This editor likes writing in a variety of genres and forms – short stories, novels, poetry, plays, comic scripts, etc. – and we encourage writers everywhere to experiment with form and content. What you learn can be applied to any kind of writing you do.
In an essay for Lit Hub, Quan Barry shares lessons she learned being a multi-hyphenate writer. “Writing is the one space in my life where I find myself constantly on the prowl for the new and the potentially terrifying,” Barry writes. “But if I ever stopped to really think about the gazillion and one things I don’t know when it comes to writing anything beyond poetry (my first love), I never would’ve powered up the Macbook in the first place.” Her lessons include:
You only live once. “Take risks in your writing—reinvent yourself constantly!” Barry says. While many writers focus on “branding,” you don’t have to. “Instead, maybe try becoming the writer who’s unpredictable, who has fun wearing all kinds of hats,” Barry adds. “It makes me happy to see so many young writers trying new things and not getting bogged down in labels—this fluidity is something writers of all ages can embrace, especially folks who’ve been in this game for a while and might be ready to change things up.”
