Feb. 22, 2026: Outside the Comfort Zone

She looked at me with horror.

         I was sitting next to a student in my writing club and we had been brainstorming story ideas.  She was, in her words, empty, with nothing left to write.  She had spent the last several months churning out short fantasy stories. She was creative and they had potential.

         While I thought that this was a perfect time for her to go back to some of these stories and begin the revision process, she was determined to start a new story TODAY. So when we ran out of ideas in the fantasy genre, I had suggested she try a different genre.

         I understood her horror. It was outside of her comfort zone.

         I had recently experienced the same horror she was feeling.

         Our school’s Media Specialist had asked me to write some short Reader’s Theater Scenes from my book Saving Home, so that some of the teachers who had not yet used the book in their classrooms, could use the Reader’s Theater snippets to hook and entice their students.

         A reasonable request and a strong plan.  The problem was I had never written Reader’s Theater.  It was outside of my comfort zone.

         The truth is, when we try something new, we have very little experience or confidence, which can be very uncomfortable.  As writers, if we have been feeling fairly successful in a specific genre, it can be scary to step into a project in which our competence is questionable.

         While a great many writers develop breathtaking expertise in a specific genre, (think Stephen King with horror stories or Daisy Goodwin for historical fiction) I also admire authors who branch out and write successfully in multiple genres.  In order to do that, they had to embrace uncertainly, be willing to fail, and get out of their comfort zone.

         As my student and I chatted about trying something new, I acknowledged her fear and apprehension.  I commiserated with her about leaving that comfort zone.  I pointed out that at the very least, she would be stretching her writing muscles.  She might discover a new pathway for her story-telling.  Or she might find confirmation that fantasy is her genre. Either way, she would be a winner.

         Cheers to the courage to step outside of our comfort zones.