I started blogging in earnest just over a year ago. I’d had a post before but it was a solitary adventure. After four years of writing weekly articles, I burned out. I was only for my audience and not for me. So my topics lacked passion. I didn’t care enough and it showed in my stats.
1. So write about what matters the most to you. What gets you excited or stirred up. Something in exigua you’re emotionally invested. And even bleed a little. The audience can tell when a writer is vulnerable and authentic.
Until recently I wrote alone. But this year I’ve joined a working writers group: it’s been amazing. There’s been exponential growth in the quality and quantity of my work. I’ve learned how to write better titles and tighter content. They tell me what’s working and what’s not.
2. Find your tribe of writers. Iron does truly sharpen iron. My work has improved immensely due to this group’s help. We cheer each other on and act as a sounding board. I’m where I’m am because of them. I’m so thankful.
When I read your post, this rhyme immediately came to my mind: "Ain't no use in me pretendin' / this ol' Camaro's got a engine." Why? How the hell do I know! Perhaps the sentiment symbolizes the status of a long-retired newspaper copy editor like me. Perhaps it is the start of another short story. Whatever it means, it reminds me that all writers need to do the following: Make every word count. Nothing extraneous. No rambling unless it is part of a characterization. Cut out the adverbs. Show, don't tell. If you take this advice about your latest piece you might wake up one morning and hear somethin' rumblin' out in the garage.
Don't talk about what you're writing or planning to write. If you want to tell someone about your writing, tell them about something you've already written. Why? Because you expend some of the energy that should go into your writing in the premature telling. Talking about a project can also give you a false impression that you've made progress when you haven't. And don't take a writing course or workshop unless you've written some things first. If you want to write a screenplay, for example, but don't have a synopsis or a first draft, paying for and taking a screenwriting workshop may nourish the dream, but the reality won't be any closer to fruition. Writers write. You can learn to write better, but not until you've written something. Write that novel, play, collection of short stories or poems, and then take the class. https://denisesheltonwrites.medium.com/
A dear friend has helped me improve my writing over the last two years or so. How to write in a more concise way, show, don't tell through a descriptive narrative.
Be humble. Never assume you've learned everything because then your work will suffer. Plus , your arrogance will turn people off.
Even writing a *shitty first draft* can be challenging for perfectionists like me. So I tell myself I'm just jotting down notes, getting ideas down, or rearranging the material I want to include in the piece. Inevitably, these notes end up being the first draft, because my brain is figuring things out in the background. Framing this early work as "not really writing" has helped me finish first drafts for seven out of nine chapters of my first book, due in June 2021. Looking forward to reading everyone else's tricks. AdrianaBarton.com
Your articles always make me think deeper about writing......
If you could share one bit of inspiration or advice with other writers, what would it be?
Writing is a continuous lesson that requires attention, effort and action. Putting feelings to paper makes me tense, apprehensive and uncomfortable. My insecurities well up as though I’m on the therapist’s couch.
But when I muster the resolve to bulldoze past the anxious mind and write what I feel no matter how odd or unconventional, I find fulfillment, readers and sometimes my stuff is curated.
The lesson King, Bradbury and others teach is evergreen. Hard work. Write every day.
Happy new year, Linda! What a wonderful idea. I currently find myself groping for something to write about, something I feel passionate about. But I'm dry. Or so I think. What I usually do in such a case, I turn to the news and glean something that either unsettles me or just an idea for an article. I also try to write every day to get my juices going. And like you, my mind goes in different directions as I write, and by the time I'm done with my project these ideas have evaporated. So what I started doing is emailing my thoughts to myself. That way, no small pieces of paper with my thoughts floating around and eventually getting lost. I'd love to be part of your tribe. https://henyadrescher.medium.com/
Great idea Linda. I think I wrote a bit much (story of my life). But I'd be happy for you to include any of this if you like!
