Writing Not Reserved for Novels

Wanted to take a quick moment to plug the idea of working outside of novels creatively. I'd like to think that my skills transcend the daunting task of writing 120,000+ word books. In fact, there are times when I need a break from novel writing. What other outlets are open to writers to help keep them motivated, but most importantly, to keep them writing? After all, if you're not writing, you're not a writer. :)

Including the daily writing tasks I have in my current daytime career field (I work in the Information Technology field for Bank of New York Mellon), writing comes in a variety of forms. Email is one facet of writing that many overlook...we can tell. Spelling and grammar are hacked to pieces daily by seemingly learned and intelligent people. Even in the simplest ways, writing is a huge part of our lives and the writer is tasked with ensuring that his or her communicative abilities transcend their creative works.

No one wants to talk about work too much, even me and I love my career at the moment. Can writing be a hobby as well? Can you use your talents to write blogs, review products you enjoy, etc? Sure, why not??? I would find it hard to believe that the modern writer doesn't participate in several other forms of writing, but perhaps I'm mistaken.

Take for example my passion for the game of paintball. For those of you who don't know what paintball is, go Google it. I'm not a guy who appreciates most sporting activities, even though I was raised on a diet of football, soccer, baseball, and even wrestling. I love watching the Pittsburgh Penguins, but I'm not a die hard, typical Steelers fan. I don't even play sports video games except hockey. But paintball is a pastime that I've been enjoying for about four years now, and I've loved every single stinging minute of it. :) So how does this tie in with writing?

In 2006, a man approached me who designed, wrote, and produced scenario paintball games for a field just north of Pittsburgh, PA (Three Rivers Paintball Park, if you wanted to know). My novel writing had made an impact on him and he felt compelled to offer me a position as a staff writer for the company. I accepted, and have been writing and developing creative elements for the games ever since. This coming Saturday, October 10, 2009, my first fully produced game - Dead Space: Oblivion - will be executed and I'm hoping it really kicks butt! I had a vision of a game to replace our annual Halloween theme, Resident Evil, and Dead Space (a video game designed by EA Redwood studios that's just fantastic) was the only worthy successor in my mind.

This is a simple example and one you can read more about on my website (Bio page, Paintball link near the bottom). I really enjoy the creative outlet of writing paintball games in conjunction with my talented partners. In addition to the games themselves, I've been published in several international paintball magazines, even earning a center spread in one issue last year. Just make sure you're not limiting yourself to your "bread-and-butter" writing, as it were. Branch out, try new things, and you'll be surprised just how much your writing benefits you. :)