Recently I took a workshop for an art technique I already know. I registered for the class to work with teacher. It was the best decision I made – on a variety of levels – and useful for writing as well as art.
First, however, I had to commit to following her instructions. Following instructions is hard if you have training. When I’m by myself, I sometimes skip a few steps. Usually I get the result I want – whether I’m making dinner, creating fiber art or writing stories. For the class, I ignored the little voice in my head that asked if this step was necessary and did everything we were supposed to do, in the order we were supposed to do it.
The project was completed by the end of the day, even doing the work I thought could be skipped. It looked different from my usual art; not better, or worse, just different. That was my light-bulb moment.
Although I’m confident in my voice and happy with my style, I know that artists need to be open to new visions. We must change, learn and grow or our work becomes stale. In that workshop I discovered another tool for growth – following all the steps.
For me, that means taking the time to write back story for my characters, and agonize over a plot outline rather than sitting at the keyboard and willing the scenes to drip from my fingertips. I’m also going to sign up for the November workshop and commit to following all instructions in their entirety. This new discipline might not last, but I’ll count it a success because I know I’ll be a better writer at the end of the experiment.