My comfort zone is spacious so I usually don’t find myself very limited. I have my grade school and high school English teachers to thank for that. They made me write many different types of fiction over the years. Thanks to them I don’t feel a lot of fear about branching out.If I want to write something, I do. I don’t feel limited. However, I find I prefer certain types of books. I gravitate toward them and avoid others. Fantasy, Historical, Contemporary (m/f, m/m and ménage), I write them all.
That’s a lot of material to fit in one comfort zone.
It’s also not always easy. For example, writing BDSM didn’t come without hours and hours and hundreds of pages of research. By the time I started writing serious BDSM stories (instead of light kink) I was well versed in the techniques and mindsets of the participants. The same goes with ménage. Hours of research.
For me, understanding and knowledge define my comfort zone. If I’m writing fantasy, I thoroughly flesh-out the world. If I’m writing a historical, BDSM, ménage, etc., I do the research necessary for me to feel well-versed in the subject. That’s my best advice for anyone who wants to try writing in an area where they feel unsure. Learn the subject. Make it yours. And you’ll feel right at home.
Comfort zones are odd things. I write and read in virtually every one, and so far there's only two I'm not at ease with. The BDSM scene and f/f.
ReplyDeleteBDSM because I, personally, find it very hard to get my heart around ever finding consenting to being tied up, accepting the imposition of someone's will, accepting pain/punishment, in any way erotic. I say heart, because my head can see and understand why a person would need to do this as either the Dom or the sub. But I write with my heart as well as my head and anything written with just the latter would be cold and clinical.
F/f has never interested me nor pushed my buttons. I've looked at it, researched it, read the fiction, but it doesn't pull me in. M/f and m/m, menage or more, yes.
So my comfort zone is anything that engages both my head and my heart.
I like the subject this week. I think almost everyone has a comfort zone but the ones that can go past it can usually entertain me the most. Great Post!
ReplyDeleteCrissy Smith
I think you're absolutely right about making the subject your own in order to write about it. It's almost painful to write otherwise and I suspect cringe-worthy to read, as well! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd you do it very, very well!
ReplyDeleteGreat advice, Brynn.
ReplyDelete