Posts Tagged ‘writing tools’

Image courtesy of laffy4k from Flickr

So many people I know want to start blogs, want to improve their blog or want to just write more for their blog. Unfortunately, most of us have days that are packed to the brim, we’re taking phone calls, tweeting, facebooking, planning our calendars, checking emails and putting together task lists on top of doing all the actual work…basically, we are insanely busy. How do I know that we’re all this busy? I see the tweets, read the emails and have the conversations about how little time we have left in our days. With days like this, things like writing, which for most are secondary, end up getting pushed to the back-burner. But, this does not have to be the case! Writing is not easy, but by taking 30 minutes every day out of your schedule to work on writing, it can be made much easier. How can you do this?

First, schedule 30 minutes in each of your day, just like you would schedule a meeting, for your writing time. Plan it out ahead, that way you can’t cancel it or avoid it. Do not let yourself skip it! Then, during that time, close all browsers, twitter applications, silence your phone, close your email, do whatever you have to do to eliminate all distractions for those 30 minutes. Once you’ve done this, start writing. Jot down notes about everything and anything that you want to talk about. Then, write down some things you don’t want to talk about (knowing the don’t want can help with the do want). Finally, go back through what you think you want to talk about and add more detailed notes on the topics that you can. Keep this as a constantly available document (either on your computer or on real paper) so that anytime you come up with a new idea, you can just jot it down and keep it for the future.

At first, it will be tough to take that 30 minutes, but when you see the results you get from concentrated writing time, you will realize how worth it 30-minutes can be.

Oh, and if you’re wondering why this post only has a one word title, read my stand against blog titles.

I love words. The problem is, I love fun, mouthy words…ones that make you pause, and re-read them. Words you rarely hear in common discourse but love to say. The problem is, in writing, these are words you should avoid as according to Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Readability one should write for about the 8th grade reading level, unless you are writing technical documents. This past weekend, I was playing scrabble with my hubby and parents…I played the word zeal, and it started a conversation about how people speak, write and the words the choose. For example, I adore words like facetious, acerbic, zealous, whom, cantankerous, dilapidated, etc…words that sound pompous (oh, another good one) but are just so fun to say/read. But, I rarely use these words because when I do, I get called pretentious (and…another good word!).

But, I still think these words deserve their spot in the sun, so, I’ve decided to have some fun: a-z, these are my favorite overly complex, absolutely verbose, but completely fun to use words:

Acerbic
Boisterous
Cantankerous
Dilapidated
Engorged
Facetious
Gregarious
Hoary
Ignoramus
Jovial
Kaleidoscope
Ludicrous
Malicious
Nuance
Obstinate
Pathology
Quixotic
Resplendent
Scourge
Trepidation
Undulating
Verbose
Whom
X (okay, so there is no word I really like that starts with x…)
Yammered
Zealous

What are some of your favorite words? Do you avoid overly verbose words in your writing?

Just wanted to send out one final reminder to all my readers about registering for the business strategy workshop to get almost 50% off. If you live in or near Orange County (or want to come visit!), this is a can’t miss. We will be covering blogging, facebook and twitter.

To register, click on the button on the sidebar (the big one at the top) and I hope to see you there!

Touch – wood, fur, velvet, keyboard keys…they all feel extremely different and bring out different emotions. When is the last time you just let yourself enjoy the touch of something? When I am struggling with my work, I will take a moment and my computer to the couch, rather than my office chair. The comfortable seat, squishy pillows and silky texture gives my body and hands a new sensation to motivate me. On top of the feeling, it can also help to relax me and bring about a whole new perspective.

Sight – What do you look at every day? Walls? Windows? A picture of your significant other or maybe you don’t even notice… What your eyes take in feeds your mind, and creates motivation. If you are having trouble focusing on a task, or breaking through a mental block, try changing your view and see what new surroundings can do. Each day, I sit in a closet. Seriously. Our condo is small, so my office is actually the closet of the second bedroom converted by my hubby. So I stare at the back of a closet, and the photos of my hubby, my bridesmaids and me at the wedding and to the right, my to-do white board. As nice as I have made it, sometimes, I need a little different view. When that’s the case, I will either take my work outside, or just take a quick walk to jump-start my visualization.

