Here’s 5 ways to take risks when you write, with inspiration from a great writing tip from Anne Lamott (she’s one of my favorite non-fiction writers - though I couldn’t get into her fiction).

Anne Lamott on Writing
“Write straight into the emotional center of things. Write toward vulnerability. Don’t worry about appearing sentimental. Worry about being unavailable; worry about being absent or fraudulent,” she says in Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. (Click the book cover for more information).

“Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it. If you’re a writer, you have a moral obligation to do this. And it is a revolutionary action - truth is always subversive.”

Why Lamott’s Writing Quotation is Important
Now that I’m serious about and intoxicated with the possibilities of my new website - Quips and Tips From Healthy Women - I’ve been researching how to blog for money. One tip that consistently rises to the surface is that you have to be real when you post on your blog.

And that’s what Lamott is talking about. She wasn’t referring to blogging (or blogging for money) specifically, but she was encouraging writers to be authentic. It doesn’t matter if you’re blogging, writing for corporate newsletters, earning a living as a freelance writer, or penning your memoir in your spare time - Lamott’s writing tip about being real and taking risks applies across the board. 

5 Ways to Take Risks When You Write

1. Think of yourself as a revolutionary. You’re not just a writer - you’re a creator of new ideas, new worlds, new possibilities! You’re setting a whole new stage for your reader. Don’t be timid.
2. Show your personality. Do you love Lamott’s nonfiction books, but don’t care for her novels? Say it. Did you just set up a new blog that you’re thrilled about? Talk about it.
3. Express your ideas, no matter how zany. The editor (aka you in most cases) can later tone it down or take it out if it’s too much. Lamott’s writing tip didn’t say this in so many words, but I do know that it’s better to go too far and scale back, versus not having enough depth in the first place.
4. Break a few writing rules. The Renegade Writer by Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell is great for encouraging writers to step outside the box, especially when it comes to pitching queries to magazine editors.
5. Consider your moral obligation as a writer. Hmm, this is a tough part of Lamott’s writing advice, particularly because it changes from writer to writer. You need to decide what your moral obligation as a writer is, and stick to your values regardless of external or internal pressure. An example of this would be writing honestly about your childhood, even if it doesn’t paint a rosy picture of your parents or siblings. (This is tricky, though, because you have to consider their privacy).

“And the problem is, when you don’t risk anything, you risk even more,” said Erica Jong.

Be real, fellow scribes. Be real.