In keeping with the theme...

...of writing what you (don't) know, I've been thinking of ways to change my writing perspective. I've been trying to come up with ways to push myself by writing something new. But it hasn't been as easy as I expected.

I've written short stories and newspaper columns, magazine stories and indexes, radio scripts and plays. My poetry isn't great, but I've done it. I've written pieces for children as young as seven and even information pieces on Medicare. Letters to my aunt, letters to the President, letters to Santa and letters to PBS, all of which have been answered in various forms.

Then I think of all the people who have done something completely different, and it makes me feel like I can never live up to the precedence they've set.

From Mo Willem's making words into art and then putting it all on top of photography


To Brian Selznick taking old movie stills and telling a story all his own with pen illustrations


From Patrick Carman intermingling the written word to the viral world


To the folks at the Library of Congress hosting a multi-authored internet book


What more can possibly be done?

Then I remember a story about the U.S. Patent Office closing it's doors back in 1932. Why? Because nothing more could possibly be invented. Everything that ever would be already was. Only that was before the pace maker, the space shuttle, the microwave, the internet and the smart phone.

So maybe I do have a chance at creating something new and turning the publishing industry on its ear. Now I just need to figure out what that something is.