Try Something New

After returning from this year’s Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writing Conference (BRMCWC), I was excited about the new writing opportunities I had. Doors were opening before I even attended the conference. I was selected to be one of the new columnists on Patheos.com.

Not only will this be a great platform builder, it will introduce a new audience to my writing, beliefs, and style. It is important for writers to keep writing and learning the craft, which improves our writing in a few ways.

• Diminishes fear
• Develops style
• Develops strong writing disciplines

“Learn as if you were not reaching your goal and as though you were scared of missing it.”

Confucius

After my accident, I not only had to relearn everything, I needed to learn new skills and processes to help my brain and body heal. Adaptation is a healing process.

Know to Grow

Albert Einstein observed, “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and only ceases at death.”

 After my accident, the doctors removed the right side of the frontal lobe of my brain so my brain could form new pathways to functioning.

Doing new things helps stimulate brain growth and health. Our brains finish growing by age 25. However, there are things we can do that help our brains form new pathways and abilities.

Learning new things actually rewires your brain, because of its neuroplasticity. Reading and writing are two of the main ways we can increase our brain’s neuroplasticity. So, the more you read and write, the more efficient your brain will be.

Music, dance, and exercise also help improve our brain’s neuroplasticity. The old cliché about a body in motion staying in motion applies to our brains as well.

Keep Going

“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you will go.”

Dr. Seuss

Our writing improves because it helps our brains. Below are a few tips to help improve your writing from wordstream.com.

1. Brush up on the basics
2. Write like it’s your job
3. Read like it’s your job
4. Find a writing partner
5. Join a workshop or take a night class
6. Dissect writing that you admire
7. Imitate writers you admire
8. Remember that outlines are your friend
9. Edit your work ruthlessly
10. Accept that first drafts are almost always crap

Just like staying active keeps the body going strong, consistent writing helps make our brain and writing skills stronger. Just because our brains have finished growing, doesn’t mean we can’t help improve their performance or focus.

By trying new things, we will test our mental and physical stamina. Improving our brain functions will improve our physical health also. Don’t be afraid to try something new, we’re all beginners at some point.

Don’t Be Afraid

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”

Henry Ford

The reason why we like staying in our comfort zones, because they are familiar, less stressful, and are less challenging. However, comfort zones don’t challenge our brains and that can be harmful.

When our bodies are inactive for long periods of time, atrophy can set in and cause our muscles to deteriorate. Neuroscientists have learned that we can lose brain cells when we fail to use our brains more often.

This is why it is good to try new things as a writer, even if we are scared or untrained in a particular area. Below are a few new writing areas I am interested in trying.

• Poetry
• Journaling
• Ghostwriting

My motto in school was, never rest until you know you can pass the test. There are plenty of writing opportunities for writers to explore. New opportunities challenge our brains and sharpen our writing skills. With new skills comes new growth in both our health and careers. I challenge you to think about new chances you have to grow and create as a writer, don’t be afraid to try something new!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJohnson.com  and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.