It’s interesting to hear about writing from many voices because there's no one formula for writing well. I mean, if there was, I wouldn't follow it. Who would? Who would write if all it involved was following a set of tips and methods and executing them in the right order? Likewise, who would read that crap? Not me. Writing is a living process. It’s not a dead set of techniques that can be gleaned just through study. It’s like the difference between thinking a tree is a tree by looking at a tiny black and white image of one in an encyclopedia and actually standing in a forest underneath a sea of towering fir trees.
I hated school for exactly that. It reduced massive living subjects like geography and religion down to a few textbooks. I write to get away from that. To bring more life to my life and the world. Not to make it more dead.
My advice is to read, read, read. Bathing yourself day after day after day in first rate writing can't help but improve your own writing. This does not mean copy good writers stylistically, however. Simply enjoy them, then move on to the next writer. Allow the process to flow without getting involved or trying to control it. Trust the magic and your muse and read some more.
Second tip: don't wait for inspiration. Write daily. Even if it is only two words. Write something. Banish your inner critic at this point.
Third tip: edit, edit, edit. But don't fall into the trap I fell into for decades - editing out of insecurity and/or perfectionism. Learn to believe in "good enough."
1- Yes.. ideas are impertinent.. can only be that way.. our mind is a super intelligent multi Tasker,. While we are executing a routine mundane chore, my mind could well be subconsciously attending to some high calls in tune with my data bank.. Like the humpback whales, ideas will surface unannounced and before we can even focus duly thereon, it vanishes, leaving viewers high and dry without a pic to review.. and only a rapidly fading memory (got it ?)
I therefore do not align with oft repeated advice of writing every day at fixed hours. We are at some creative endeavour and not on a batch processing factory line. Atleast I cannot beckon inspiration or ideas at will. Have to await its arrival. What’s the purpose then of sitting at the table with an unmoving pen in hand.. You also could suffer the Writer’s Block a while.
2- Creative writers may need to use their talent for livelihood. But then the quality can only suffer -thanks to timelines and quotas, or the yearning for more (income)
Earnings be better a by-product at best for the truly creative writers.
3- whether the collaborative endeavour initiated by you can offer solutions to guys like me from countries like India, whom Medium debars from signing up its Partners Program. My objective is to earn some coffee money or to flash my cheque as a measure of achievement, rather than as an exclusive objective of writing.
Are their platforms or publications (like Medium) which do not lay down rigid or difficult timelines or rules
Mahesh Shroff again (posted a comment few minutes before)
Feel like adding/ suggesting that (upcoming) writers may well study/ review the styles/ traits/ lessons from the Pulitzer winners.
No better advice or learning can be had than this. In that context I liked your story “10 Unconventional Writing Tips from Pulitzer Winning Writers” at https://link.medium.com/Vp6VsqZnNcb
Excuse me for not covering my thoughts in a single comment. But am helpless. As you said ideas and thoughts are so impertinent..
introduction over, let me then move on :
Writers generally & upcoming ones like me particularly, may please:
1- do not reduce yourself to playing to the gallery..
2- shun click-baits of titles or pics. Think long term.. think higher..
3- come out with some really and truly well researched piece rather than presenting some personal opinion that may not stand up even to light scrutiny
4- focus on creation. Shun all machinations to draw more reads/ earnings.
Earn your earnings. Let earnings be the byproduct. Do not have to chase it. Let earnings chase you, and it doubtlessly will.
Your name should be held in awe & command respect wherever.
For this, Linda, may be someone (you’re best) draw up an illustrative list of unique individual traits of Pulitzer winners or writers of similar stature. Such post will be the Bible for Writers.
Okay, so I have two tips I can think of right now. Feel free to pick whichever you like, or use both.
One: here's a writing tip that's more on the technical/practical side. When one is writing, one tends to get bogged down by all the rules, and sometimes end up twisting the article in an attempt to make it fit. Take the guideline that all paragraphs should have an opening, body, and conclusion, for instance. That may work for scientific/technical writing, but on the literary side...not really. Sometimes it's just better to leave it hanging, or dive into the middle of a point without intro, or anything.
