Write of Passage Weekly - Stay in Your Lane…Or Don’t

Dear writers,

During much of your time writing, you’re bowling. 

You have a straight lane ahead of you with pins as your writing tasks: responding to a prompt, meeting a word count, developing a character, revising an essay. 

You knock down the pins, sometimes many at once, only to have more pins drop down in front of you.

Bowling is fun, but it’s predictable and controlled. Over time, your writing relies on muscle memory. You start scoring spares and strikes on writing tasks, and it feels good! But bowling keeps you in your lane. It prevents you from veering into something new and unexpected.

If you’ve been bowling for a while, it’s time to try pinball.

Step out of your lane and try playing pinball instead. Man your flippers. Stir up some chaos. Let your thoughts ping and pop around the pinball machine of your brain, and observe them. Record outrageous ideas. Write random sentences. Explore memories you thought you had forgotten.

Pinball sparks your creativity, invites randomness, and makes your work feel lighter. It’s not practical or straightforward, like bowling. But art never is. If you’ve been bowling, try playing pinball.

Happy writing,

Maria Grosskettler

Email Writer, Write of Passage

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