Smell & Sound – Although these are very different senses, when I need motivation and a refresh, they are always accomplished in one fell swoop – at the beach! The noise of the waves, the birds and the people combined with the salty smell, my brain almost can’t handle the changes that it creates in my motivation. My favorite beaches to visit when I need some help? Either San Clemente or Dana Point.

Taste – I love coffee in the morning, every morning, at least 2 cups. It is my creative starter each morning. But some mornings, I need something different. Ice cold milk, hot chocolate, cranberry juice…something that will twist my taste-buds and hopefully feed my brain with a new idea and a new angle. If you are stuck somewhere and can’t get your brain out of neutral, try grabbing something to eat or drink that is out of the ordinary.

What sense motivates you the most when you change it up? Any places/tastes/sights/touches you prefer?

Writing. The simple act of putting symbols together to form words, sentences and paragraphs on whatever surface and with whichever tool you have available. Writing is not impressive because of the tool you use or the way that you get the words to paper. The power of writing is in how you combine those words. The power is in what emotions you inspire and what thoughts and ideas you create. Writing is one of the most important gifts we are given. The ability to put a sentence together, connect it to the next and send it to so many so easily is a power many take for granted.

Did Greek Papyrus used so many thousands of years before make words…

…any more important than those written by Shakespeare with a quill and ink?

Or did the typewriter Mark Twain used to give us Huckleberry Finn make the words…

…more memorable than those typed on the laptop I use to write with everyday?

I’ve never felt a typewriter stick below my fingers halfway through my article, the frustration of ink spilling over half the page, or the brittle touch of papyrus as my writing crumbled in harsh hands. I don’t know what it was like to have to cross out words or get new paper because I didn’t like where the article was headed. I can’t imagine what it was like trying to get a 300 page story to be noticed, with only one handwritten copy to show off. What I can imagine is the heart that it took to continue writing even when no one wanted to read it. I understand the feeling of words falling on deaf ears. I know the desire to give up writing forever only to find someone who convinces me to keep going. I can completely comprehend the need, desire and passion that writing drives into you. Writing gives us the ability to share whatever we want, in whichever words we choose.

Writing gives us freedom.

With Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and more, it is so easy to forget how to communicate in a more personal manner. Emails are a quick way to send out thoughts or questions to someone, that means a little more than a direct message or a wall post. Most of us avoid email because we feel it takes too long, we have to write long messages, etc. Completely untrue. These 5 emails can all be written in under 30 minutes, and are guaranteed to make a difference. I know, I just did them all.

Write to:

1. Someone who is doing better than you are in one area of your business. Whether they have their accounting system managed more efficiently or they are getting more referrals than you, pick something you want to improve. Send them a quick email asking them for a bit of advice. Not sure how to start? Be honest and heartfelt. Most people are willing to help someone they inspire, even if they are in the same field.
2. Someone doing worse than you in one area of your business. We have all been at the point in our business that we need some help, but many of us are scared to ask. What if someone were to just offer a little advice without you having to ask? Wouldn’t that make your day? Thought so. Just remember, be helpful and caring, not condescending or all-knowing.
3. Someone on twitter in your same neighborhood that you have chatted with before but never met IRL. The only way to bring a connection out of the web world and into the real world is to reach out. Invite them to coffee, and give the connection a chance to grow outside of twitter.
4. Someone who influenced you this week. Did they write a stellar blog post? Just send you a tweet or wall post that boosted your mood? Or maybe they were just there at the right time. Tell them thanks. Thank you goes a long way when you mean it.
5. Someone that you have lost contact with. Is there someone that you have met in the past that you haven’t talked to in a while? Send them a message just to say hello. See how they are doing. Make the first move.

I know what you’re thinking: “What if I don’t have their email address”? My answer? Go find it. Almost everyone has their email on their website, or if nothing else, a contact form. Still can’t find it? Ask someone else who is connected to them if they can help you get it (make sure to tell them why).

Let me know which ones you do today, and what happens!

Two-words to give you a bit of creativity. Do with them what you will – and don’t forget to share!

Ask Questions

Over at Freelancefolder today, Laura Spencer wrote a fantastic article about the creative truths that freelancers should know. While I agreed with everything she said,  I think that the list shouldn’t be for freelancers. This list should be for the average joe. The person who doesn’t believe they are creative, the person who rarely thinks that their ideas are top notch.

