Saturday 27 April 2013

X is for Xenophobic (or the writing equivelant)

I have to admit, sometimes I suffer from writing xenophobia. Xenophobia is 'an irrational or unreasoned fear of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange', and when finding myself face to face with a new type of writing, I sometimes find myself backing away and telling it to leave me alone.

There are so many different styles of writing, not to mention the genres, that it can be scary to step out of my comfortable little YA/sci-fi/fantasy bubble and try something new. There's screenplays and scripts, radio plays, dozens of types of poetry, biography and autobiography, flash fiction, collaborative writing, songwriting and freewriting just for starters!

But on the few occasions I have tried something different, I've quite enjoyed myself. The OU Creative Writing courses I did were good for getting me to try different styles of writing, and I discovered I actually enjoyed them more than I thought I would.

Today's challenge is to try something different this weekend.

5 comments:

  1. A good unique take on Xenophobic! I had looked at the word, too, but all I saw was prejudice and knew I didn't want anything to do with it. :) You saw something that I didn't irrational fear that could be anything. Thank you for opening my eyes and showing me that there are 'two sides' to everything. I need frequent reminders. :) Great post!
    #1202
    A to Z April Blogging Challenge
    http://mauldinfamily1.wordpress.com/2013/04/27/x-is-for-xerosis/

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  2. If you're interested in trying something different, how about Oulipian writing constraints ... *shameless self promotion*

    A-Z of Oulipian writing constraints

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  3. Rebecca, I have to admit it was your blog that gave me the idea for the post!

    Debra, thanks, but Xerosis is a great word and a great writing prompt too :)

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  4. You make a very good point. I too find myself straying from writing I wouldn't normally read, but on the rare occasion I've succumbed to curiosity, I've been pleasantly surprised. :)

    Have fun with the rest of a-z.

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