Genres and the Writing Process

When I decided to go back to school for a Masters in Professional Writing, I really wanted to do it because, although I had always wanted to be a writer, I didn't know I could do it. Oh, I knew that I had good grammar. (Thank you, Dr. Paul Stockhammer.) But writing is so much more than good grammar. And there are so many different types of writing...fiction/creative nonfiction, business writing, feature writing. I really didn't know what kind of writing I wanted to do.

I enrolled as an "applied writing" major. In a way, it was a mistake.

My path through the program at KSU has been twisty; there's not much cohesiveness to be seen in the classes I took. BUT! That is not all a bad thing. I've been able to explore a lot of different areas, and I have definitely determined what I'm NOT good at. (Being the modern writer that I am, I'm okay with the preposition at the end of the sentence. But, being the old-fashioned grammar geek that I am, I certainly notice that it's there.) And I've been able to explore fields that I never thought I would, such as memoir and personal essay writing.

Growing up, I couldn't be torn away from mysteries and thrillers. I still reread Dick Francis, Dorothy Gilman, and Helen McInnis on a regular basis. I NEVER read essays or memoirs or biographies. But through my classes at KSU, I was exposed to this writing, and now I love it. I love Roy Blount, Jr. and Calvin Trillin, and Rosemary Mahoney.

Have you pushed your boundaries lately? Are you wed to only one genre, or are you willing to go outside of your comfort zone? I recommend it.