Writing Tips 1.0

There is so much information on writing and publishing that it's hard to know where to start. From personal experience, I have found that I get caught in the research trap. By that I mean, the research of how to write, what to do and not to do, where to find publishers, self-publishing information, promotion, events and webcasts to attend...the list could go on.

Everyone has what worked or didn't work for their own situation and they share it. One person tried it one way and it stunk, another person did it that same way and they had super success. Ultimately, it's your journey and you will face your own person challenges and triumphs.

Your learning curve will be different than anyone else out there as you have been affected by your own personal experiences. With that in mind I have decided to add my two cents worth of information that has or hasn't worked for me.

And I guarantee that over the next whenever amount of time that passes, I will be learning on a continual basis. And I'm perfectly okay with that. Success in life comes firm stepping outside the box. Leaping from your comfort zone and standing in a place that might not always be familiar, but will allow you to grow, learn and change into the person you want to be.

So the first and biggest tip I've learned is very simple:

Write!

Whether it's just a small paragraph or a long two hours worth of writing, write, write, write.

You will learn how to use words to express what you want to say and over time, you will increase the quality of your words not just the quantity.

What does that mean?

Quantity means how many words. You can write a sentence 20 words long, but it could be a run-on sentence that takes up space.

Whereas, quality means you find yourself re-writing that 20 word sentence into 10 words that make it sound profession, classy and doesn't lose your readers in the process.

What are ways you can write, write, write?

• Blogging- start a blog that you will update at least a few times or more (preferably more) a month.
• Journal- keep a journal on hand and write about your day, thoughts, ideas. Even if it's just a simple story about how your day started. 
• Feelings/emotions- perhaps I'm just putting this in because I'm a woman and women are emotional. But I have found that by writing during an emotional time, it was both therapeutic and helpful in allowing me to work on my writing skills.
• Notes- write out the notes to story ideas you have. it can be simple, but effective in helping you to get a better idea of what you'd like to do in a story. Write out descriptive words that come to mind for a part of you're writing.
• Letters- write friends and family. Send them a letter or short message on facebook. it doesn't have to be long, but it's at least you writing something- and always use proper punctuation and spelling! No shortcuts! You're a serious writer, so BE a serious writer.
• Books- if you want to write a book, then work on it everyday! Even sitting for 15 minutes and challenging yourself to write something for your book...you may find that you make more progress then you realized.

But some days, I don't have any ideas! Been there, done that. I'm a simple person who wants everything to work just the way it should. I'm also creative. My imagination runs wild; every day I get tons of ideas for stories and writing. 

But there are times where I sit to write and my mind goes blank! Creativity and imagination just leave- in fact there are many times when I sit to write nothing comes to mind! Some days I even just start writing something like this:

I supposed to write everyday, but nothing comes to mind. How am I supposed to be a successful author if I can't even get my ideas on paper! At least I'm writing something...even if it's not for the story I want to work on.

I wish my ideas wouldn't leave as soon as I sit to work on them. This is so frustrating! 

Still can't think of anything but my 15 minutes isn't up....why is it that last week I sat for 15 minutes and ended up working for over 2 hours? Blah-hum-bug!

What to write....what to write....the sun was out today and I it made me feel really good. First thing this morning I did my bible reading. I wasn't hungry so I went outside and got some yard work done.....

I will then go on about my day. I may not have made progress with my book or project, but I did do some writing! In fact I used quite a few of the writing ideas I just offered. Can you figure out how many I used?

Challenge yourself to write a little everyday, no matter what it's about, no matter how long. Just write. 

Can you think of other ways to incorporate writing into your day?

Until next time! Write on!