Know Your Writing Metagame

When I’m not reading or writing, I indulge in my other passion: I watch competitive gaming (video games in which players battle against eachother).  Competitive video games and professional writing have some things in common.  One of them is an ever-changing metagame.  Broadcast personalities analyze competitive matches much like ESPN sportscasters.  In their analysis they often discuss the game’s “metagame.”

“In the current meta…” They explain.

“This meta is very aggressive.” They all nod, ties bobbing.

The metagame is the strategies and environmental factors that affects the way a game is played.  Most average players don’t pay attention to these shifting tactics.  And even if they do, average players don’t know how to apply that knowledge to improve their game.

Understanding the metagame and knowing how to use it is what separates the amateurs from the professionals. So ask yourself, do you know your writing meta?  Do you pay attention to the shifting environment that dictates your chosen field?

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