Writing what comes naturally

In my post titled Work, I asked:

And in our writing, why do we feel, just because a certain type of writing comes easily to us, that it's not worthy of our primary focus? That we should be writing something else?

I kept thinking about that question after I posted the entry. It's been nagging at me, actually.

And I'm torn in how I think about it.

One side of me thinks that if the writing flows naturally and I enjoy it, then this is the writing that I should be doing.

But then the other side of me argues that point. If I concentrate only on the writing that comes easily, where is the challenge to become a better writer?

Granted, even writing that flows naturally can stand improvement. As writers, we can always improve our craft and become better writers by doing so.

But if I focus on just one type of writing, aren't I limiting myself?

Attempting different types of writing ought to strengthen my overall skills as a writer. Forcing myself out of my comfort zone could bring different perspectives and new passions to the words I write. Who knows? I might discover a genre that flows with even greater ease than my original forum.

But I won't discover anything if I play it safe and stick to just one type of writing.

I've always thought that I could only write nonfiction. That I lacked the creativity to write fiction. Good fiction, anyway.

Why do I think that? Because writing fiction is hard for me. It doesn't come easily. I get bogged down in details and lose the story. I get frustrated, say "I suck at this" and give up.

Could I gain anything by trying again? By learning the components of good fiction and trying to incorporate them into my stories instead of thinking I can just throw some words on a page and have them be good? After much practice, might I actually write a decent story? Might it actually get easier and more enjoyable? Will I ever know if I don't at least try?

Even if I ultimately decide that nonfiction articles or personal essays are what I want to write, anything I learn while experimenting with other writing forms will find its way into my work and make it stronger.

So, while I still think that we should be able to focus on the writing that comes most naturally to us, the writing that we most love to do, we actually do ourselves a disservice if we write only in that form.

If I'm going to write, I want it to always be lively, passionate and fun. I want to continuously grow, learn and improve my craft. If I want to be a good writer, I need to take risks.

For some reason, that no longer seems so scary.