I’m at home in science fiction and fantasy. These books are my people. Still, I try to read other genres, too. I’ve poked my head into westerns, noir, and even romcoms. And I’ve generally enjoyed what I’ve read! Reading outside my genres broadens my horizons and gives me more ideas for the stories I want to tell.
But now I’m also broadening my writing horizons with two very different projects.
First, I’m posting a story a day at https://twitter.com/JonathonMast. I’m posting other things, too, but at least one story every single day. I’ve been at it for almost two months straight now. And writing a story in the size of a tweet… that’s a challenge!
I’m trying to make sure it’s an actual story, too, not just a couple sentences. There’s a beginning, middle, and end. Granted, the beginning must often be implied, and the ending hinted at, but there’s a story arc there.
I certainly don’t succeed with ever story I post, but it’s fun to try and do something very different. It’s pretty much the opposite of the craft of writing a novel, but it forces a lot of creativity.
And on the other end of the spectrum, I’m also attempting to write some TTRPG gaming adventures. In my Cade series, the main characters play Old Earth. It’s their version of D&D. Those who backed the book series at the book box level will be getting some sessions and the basic rules so they can play along with the characters!
I’ve used plenty of gaming supplements, and I’ve read plenty of various TTRPG’s. I’ve never tried writing one before, though! (As an added wrinkle, I’m trying to write them as if they were written on the Ark, within the setting of the novels.)
So what does all this mean?
I’ve written over a dozen novels… but I’m still learning how to write. I’m expanding my abilities. Will everything be awesome? Not so much. But you can’t learn if you don’t fail. I’m hoping that the gaming books will be good enough that I end up publishing them separately, but if I don’t? Well, hopefully those who get the bonus content still enjoy it!
What kind of “new” writing have you attempted? Have you expanded your horizons lately?
Jonathon Mast: Author 