This is not to say you shouldn't follow the rules, but don't change your writing just to fit them. Rules are there to set you on the right track when you start getting lost, not to keep you there when you *want* to go off.
Two: one way I use to make writing flow for me is to have a particular person (usually a friend) in mind, for whom I'm writing. That changes the atmosphere because I'm not writing blindly for an unknown audience or subservient to a screen. I'm writing for that person—or for people like that person—which makes the whole experience much more intimate. I can be casual and informal and use jokes that come naturally in conversation but blank out when trying to write a technical piece. Of course, I make sure it's not *too* casual and that the jokes are not *too* obscure, but it does change my mental state when I have someone in mind whom I'm writing "to".
Don´t start by thinking "what story would the market want?". Instead, write about what you´re passionate about: time travel, crimes, math. You can even write about what scares you, your deepest secrets, your dark side. Readers didn´t know they wanted a romance between a girl and a guy with scissor hands or the adventure of all Andy´s toys until someone told them those. Write for yourself. Be your first passionate reader, and eventually, other readers will come. Soulmates always find each other. @eleni-noah on Medium
Cool idea! I'm looking forward to seeing how you put it all together. Here's a writing trick I sometimes use:
Use ctrl+F to see how many times the word 'I' appears! The more you use it, the more self-centered your writing sounds. It's not that you can't write about yourself, but it's much more appealing to be crafty about it instead of saying, "I said...I went...I think...I never..."
I have two pieces of advice.
I started blogging in earnest just over a year ago. I’d had a post before but it was a solitary adventure. After four years of writing weekly articles, I burned out. I was only for my audience and not for me. So my topics lacked passion. I didn’t care enough and it showed in my stats.
1. So write about what matters the most to you. What gets you excited or stirred up. Something in exigua you’re emotionally invested. And even bleed a little. The audience can tell when a writer is vulnerable and authentic.
Until recently I wrote alone. But this year I’ve joined a working writers group: it’s been amazing. There’s been exponential growth in the quality and quantity of my work. I’ve learned how to write better titles and tighter content. They tell me what’s working and what’s not.
2. Find your tribe of writers. Iron does truly sharpen iron. My work has improved immensely due to this group’s help. We cheer each other on and act as a sounding board. I’m where I’m am because of them. I’m so thankful.
When I read your post, this rhyme immediately came to my mind: "Ain't no use in me pretendin' / this ol' Camaro's got a engine." Why? How the hell do I know! Perhaps the sentiment symbolizes the status of a long-retired newspaper copy editor like me. Perhaps it is the start of another short story. Whatever it means, it reminds me that all writers need to do the following: Make every word count. Nothing extraneous. No rambling unless it is part of a characterization. Cut out the adverbs. Show, don't tell. If you take this advice about your latest piece you might wake up one morning and hear somethin' rumblin' out in the garage.
Hey David -- there's 3 David Gaskills on Medium. Can you post your medium url so I can link to you?
my url is davidgaskill-12055.medium.com. Also, my email is davidgaskill@rocketmail.com and my short story titled "A Matter of Heart" is on Medium somewhere.
Don't talk about what you're writing or planning to write. If you want to tell someone about your writing, tell them about something you've already written. Why? Because you expend some of the energy that should go into your writing in the premature telling. Talking about a project can also give you a false impression that you've made progress when you haven't. And don't take a writing course or workshop unless you've written some things first. If you want to write a screenplay, for example, but don't have a synopsis or a first draft, paying for and taking a screenwriting workshop may nourish the dream, but the reality won't be any closer to fruition. Writers write. You can learn to write better, but not until you've written something. Write that novel, play, collection of short stories or poems, and then take the class. https://denisesheltonwrites.medium.com/
A dear friend has helped me improve my writing over the last two years or so. How to write in a more concise way, show, don't tell through a descriptive narrative.
Be humble. Never assume you've learned everything because then your work will suffer. Plus , your arrogance will turn people off.
