Curiosity Can Help Us Out In Our Writing.

Becoming A Writer

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Curiosity Can Help Us Out In Our Writing.

Episode 9 of Becoming A Writer podcast.

Rubina G Gomes

Apr 05, 2024

Transcript

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Hello, my writer friends! Rubina here. For our ninth conversation, we are going to talk about how curiosity can help us out in our writing.

Though I loved the initial reactions and results I got from my readers on my Substack and Medium pages, I noticed that I was slowly falling out of love with writing. It was becoming a chore and headache, something I had to do instead of something I wanted to do.

As a writer, you don't want to be in this space.

Writer is who I am, and writing is what I do. If I stop being who I am, if I don't do what I am meant to do, then who am I and what do I do?

I knew it was time for another introspection session. Turns out one of the reasons why I was losing interest in writing and sharing my essays was I had stopped being curious.

According to Google, curiosity is

a strong desire to know or learn something, and
an unusual or interesting object or fact.

So, to become curious again meant I had to go after the unusual or interesting subject that gave me a strong desire to know more about it.

Sometimes, we get so busy bending our heads over our keyboards or journals, writing away, that we forget to live life. Curiosity helps you remember that. Curiosity makes life richer. It brings a breath of fresh air and excitement back into our lives. It makes you different and attractive, too.

The perfect place for me to start being curious again was to write what interested me.

When writing to attract readers, I was giving high value to what would be trendy. I was writing topics that I knew would get the clicks. I was following the same format as the viral articles.

I didn't realise I wasn't the only one trying to attract attention, and I wasn't getting any attention because I was writing what was already out there.

Switching gears, I wrote about things that make me stop and retrace myself. Incidents, thoughts, quotes, lessons, dialogues. Whenever I found something that grabbed my attention for more than two seconds, I knew it was worth a few more.

When you write what interests you, you know you'll have a fun time writing about it.

I also let my writing lead the way.

I don't plot or outline anymore. I might have a few bullet points, but they are not set in stone.

Now, when I write, I let whatever thoughts come bubbling up pour onto the screen or paper. I don't restrict it. I don't edit it. First, I let myself write and see where the words take me.

Once I am done writing all I can, I see how I can edit it for the benefit of the readers.

It has often happened that when I just let the words flow out of me, it turns out to be more eloquent than I could ever have. I even started connecting dots I never thought could connect.

This, alone, makes writing such a fun experience for me.

While I did this, I made sure to behave like a scientist.

This meant I didn't take myself or my writing too seriously or personally.

Like a scientist doing their research, I am trying things out by following my curiosity. I write one essay, send it out to the public, get feedback, I change a few variables in my next essay and try again. Over time, I gathered data on what's working in my writing for me as well as for the readers and formed my unique writing style.

A failed short story, book, novel, or essay doesn't mean I, as a writer, am a failure. It simply means there's more to learn and figure out.

Writing is nothing but being curious and experimenting with your words and your imagination.

Well, that's it for today. Next time we meet, we'll talk about how starting small is the key to get our writing momentum going.

Until then, keep writing, my friend.