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This week: Get Out Of The Comfort Zone Edited by: Jeff  
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"Do not over-intellectualize the production process.
Try to keep it simple: tell the darned story."
-- Tom Clancy
Trivia of the Week: The list of authors who have written a book that's sold more than 50 million copies is pretty short, but the list of authors who have accomplished that feat more than once is even shorter. The only authors to have written multiple books to have each sold 50 million plus copies are J.K. Rowling (7) and J.R.R. Tolkien (4). Dan Brown and E.L. James are the closest to being added to that list. Dan Brown's second most popular book (Angels & Demons) sold 39 million copies; The Lost Symbol isn't far behind with 30 million. And E.L. James' Fifty Shades trilogy has sold some 150 million copies to date, although there's some debate about how many copies each book has sold individually.
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GET OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE
In the world of physical exercise (that's a strange intro for a writers' newsletter, I know...  ), it's a widely accepted practice that you need to push yourself to improve. Whether you're a competitive swimmer, or a recreational runner, or an amateur weightlifter, the key to success is progression. You try to swim a little farther, run a little faster, lift a little more. No one improves their fitness level by only trying to match what they did yesterday, or last week, or last year.
When it comes to writing, though, that's exactly what many of us do. We find a comfort zone; a sweet spot that we find agreeable and doesn't test us too often. For some, that's a particular genre with specific, familiar conventions. For others, it might be a particular style of writing like short stories or essays or poetry. But are you really challenging yourself to improve?
And this isn't just for those writers in search of publication, or those active people training for a competition. Part of living life to the fullest is testing the boundaries of your limitations and seeing if you can go beyond what you previously thought possible. That doesn't mean everything you write has to push boundaries, or that you can't enjoy spending time in your comfort zone; but rather, think of it as a challenge to push yourself at least semi-regularly so that you can grow and develop your craft.
The first step to getting out of your comfort zone is figuring out what's inside your comfort zone. Do you gravitate toward a particular genre, or a particular form of writing? If so, try something completely different.
For those who prefer shorter length works like short stories and flash fiction, see what you can do with a novel-length story.
If you're the kind of writer who does fiction stories almost exclusively, try your hand at poetry or a nonfiction essay.
If you consider yourself a romance aficionado, try your hand at more explicit erotica.
Or if you're a sci-fi writer, attempt to fold a romance storyline into one of your tales.
When I first joined this site, I hadn't really ever seriously tried to write erotica before. I wanted to give it a try, though, to see if I could stretch myself and write in a more "out there" genre than the usual mystery/thriller and sci-fi/fantasy that I normally write. I entered contests and even ran an erotica newsletter group for a few years and I learned a lot about how to write erotically-charged scenes. And while I'm not sure I feel any particular calling to write erotica as a genre, I'm pleased with the fact that doing so for a little while and going outside my comfort zone has allowed me to now include more sexual content (when appropriate!) in my other work without making it feel forced or awkward.
Similarly, this year I started writing poetry. I don't have any background with poetry, and never really had all that much interest in it. But after several weeks of entering poetry contests, I'm really beginning to develop an appreciation for the form and the skill it takes to craft an elegant piece of writing that follows a particular form and style. I've already noticed that it makes me more attuned to the words I choose in my prose writing, and I'm much more inclined to put in the work to make a particularly important sentence sound more poetic and/or lyrical if I really want it to make an impact.
Comfort zones are nice. They're our safe spaces; the places where we can disappear and just enjoy whatever it is that floats our boat. But the best writers are constantly evolving, constantly improving on what they've done before. To that end, it's worth trying to stretch yourself every once in a while. And here on Writing.com is the perfect place to try it, since there are dozens of different contests and activities to challenge you to do all kinds of things.
The next time you're feeling a little stagnant or in need of a good challenge, consider trying to write something that's completely different from the kinds of things you usually write. It might just add a surprising or unexpected new facet to your bag of writing tricks. 
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations"
"New & Noteworthy Things"
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This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
I also encourage you to check out the following items:
EXCERPT: Have you ever received a review that either brought you to tears or had you spitting fire? I know I have and if you’re passionate about your writing, you probably have as well. Sometimes when I check my email inbox and I spot a review of an item that I have coddled or maybe it holds deep dark secrets, my heart starts racing before I even look at the review! Crazy thoughts start racing through my mind: what if they hated it, I never should have posted it here, I’m just going to delete the item, etc. Well, it’s never as bad as I make it out to be. But we all receive reviews we love and some that make us scratch our heads.
EXCERPT: We have all been there: Why do expectations exist? Why do people keep expecting from me? It would be better if expectations didn’t exist at all. But, would it?
EXCERPT: Life is a hard process to live. We realize a lot through life, like who our friends are and who we find to love. We realize the meaning of life as we grow older and older, no matter what we do, the choices we make define who we are and how we learn from it. I have learned over the years that as humans we have much to learn and much to conquer in life.
EXCERPT: What are ghosts? Various sources, from religious leaders to psychics, give conflicting information on this subject and, it may seem difficult to establish exactly what ghosts are and, if they do in fact exist. There are some who say that believing in ghosts is harmless, that it is simply curiosity about death and the “afterlife“. Others say that it is very important to communicate with ghosts because they can tell us many important things and can provide comfort for the bereaved. Yet others warn against contact with ghosts but, they don’t really explain why.
EXCERPT: Most of us have encountered people who are always willing to do what we want them to do. It seems like they don't have any principles in life or simply they don't have a life at all. They say yes when their heart says no. It's really taxing when a person starts favoring you for no reason and most people suspect such a person as manipulator.
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For Authors: March 14, 2018 Issue [#8804]
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