Versatility

Wow. I have to preface this post with a quick blurb about a book I'm reading. It's called When God Winks at You; How God Speaks to You Through the Power of Coincidence. Rather self-explanatory, and you'll see how it fits with my post, like hand and glove, in just a bit. Wow, it's that cool.

Versatility, and how it works for writers, is something I've often wondered about. And now talk of a foray into non-fiction has made me wonder if one writer can try too much? I ask because I've done essays, columns, fiction, children's (my picture book has 6 publisher rejections, though I haven't revisited it in years), and now I want to try non-fic. But can a writer only think they have talent to pull off so many kinds of writing? Or it is common that writers dabble in lots of things? I heard awhile back that a good writer should be able to write anything. Is it true?

Here's where I ask you to remember my post yesterday, where I was trying to determine what path to take with my writing. And I mentioned I was looking for a sign from God about the right direction.

Okay, now on to what I'm so amazingly blown away by. Are you ready? I sat down here at my computer, minutes ago, having typed versatility into the blog post title box. It's not uncommon for me to pull Merriam-Webster.com up, even when I know a word, to give myself a concrete basis for the concept whirring in my brain. So I did that with versatility. Here's what came up, example sentence exactly as it appeared online, bolding mine for emphasis.

Main Entry: ver·sa·til·i·ty:

the quality or state of being versatile

(a writer of great versatility)

Really? I felt a small prick at my soul and continued with my post. And then I came to the word foray. Another instance where I know the word, have used it many times, but wanted to see what Merriam-Webster had to say.

Main Entry: (2)foray

2:a brief excursion or attempt especially outside one's accustomed sphere
(the novelist's foray into nonfiction)

Oh, holy goodness, are you kidding me?! THIS is the answer I was looking for. THIS is God winking at me. I'm blown away, stunned, humbled. Amazed. Wow.

Can I just say it again? Wow. How's that for a sign?