Hammers and Nails

There is a saying that "If the only tool you have is a hammer, you will see every problem as a nail." This is as true for writing is it is for any other field.

You ever notice how some writers use the same tricks over and over again for everything they do? Some people may call that "style". I call it lazy. That's a person who only has a hammer. Now, their methods may be good and effective, but nothing works every time. The sheer fact that you repeat your technique lowers its effectiveness each time.

If you don't believe me, watch MadTV. Almost the entire show is a collection of 1-dimensional characters that are repeated in every episode. They have 3 catchphrases at most; some only have catchsounds. If you've seen 1 minute of a sketch, you've seen the whole thing, as well as every other sketch that character has been in. It may be funny once, but that's it.

As a writer, you should try to learn as much as you possibly can in everything. Learn your writing techniques and tricks. Develop your skills. Learn how different people think, act, and talk. Think about how many ways you can explain a situation and how many ways a situation can resolve itself.

Writing is not a simple matter. It exists on several levels, as small as words and as large as ideas of life and the world around us. Every level has its own set of lessons and tools to learn. If you want to become a better writer, you need to learn all the tools you can at every level. Sometimes a hammer is a good thing to use. But when you need a chainsaw, that hammer won't do you much good.