Try New Things

     Has anyone heard of Cheryl Corbin's mini-course, 8 Steps to Goal Setting (and Achieving!) for Writers? It's pretty cool so far. I've only done lesson one, but so far so good.
     I was looking for writing advice online one day and her site came up. I liked her blog, subscribed to the newsletter, and have loved everything from her ever since. She, like Holly Lisle and Lazette Gifford, seems to have a good grasp on the writing stuff that works. I myself like to try every technique under the sun, but I personally don't think that's a bad thing. It gives me a lot more room to find things that work for me, unlike if I was stuck on one thing and one thing only.
     I like to experiment. Try new things. It gives me a challenge. I feel that there's not one person in the world that I can't learn something from. It's all about being open minded and looking very hard at what other people do and say, and trying something new.
     Like the Book-In-A-Week community. On Cheryl Corbin's Need For Speed mini-course, the first assignment was to look at the FAQS page on the community's website. I scoffed. Yeah right! I thought. Like I could actually write anywhere near an entire book in a week. But I did go and look at the FAQS page like she said, and whadda ya know, it wasn't anything like I thought it would be. It actually looks pretty cool. I think I might even join. There's a $3 non-refundable members' fee, but I'm pretty sure it's just a one time thing to make sure you're serious. There's even prizes and stuff.

     So here's the lesson of the week: Be open minded and TRY NEW THINGS! Things that you would normally look at and think, Yeah right! about. I cannot stress enough how important it is to try new things. It has gotten me from wishing to be a writer to actually having a completed first draft and a crud load of ideas, more ideas than I would know what to do with in a lifetime.

     Write with an open mind,
                                        ~ Ashlie