In writing, "leaving our comfort zone," usually means "leaving our established genre," and branching out into others, yet untried. While this is the mark of a talented author (one who can write in multiple genres) this is not the comfort zone I'm talking about. I'm talking about leaving one comfortable writing spot for another.
Events are uprooting me from my comfortable, familiar, loft office in the Colorado Rockies ... where I find solace and many an idea pondering each passing snowflake ... and transplanting me, albeit part-time, to a windowless office/closet a block off busy Pacific Coast Highway, with the ocean minutes from my door. Needless to say, I don't have an office window where I can gaze out each day to watch the tide roll in and out and ponder the flight of the pelican or gathering of gulls ... where I perhaps might find the solace and fanciful ideas left behind in my mountain home.
There is another comfort zone I'm leaving, too. I'm leaving behind the local libraries and bookstores in the mountains and on the front range in Colorado, where they usually say "yes" to author appearances, and "yes" to ordering my books. I'm leaving the "hood" where most of the folks in my writing groups are members. Granted, because I live a relatively isolated life in the mountains, I'm not a frequent attendee at meetings, but I do enjoy the e-mail, snail-mail, and up-close-and-in-person-when-I-can collegial, companionable acquaintances with other authors based in Colorado. I've had the good fortune of seeing some of these talented authors at conference and hope to continue this in the future. Good luck for me that conferences are scheduled all over the country and soooo ... I'll especially try to attend those held in Colorado and in California.
I look forward to "hooking" up with some of the writing groups in California and perhaps will actually attend a meeting once in a while. Duh! I also look forward to getting a rhythm going, much like the ocean tide, of writing in both Colorado and California ... wherever GRANNY DAY CARE takes me!
And so ... I raise my 3rd cup of coffee so far today ... to you in a toast to Expanding Our Comfort Zones!
:)
Jo(Anne) Gregg Sundell
MATCHMAKER, MATCHMAKER
A...MY NAME'S AMELIA
THE PARLOR HOUSE DAUGHTER
MEGGIE'S REMAINS
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2 comments:
There must be something in the atmosphere -- I blogged about leaving my comfort zone on Thursday!
Terry, this is too funny. Perhaps we're kindred spirits. Our last names are similar, you know.
:-) Joanne
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