefits of Leaving Your (Reading and Writing) Comfort Zone

• You introduce yourself to new authors. While many of us have favorite authors that we tend to come back to time and again, if we only read the same few authors, our personal writing style may end up stagnating. I believe that one’s style should be fluid and constantly evolving. We should be stretching ourselves and gaining new insight; that’s hard to do if we’re stuck on the same authors or the same kinds of books.
• You introduce yourself to new ways of writing. A few years ago, I read A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride, and it changed my whole perspective on what fiction can be and has been instrumental in helping me develop my own writing style/voice.
• You get fresh ideas. At one time, I was of the mindset that I needed to keep my own creative thought process separate from that of what I was reading. That is to say, I was worried that an idea I had might be influenced by someone else’s writing or that I would read something similar to what I was writing or had already written. Over the years, though, I’ve learned not just how silly that mindset is but also how detrimental it is to one’s growth as a writer (and as a reader). I am regularly inspired by what I read and not in any sort of plagiaristic way. Many of my story ideas come from reading. Part of this is because reading new things opens one’s eyes to fresh possibilities. The worlds that can be created through writing are limitless. Creativity begets creativity. We must read to write better, to be innovative, to write in fresh ways.

Venturing In

If you’re like me and still cautiously optimistic about the end of the pandemic, you can still venture outside of your comfort zone without leaving your comfort zone. Pick up some experimental literature. Or pick up something of a different genre. If you generally read nonfiction, try some fiction. If you generally read short fiction, read a novel. After reading several collections of flash and microfiction, I’m currently enjoying Leni Zumas‘s novel The Listeners, which I find as engaging and hard to put down as her novel Red Clocks, which I read in just a matter of days.

Read authors you haven’t read before. And then write something in a way that you haven’t written before. If you generally write long fiction, try your hand at some microfiction (and I highly recommend reading some first.)

Venture out of your comfort zone, and venture into new worlds. You’ll be surprised. Suddenly literature that was at one time outside of your comfort zone will be inside your comfort zone. And that is a sign of growth.