Last week a friend asked me to write the forward for his upcoming book.
Woah. Really? I’m a blogger, journalist and marketing content writer. I’ve never ventured into writing a forward.
So, I did some investigating. I talked with my bookworm husband about what he gets out of reading the forwards in fiction books. I thought about what I expect to read in a forward. And, then we looked to Google and the nearby bookcase in my office for more ideas.
And of course, the book author also had a little say in what tone or direction he envisioned.
Then I sat down with my notes and started writing. Unlike my usual projects, I didn’t need to think of subheadings, bullet point lists or how to incorporate quotes into the piece. So, I just kept writing. I was venturing into new territory, while still maintaining a few key writing rules: I kept my audience at the forefront of my mind and tried to match the tone of the book author. Whew!
I’m telling YOU this to remind you that you can (and should) try broadening your writing ventures. If you’re a marketer who always hires out for your blogging needs, why not try penning one of the posts for your client next month? You’ll better understand who you’re working with and might even discover that you enjoy crafting more than landing pages and white papers.
Or, you might discover a new type of writing that can help pad the old bank account.
Have you challenged your writing skills lately? Are you a journalist who ventures into poetry after dark? Do you secretly pen chapters of a romance novel between writing blog posts? I want to hear how working in a variety of writing styles has helped grow your writing. Let’s chat in the comments below or on Facebook!
Do you need a reliable writer on your team? I collaborate with marketing and advertising agencies to create content for blog posts, web pages, social media and newsletters. Learn how I can help your clients HERE.
