Well.
A couple months ago, I challenged writers to try something new: a new genre, new POV, new publication, anything that would help us to stretch our wings.
Since I threw down the gauntlet, I had to participate in this challenge, right? So I thought about a couple possible places to sub a feature, a genre I hadn’t published in at least two years. Then I brainstormed a few feature ideas, and I sent our queries based on them.
Guess what.
I got nada.
I know that my ultimate success isn’t in my hands, so I feel like I did my share and can take no responsibility for the rest. And I plan to try for features and other new things, too. In fact, I heard about a poetry contest that sounds so interesting, I’m thinking of attempting serious poetry for the first time in many years.
So, is this a success–because I did try something new–or is this a failure–because I didn’t get responses to my queries?
What do you think? (Please post comments below.)
Never made it off the launch pad.
Rebecca Klempner 
OK, I’m picking up the gauntlet, but not necessarily the way you thought. One of my recent writing assignments was to produce policies that comply with a specific regulation. Folks typically write policies in the future tense: “The organization shall…” or “The organization will implement…”. Really? Sometime in the future you *will* do something? Why aren’t you doing it NOW?
Before I took the bold step of writing in the present tense, I checked in with policy specialists. A policy statement should reflect what the organization does now. And you know why policies are written in future tense? “Because we’ve always done it that way!”
So I picked up the gauntlet, Becca, and ran to the goal. My new policy document is in the present tense! Not exactly the POV you had in mind…yet for us technical communicators, this is a type of POV!
I’m ready to pass on the gauntlet…who’s next?
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That certainly does count (at least in my book). 🙂
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