If I asked “what are the elements that make up a story,” how would you respond? Characters, plot, theme, mood. All correct answers—full points. But most people forget the one element of writing that distinguishes some writers from others. It’s the writing itself.

Many, if not all, writers are readers. Stories inspire readers, sometimes to the extent where they, the readers, want to become writers. Wonderful. For others, the writing itself also inspires readers to become writers. Oftentimes, these readers read more than prose, many are poetry and drama readers. For the ones that are inspired by the writing, a line such as “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” rings true in their head. This line tells you nothing about the book you’re about to read (and if you don’t know what book that is, shame on you), but it’s a grand sentence that draws the reader in. These are your “writer-writers” who are different from your “reader-writers.”

Writer-writers are often people who get published because their writing sparkles when compared to others. It’s certainly not a measure of success, but their writing usually stands the test of time. Even when it’s stuck in the past as Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities is above, the novel remains a fascinating read.

Both reader-writers and writer-writers may be stuck in a rut when writing. Yes, they have a great new idea for a short story or novel, but the mechanics of setting it up is awfully similar as the last ten times they embarked on the same effort. The writing becomes vanilla, much like a Nancy Drew book. So how do you avoid such a trap? I’ve come up with a few ways. Full disclosure that I may not be good at what I set my mind to, but it never fails to add a tool to my writer’s toolbox when I return to my more straight-forward novels.

First, try writing a story where the characters, setting, and plot is nothing special. De-emphasize the characters and plot and emphasize the writing. I wrote a story about a boy following a girl on a train from carriage to carriage. This is ninety-percent of the story. He is attempting to reach her, and he encounters passengers on the train and talks to them. Since the character wasn’t anything special and the plot was bland, it forced me to make the writing compelling. Put an average character on a park bench and see how long you can make a compelling story out of it.

Next, write something for an audience you don’t normally target. If you only write adult stories, write a children’s book and vice-versa. This is a great way to learn vocabulary. Also, if you usually target middle grade, write something firmly adult even if it makes you uncomfortable. This means writing sex, violence, and profanity – remember this is only for you. And if you’re an erotic writer, write a sweet romance where the final sentence is a kiss. Again, get out of your comfort zone.

Speaking of getting out of one’s comfort zone, write outside of your genre. You normally write contemporary, try science-fiction. You write mystery? Try a romance. Do a little research—perhaps read a story in that genre first—then give it a shot. Again, it will require you to build a vocabulary and voice/tone you don’t normally use.

Ah…voice. Why not try a unique voice? So if you write for a particular gender, try a different one. If your characters are strong and confident, try a reserved, less confident person. Give your character an accent. Have them come from a place in the world with certain sayings. Research a culture and try to infuse the elements of that culture in your character.

And if you want to go for the gold, take the “dialog” test. Most writers enjoy dialog as they can hear the characters in their head speaking. That’s great, but try writing a story with only dialog or no dialog. See what it produces.

I’m not advising you to publish anything you write above. What this list suggests is writing exercises, something that gets you, the writer, to examine that third important element of your story. The writing!