Comfort vs. Experiments

A friend of mine is in the beginning stages of making a graphic novel. Her current method is to sketch the pages out on paper, then scan them on the computer and do the rest of the coloring and shading digitally. In an email, she asked if she should change her method and do it all digitally. My response to her was, "I believe that people should do what they are comfortable with, but be willing to experiment." This is also true for writing.

If you have a method or a technique that you like, then stick with it. If it works, then keep using it. The only reason to stop or change is if it gets boring. If it's boring for you, then you should do something to spice up your writing. The tricky part is that a technique may not be boring to you, but it may be boring to your audience. In that case, it's good to have a trusted reader let you know when something gets stale.

In general, though, things get boring when you either use them too much (if you have a favorite word or phrase, refrain from using it in every sentence or paragraph) or if you make them particularly hokey (like adding "or was it?" to the end of sentences). The more subtle things are harder to pick up. If you're afraid that all your characters are too similar (which can be a serious problem), get somebody else to take a look at them. Those kinds of concerns tend to get overblown because you spend so much time in all of their heads.

Of course, the original question that this came from was more physical and technical. It was about medium. Still, the same principles hold true. If you are a writer and really love using loose leaf paper, then you should keep doing it unless problems arise. If sheets easily get lost or damaged, consider a binder or a notebook. Also, if you feel your writing stagnate (like something about the medium makes you keep writing the same things), then try a different medium to break the monotony. Do what makes for the best writing.