First Lesson – Do Something Worth Writing About

A couple of weeks ago we took our grandson to the circus. He laughed himself silly at the clown, watched the acts with total amazement and drank up the atmosphere of being in the “Big Top” – it was a pleasure to watch his pleasure! Plus, as a writer, I now have the added experience of this exciting trip to write about with knowledge and feeling. 🙂

trapeze artists

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing,” said Benjamin Franklin.

There’s a lot to that. If we lead dull lives, doing the same things every day, how can we write exciting stories?

So here’s a tip: why not plan to do something completely different this week? The further from what is “normal” for you the better: something exciting or scary – maybe even something your protagonist might have to experience? Go to a café on your own, take a hot meal to a homeless person and stay to chat, sleep in your shed for a night, join a diving class, eat sushi, dip your toes in the ocean, learn to juggle, do something outrageous, do something!

Then write about it. (Oh, and let us know in the comments below what you are going to do!)

Second Lesson – Don’t Be Afraid Of Making Mistakes

Here’s another quote from Benjamin Franklin: “Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.”

Every single act in the circus had the audience gasping. One lady was spinning a huge cross with her feet – and the ends were on fire! The trapeze artists brought gasps from the crowd – jumping in and out of spinning hoops high above the ground, leaping over each other on the high wire, performing tricks on a huge swing that hung from the roof. One man was spinning so many diabolos so fast, with such accuracy, it felt like a trick of the light. . . . breathtaking.

How did they do it? Hours and hours and hours and hours of practice, practice, practice. It’s the same with any skill, including writing – we shouldn’t fear “dropping the balls” many times on our way to keeping them up. Making mistakes isn’t bad. It can be frustrating, but it’s not failure if it’s on the way to success.

So there you go – two writing tips in one this week!

I do hope these weekly tips are helping you with your writing? If they are, please leave a comment below – it’s always great to hear from you. Thank you! Oh, and don’t forget to tell us what you are going to do this week out of the ordinary – if you write it down you’re more likely to commit to it. 🙂 I look forward to hearing from you!

Two Lessons From A Visit To The Circus
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