Why Are Writers Not Playing the Field?
The path toward sustaining my relationship with writing
There are a few pieces of advice we writers hear ad nauseam. We must read an entire library’s worth of books annually. We must have a clear, unique-without-trying-too-hard voice. And yes, when we’re not actively writing, we should either be taking copious notes or outlining for future projects.
Remove the sarcasm, and I subscribe to all of these guiding principles. Yet, now two years into actively pursuing a career in storytelling, I think there is one piece of advice we don’t talk enough about. That is, the importance of identifying your ideal writing medium.
Identifying your medium is broader than deciding the topics you’re writing about or your niche. Rather, your medium is the world most suitable for your writing style, such as prose, playwriting, feature film screenwriting, TV writing, videogame or advertising copy, and nonfiction or fiction books.
Many of us writers begin a relationship writing in one world and we choose to make it a lifelong commitment. But we mustn’t marry the medium — we must simply commit to the craft of writing.
Of course, it took me some time to realize this.