Even writing a *shitty first draft* can be challenging for perfectionists like me. So I tell myself I'm just jotting down notes, getting ideas down, or rearranging the material I want to include in the piece. Inevitably, these notes end up being the first draft, because my brain is figuring things out in the background. Framing this early work as "not really writing" has helped me finish first drafts for seven out of nine chapters of my first book, due in June 2021. Looking forward to reading everyone else's tricks. AdrianaBarton.com
Your articles always make me think deeper about writing......
If you could share one bit of inspiration or advice with other writers, what would it be?
Writing is a continuous lesson that requires attention, effort and action. Putting feelings to paper makes me tense, apprehensive and uncomfortable. My insecurities well up as though I’m on the therapist’s couch.
But when I muster the resolve to bulldoze past the anxious mind and write what I feel no matter how odd or unconventional, I find fulfillment, readers and sometimes my stuff is curated.
The lesson King, Bradbury and others teach is evergreen. Hard work. Write every day.
https://medium.com/@brianbraudis
Write something, anything, every day.
Can you flesh this out just a bit? At least 25 words?
Happy new year, Linda! What a wonderful idea. I currently find myself groping for something to write about, something I feel passionate about. But I'm dry. Or so I think. What I usually do in such a case, I turn to the news and glean something that either unsettles me or just an idea for an article. I also try to write every day to get my juices going. And like you, my mind goes in different directions as I write, and by the time I'm done with my project these ideas have evaporated. So what I started doing is emailing my thoughts to myself. That way, no small pieces of paper with my thoughts floating around and eventually getting lost. I'd love to be part of your tribe. https://henyadrescher.medium.com/
Great idea Linda. I think I wrote a bit much (story of my life). But I'd be happy for you to include any of this if you like!
It’s interesting to hear about writing from many voices because there's no one formula for writing well. I mean, if there was, I wouldn't follow it. Who would? Who would write if all it involved was following a set of tips and methods and executing them in the right order? Likewise, who would read that crap? Not me. Writing is a living process. It’s not a dead set of techniques that can be gleaned just through study. It’s like the difference between thinking a tree is a tree by looking at a tiny black and white image of one in an encyclopedia and actually standing in a forest underneath a sea of towering fir trees.
I hated school for exactly that. It reduced massive living subjects like geography and religion down to a few textbooks. I write to get away from that. To bring more life to my life and the world. Not to make it more dead.
https://joehuntmindfulness.medium.com
Look forward to seeing how it goes,
Joseph
Hi, Linda. https://jeninebsharahbaines.medium.com/ (Jenine here!)
My advice is to read, read, read. Bathing yourself day after day after day in first rate writing can't help but improve your own writing. This does not mean copy good writers stylistically, however. Simply enjoy them, then move on to the next writer. Allow the process to flow without getting involved or trying to control it. Trust the magic and your muse and read some more.
Second tip: don't wait for inspiration. Write daily. Even if it is only two words. Write something. Banish your inner critic at this point.
Third tip: edit, edit, edit. But don't fall into the trap I fell into for decades - editing out of insecurity and/or perfectionism. Learn to believe in "good enough."
Fourth tip: trust your voice.
Fifth tip: write to help others, not your ego.
Thanks, Linda! Great idea.
Hi Linda.. Mahesh Shroff here.. https://medium.com/me/settings
https://link.medium.com/sfPvwVmlNcb
1- Yes.. ideas are impertinent.. can only be that way.. our mind is a super intelligent multi Tasker,. While we are executing a routine mundane chore, my mind could well be subconsciously attending to some high calls in tune with my data bank.. Like the humpback whales, ideas will surface unannounced and before we can even focus duly thereon, it vanishes, leaving viewers high and dry without a pic to review.. and only a rapidly fading memory (got it ?)
I therefore do not align with oft repeated advice of writing every day at fixed hours. We are at some creative endeavour and not on a batch processing factory line. Atleast I cannot beckon inspiration or ideas at will. Have to await its arrival. What’s the purpose then of sitting at the table with an unmoving pen in hand.. You also could suffer the Writer’s Block a while.
