It’s never a bad idea to try and write something you would never normally attempt. I think I’ve learnt a lot more by stepping out of my comfort zone than anything else.
If you write poetry, try a short story. If you write drama, try a comedy. The side-step doesn’t even have to be all that broad; if you usually write dark, niche sitcom scripts, why not take a punt at a light-hearted mainstream one instead?
The worst thing you can discover is that you’re not that good at it; but I guarantee that you’ll learn much more than that.
I don’t think there’s any harm in starting a blog either. If nothing else, it’s a repository or dump for any thoughts/ideas that might be getting in the way of your other writing. It can also help you scratch some itches.
Maybe one day your brain slips into overdrive about something you saw on the news, and it’s all you can think about. Sometimes that can feed what you’re working a juicy morsel, but sometimes, no matter how hard you try to work it into your current project, it just won’t sit right. But your brain won’t let you drop it. Spew it out on to the keyboard and file it away on the blog. It might come in handy on something else.