Freelancers love their creativity, they relish in it, and already know how to use it. It is those outside the realm of freelance that don’t always understand how to be creative (or the fact that they already are).

For example, Laura explains the 4 characteristics of creativity: Persistent, Unconventional, Imaginative, Flexible; all 4 of which are found in almost every freelancers “about me” page. Really, read a few, you’ll see. Where they aren’t found is on the pages of your average business – which is exactly where they should be! Businesses in the ‘corporate’ world, use terms like “customer focused, driven, committed, etc”. They are terrified to be thought of as unconventional and persistent.

Those are scary and uncontrolled terms…which is exactly why they should be words that corporate businesses use more often.

She then talks about how you can be more creative. With the exception of  slow down, all the others are ones freelancers already do. We allow ourselves to dream, because if we didn’t, we would never take the risk into freelance. It is our dream that someday we will have a famously successful solo business that allows us to even go for it. We always consider alternatives, especially when it comes to alternative ways to save money. Freelancing is all about balance, and finding alternatives helps to keep that balance. And lastly, well if we aren’t following our passion already with freelance, then why are we doing it?

Again, freelancers already know how to be more creative…it is the everyday guy or girl who needs to dream, find alternatives and be passionate.

What do you think? Should this article have been aimed at the average joe or was she right in writing it for freelancers?

Scroll to the bottom of the post, then come back.

Notice anything different?

Awesome, right? Wright Creativity’s comments are now powered by DISQUS.

Still the same content, but now with added features! You can respond to other comments and it will create a thread, subscribe to comments on a post via email, subscribe just to comments that reply to you, and a whole lot more I have yet to uncover.

Needless to say, I am pretty stoked to see what you think of the new comments section…so try it out by asking me a question about writing, social media, whatever or…answer the question: What post topics would you like to see me cover over the next few weeks?

Let’s get chatting!

Over the last few months, I have received some great comments and questions on my collection of writing tips blog posts. One of the reoccurring question is how I manage to keep my blog, organized and filled with enough material. Well, it isn’t easy, but I will let you in on a few of my secrets:

1. I write a lot of really crappy stuff. If you read some of the posts that I created as drafts that never saw the light, you’d be flabbergasted. I certainly am when I look back at it… but some of my best posts (ABC’s of creativity and 4 people in your life that can make you more creative) came from really awful first, second and third drafts. I think I worked on both of those articles for over 2 weeks before they were actually posted.

2. I keep a notepad, pen or my Blackberry (which has a note feature) on hand at all times. I’m hoping to add a tool like this voice to text recorder to my arsenal as well… I can not even try to count the times we have been at dinner, or I have been falling asleep, and thought of a great idea. They all go into my BB or into my notepad. Half of them never see the light of day again, but a few have become really killer posts.

3. I don’t believe in mistakes. I don’t believe in ‘bad topics’. I don’t believe in ‘too out there’. At least not on the first draft of anything. Many people have read the first draft of something I write and have commented on spelling errors, grammar mistakes, etc. Damn right there are! Because I use my creativity and my freedom to just start writing…I clean it up later.

4.  I use (and passionately love) Outlook. It’s where I read my rss feeds, and where I manage my calendar, my email and my clients calendars. There are so many things that I can do in Outlook that help me to manage blogs…honestly, “it slices, it dices, it julianes…”. There is nothing I need that Outlook can’t handle. It has taken me almost a year to get it exactly how I want and working like clockwork, but now, I couldn’t live without it.

5. I forget business. Many writers and bloggers I know talk about all the great business blogs and books they read. They rave about how they changed their lives and that those were what made them better writers. While I don’t disagree with reading business blogs and books (I read quite a few), I also put a lot of stock in reading blogs and books purely for fun. Different writing styles are what make you improve! If all you ever read what marketing/sales/business writing styles, that would be all you ever knew. Reading short, snappy comedic writing and passionate romance writing is what gives my writing more spice. It’s what lets me start a sentence with And, and end it with a preposition.

I also use these same techniques as a blog manager for my clients. It is time consuming, and a lot of work, but it is what makes the difference between words on a page and content people will read. It is what makes your blog worth reading.

How do you manage your writing? What works for you?