2- Creative writers may need to use their talent for livelihood. But then the quality can only suffer -thanks to timelines and quotas, or the yearning for more (income)
Earnings be better a by-product at best for the truly creative writers.
3- whether the collaborative endeavour initiated by you can offer solutions to guys like me from countries like India, whom Medium debars from signing up its Partners Program. My objective is to earn some coffee money or to flash my cheque as a measure of achievement, rather than as an exclusive objective of writing.
Are their platforms or publications (like Medium) which do not lay down rigid or difficult timelines or rules
Thanks Linda..
Hi Linda
Mahesh Shroff again (posted a comment few minutes before)
Feel like adding/ suggesting that (upcoming) writers may well study/ review the styles/ traits/ lessons from the Pulitzer winners.
No better advice or learning can be had than this. In that context I liked your story “10 Unconventional Writing Tips from Pulitzer Winning Writers” at https://link.medium.com/Vp6VsqZnNcb
Mahesh Shroff again
Excuse me for not covering my thoughts in a single comment. But am helpless. As you said ideas and thoughts are so impertinent..
introduction over, let me then move on :
Writers generally & upcoming ones like me particularly, may please:
1- do not reduce yourself to playing to the gallery..
2- shun click-baits of titles or pics. Think long term.. think higher..
3- come out with some really and truly well researched piece rather than presenting some personal opinion that may not stand up even to light scrutiny
4- focus on creation. Shun all machinations to draw more reads/ earnings.
Earn your earnings. Let earnings be the byproduct. Do not have to chase it. Let earnings chase you, and it doubtlessly will.
Your name should be held in awe & command respect wherever.
For this, Linda, may be someone (you’re best) draw up an illustrative list of unique individual traits of Pulitzer winners or writers of similar stature. Such post will be the Bible for Writers.
Make Medium the medium of great expressions.
https://link.medium.com/g0Yeqn8sNcb
https://medium.com/me/settings
Okay, so I have two tips I can think of right now. Feel free to pick whichever you like, or use both.
One: here's a writing tip that's more on the technical/practical side. When one is writing, one tends to get bogged down by all the rules, and sometimes end up twisting the article in an attempt to make it fit. Take the guideline that all paragraphs should have an opening, body, and conclusion, for instance. That may work for scientific/technical writing, but on the literary side...not really. Sometimes it's just better to leave it hanging, or dive into the middle of a point without intro, or anything.
This is not to say you shouldn't follow the rules, but don't change your writing just to fit them. Rules are there to set you on the right track when you start getting lost, not to keep you there when you *want* to go off.
Two: one way I use to make writing flow for me is to have a particular person (usually a friend) in mind, for whom I'm writing. That changes the atmosphere because I'm not writing blindly for an unknown audience or subservient to a screen. I'm writing for that person—or for people like that person—which makes the whole experience much more intimate. I can be casual and informal and use jokes that come naturally in conversation but blank out when trying to write a technical piece. Of course, I make sure it's not *too* casual and that the jokes are not *too* obscure, but it does change my mental state when I have someone in mind whom I'm writing "to".
(My Medium profile: https://medium.com/@badrihippo)
Don´t start by thinking "what story would the market want?". Instead, write about what you´re passionate about: time travel, crimes, math. You can even write about what scares you, your deepest secrets, your dark side. Readers didn´t know they wanted a romance between a girl and a guy with scissor hands or the adventure of all Andy´s toys until someone told them those. Write for yourself. Be your first passionate reader, and eventually, other readers will come. Soulmates always find each other. @eleni-noah on Medium
Hi Linda,
Cool idea! I'm looking forward to seeing how you put it all together. Here's a writing trick I sometimes use:
Use ctrl+F to see how many times the word 'I' appears! The more you use it, the more self-centered your writing sounds. It's not that you can't write about yourself, but it's much more appealing to be crafty about it instead of saying, "I said...I went...I think...I never..."
@emilylime99 on Medium.