I sit in front of the PC, staring blankly at the screen, and I wonder, how do I become a better writer?

I pull up my trusty browser, Chrome, and do a quick search on Google.

‘Hmm,’ I think, ‘none of this works.’

Lots of people recommend, join a writer’s circle, get critique, or join a writing competition. But these ideas simply don’t appeal to me.

As I absentmindedly click through the links, I find a post by Whatsawhizzer.

My eyes light up with excitement.

‘This is it!’ I exclaim to myself. ‘How about I write ten different stories, in ten different genres?’

My current novel is only in chapter fifteen, and I’m having beta-readers read the first couple of chapters. But I’m inwardly worried about the pace of the story.

‘I can also limit each genre to ten thousand words. This way, I can learn how to pick up the pace and force a conclusion.’

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

In a rush, I click on OneNote and to sketch out my idea.

‘Hmm… ten genres.’

I chew on my fingernail as I stare blankly on the empty OneNote page.

‘I can start with something easy, and something popular, and then progressively work towards more difficult genres.’

I punch in the first couple of lines.

‘So, first up. Cultivation.’

I’m writing a fantasy novel, but I want to try something new. Therefore, I write down Cultivation.

‘Then, let’s do Fantasy. Next is Sci-Fi.’

My brain starts to pump out genres and ideas one after the other. I already have a story idea for a sci-fi novel, so I think it’d be good to get some practice. As I write, before I know it, I have ten genres lined up in my OneNote.

I scrutinize the document again with passion. My writer’s instinct is telling me to start writing, even though it’s almost three in the morning.

‘Finally, ten genres; Cultivation/Xianxia, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Romance, Apocalypse, Slice of Life, Crime, Fan Fiction, Historical, and finally, LitRPG.’

Satisfied, despite a bit worried about some of the latter genres, I save the document.

‘Now, what about the characters?’ I think as I stare blankly at the ten genres.

I start to fret about making ten main characters every four or five chapters.

Then an epiphany strikes me, a real eureka moment, like a lightbulb going off over my head, and I think, ‘Wait, I can use Lucian from my current novel!'

‘Okay, Lucian, you’re going on a small journey. I hope you enjoy it.’

Unknowingly, a small evil smile crept upon my lips as I start to imagine the things I can put my character through.