Finding Your Way

We went out for a long walk under blue skies and nice warm air. Now that the old bloke got his heart pumping it’s time to think. And I do have an issue to consider. 

The issue is this. My blogs. Yep, plural. Blogs. I reckon I’ve made a big mistake. A writer like me does not need dilution; I need focus. Writers who scatter themselves across six different genres and three different platforms miss the point entirely.

Here’s why. I liken it to trying to free climb a cliff face. With no belay. You are relying on your skills, rubber soles and chalk. One slip and you’re a goner. For writers, that means you float about in the here and there, uncertain of your voice and who you are as a writer. 

That doesn’t sound too bad. Nobody died. But the point is, for your writing, it could be fatal. By that, I mean, a loss of confidence and a sudden instinct that quitting makes more sense. 

Well, no. There’s a better way. 

I wrote two novels using a voice I’d trained myself to use. Clipped, tight subject-verb-object focused. Then, I dropped into a new comedy style. Anarchic and great fun to write. Three more novels came out. 

Subsequently, I turned again and used a voice that felt more working class, like an ageing English bloke. Two more novels. 

After that? Ah, now I had a problem. What did I return to? I didn’t know. I ended up writing with a weird combination of anarchic comedy, a clipped journalistic style and broken prose that didn’t work. 

It took me about a month to figure out how to write like me. The issue being, I didn’t know what writing like me sounded like. No base. 

My solution was to use a thought experiment called inversion. I’ve talked about it before. It’s a cool tool. 

It goes like this. First, I ask what the worst possible thing for my blogs could be. I came up with stuff like: being inconsistent with voice. Veering off at a tangent in terms of subject. Once I had around five things on the list, I moved to the next question. 

The anti-goal. What things could I do that would make my blog challenging to read? Boring, weird, or a cliché? The purpose being, to tell me what to avoid. 

Finally, I think about the defence. What’s going to stop readers from getting bored? What’s going to stop me from getting bored and disillusioned? 

I reckon getting the answer to those questions puts me on the right path. Or at least, lets me work out what not to do. It’s like saying: if I really wanted to mess my blog(s) up, what would I do? 

The answer, being honest, was difficult to take. But sitting with three blogs was a problem in itself. Much as it pained me to admit it, I needed to consolidate. 

I’ve made a fatal mistake. I’m writing a column about writing. There’s an unwritten rule that columnists shouldn’t do that. And here I am doing it. I’ll take the risk. Because this column is me working out what to do. Thinking out loud, if you like. 

Right, I’m going to make a mug of coffee. I need another thought experiment to check my thinking. But rest assured, a change is coming.