I spent the early days of my career writing about sports. And boy, did I ever jump in with both feet! I covered games for the local newspaper every Friday night. I also wrote athlete profiles and feature articles and even uncovered my share of breaking news pieces.
Sports writing was fun – and it was ALL I wanted to write about.
As time went by, I began to think a little differently. I still loved being a sportswriter. I was just at a game the other night, in fact. But I wanted to experience EVERYTHING the writing life had to offer. I wanted to learn how to write about different topics and reader interests. As I expressed in my book, Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion For The Written Word (published by Brown Books Publishing Group), it was important to me that people saw me as a multifaceted writer. More importantly, I wanted to see MYSELF as that type of writer.
In my book, I refer to this as the writing chameleon.
The excerpt below is a peek behind the curtain at what I mean by writing chameleon: someone who wants to write – and tell stories – about anything and everything.
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I like the idea of being a chameleon – being able to write about family law or architecture just as proficiently as I can about touchdowns and home runs. And by opening myself up to that challenge, I was able to settle in, build confidence, and overcome many of the fears that previously held me back. So what type of writer are you? Perhaps you've been dreaming for years about being a novelist. Maybe you want to write for the New York Times. Possibly, a skit writer for Saturday Night Live sounds pretty cool to you. Or maybe you see yourself one day being a speechwriter for the president. Or you could decide you want to write about it all – like me!
Whatever the case, be the writer you want to be. If you can do that, you are well on your way, my friends.
My message to other writers is this: Writing about that one thing you enjoy the most is a gift that should never be taken for granted. But if you're open to it, consider flexing your writer muscles in different ways. Challenge yourself to be a writing chameleon.
Who knows – it may just make you even better at the stories you prefer to tell.
How can you get your hands on Write Like You Mean It?
This book is for writers of all experience levels, genres, and professional pursuits. Whether you’re a journalist, college writer, aspiring freelancer, or future novelist, this book is for you, so you too can Write Like You Mean It!
Get your copy:
Thank you for reading!
*STEVE GAMEL is the President & Owner of Edit This, a writing and editing services company located in Denton, TX, and the author of Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion For The Written Word. Steve handles anything involving the written word. Give him a call today to help give your business a clear voice.
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