The moment when I happened upon the parakeets in my back garden last week remains at the fore of my thoughts.
The image of those birds – once considered exotic and rare but now a relatively common yet still strikingly vivid sight to behold – has me thinking about the concept of adaptation and how I could apply it to my goals as a writer. Like those parakeets adapting to – and thriving in – a new environment, I should realise that adapting to change is a key step to developing talent and skill as a writer.
Back when I used to write more frequently and actually depended on writing gigs for much of my income, I had to find a groove – a routine – that would enable me to create content regularly and consistently. That groove resulted in a career as a blogger and journalist that spanned 15 years and afforded me all sorts of amazing adventures and opportunities I probably wouldn’t have experienced otherwise.
As so often can occur though, my groove became a rut. Having to write a certain volume of work about a certain variety topics in a certain and specific way turned my passion into a task. Eventually writing and any interest in doing so dwindled. It wasn’t fun anymore, and I felt uninspired.
A lesson to be learned from seeing the parakeets last week could be to remember the necessity of adapting. With respect to writing, this might mean experimenting with style and genre, exploring subject matter in different ways, taking chances with my ideas and what I choose to share, and (perhaps most importantly) carrying on – despite change – in order to flourish.
Writing doesn’t have to be a chore. I aim to view it once again as a chance to explore my thoughts and express myself.
