Staying sharp 
It’s easy, especially for the busy freelancer, to fall into a rut. You’ve probably been there before (and will be there again). Everything you write — from articles to corporate work to blog posts — is done quickly. While (to paraphrase Harlan Ellison) it doesn’t burst into flame seconds after it’s published, your work lacks a certain spark. It’s readable, but workmanlike. In fact, a lot of it reads the same.
Chances are, that’s not your voice. You’ve let your writing get dull.
How do you lose your edge?
There are a number of reasons. When this happens to me, it’s one (or a combination) of the following factors:
- Taking on too much work in one area. I tend to focus on that style of writing, and get locked into a groove. That groove is good for the work in that one area, but it might not carry over well into my other areas of writing.
- Mental fatigue. I just want to get the work done and out the door, then move on to the next project. So, I take stylistic shortcuts.
- Doubts about my ability. While I’ve been making my living via my keyboard for quite a few years, there are times when I have doubts about how well I’m writing.
- Boredom. This doesn’t happen very often, but when the boredom bug strikes I do what I do with reason number 2.
Maintaining or regaining your edge
Not flexing certain writing muscles is a lot like not exercising for a while. The muscles weaken and atrophy. The simplest solution, of course, is to not let them atrophy and to continually work those muscles. That’s not always possible.
I’ve found that the next best thing is to give your writing a bit of a shock. You do that by either moving out of your comfort zone, or by trying a form of writing that you haven’t worked on for a while. Here are a few of the things that I try:
- Blog. Write a 200 word post. Read it. Rewrite it. Read the post and rewrite it again until it contains a little more life or spark.
- Write a piece of flash fiction. Even if fiction isn’t your thing, give it a shot. You’ll be surprised at how effective this can be for getting your writing back on track.
- Work on a personal essay. The personal essay really straddles the worlds of fiction and non-fiction, at least from a technical standpoint. You’re grounded in the world of fact, but use some of the techniques of fiction to bring your story to life.
- Work on a script. This doesn’t have to be a teleplay, a movie, or a play. Although it can be. I work on script for presentations that I plan to give, or would like to give. I write a presentation script in the way that I plan to deliver it. It’s difficult to build a good spoken flow and cadence into the script.
- Write a news story: Give yourself 250 words to describe something that happened in your life, or in the news. You have to keep things tight and punchy.
Do you have any techniques for breaking out of a rut, and for sharpening your writing skills? If so, feel free to leave a comment.
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