Writing Tips
Posted by: | CommentsTip 1: If you’re looking for a particular genre to fit into or you feel as if you need to discover your niche in the marketplace before you can write, stop now and decide to do it all. Write about everything and experience the writer’s world as a true writer who is uninterested in restrictions and avoids limitations. Read More→
The Quickest Path To Creative Writing Success
Posted by: | CommentsThere is a path to creative writing success that is quick and sure, even obvious. It’s a path that’s simple to explain. In fact, I’m going to explain it in this short article. And when I’m finished, most of you who read this will nod and say to yourselves, “I knew that.” Then you’ll move on without giving it another thought. And you won’t do it.
And that will be a shame.
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Have You Bought Into These Writing Myths?
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There is an image most people carry of the artist (think Van Gough’s self-portrait, the one with his ear bandaged), working in solitude in a barren garret in a dark corner of the city. Everyday is a struggle. He continually walks between moments of brilliance and moments of insanity. It’s a romantic image, I suppose. Built around the belief that an artist must suffer for his art.
This applies not only to the painter, mind you, but also to the actor, the dancer, the photographer, the writer. We all must suffer for our art.
But image and reality are often two different things. Writing, for example, does not have to be a torturous process of endurance and pain. In fact, it should be the opposite; it should be liberating … joyous … enlightening. Why else would you want to invest so much of yourself in it?
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Writing In Short Bursts
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Whether you’ve been writing for years or you’re just starting out, the writing process can sometimes be rather daunting. This is especially true when you’re facing a huge project, such as a novel. Sitting down and facing a blank computer screen, knowing that you need to fill hundreds of pages, is enough to shut just about anyone down.
But there is an easier way.
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Writing Groups
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Being a writer can be a lonely business. You spend hours and hours in front of the computer, filling one page after another. Or you take an occasional break at your local library or bookstore, hunched over research documents, or editing printed pages in longhand.
And if you’re just starting out, or even if you’ve been writing for awhile, you’re never really sure if you’re on track or filling pages that will all have to be tossed eventually.
This is where a writing group can be helpful.
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Why Rejection Is A Good Thing
Posted by: | CommentsYour short story has come back rejected. The novel you spent months writing is returned from the editor with a form rejection stating that it’s not quite what the publisher is looking for at this time. Your screenplay was returned unopened … not even good enough for a look from the agent.
Rejection is part of the business of writing. You need a thick skin to survive it. More important, you need to make rejection slips your allies and not your enemies.
How?
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Should I Keep Writing?
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It’s easy to understand why. You screw up at work and your boss jumps on your case, quick to tell you exactly what you need to do if you want to keep your job stuffing dough into that pizza press. You screw up your writing … well, ten weeks later you receive a polite, generic rejection letter in the mail that basically says: Thanks, but no thanks. There is no boss to tell you how you screwed up or how to make it better. You’re on your own, Mr. Wannabee A. Writer. Go lock yourself in your bathroom/office until you figure it out.
Unfortunately, this lack of feedback goes against our very nature as homo sapiens. If there’s no stop sign at the intersection, we have to give serious consideration to whether we’re willing to stop or not. That can be a real chore for those of us who are busy trying to dig a dime out between the seat cushions for that double-mocha cappuccino on the way to work. Put in a stop sign and it’s a no-brainer. You stop. Then you start digging for the dime.
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Becoming A Writer – It Starts Inside Your Head
Posted by: | CommentsAny professional writer will tell you the foundation of success begins with putting your behind in the chair and writing. It’s that old adage: a writer writes.
And it’s true … once you see yourself as a writer.
At first thought, this may sound rather ridiculous. However, as with most roles we play in life (parent, driver, spouse, homeowner), the success we achieve is directly related to how we perceive ourselves in that role. If you struggle to see yourself living the writer’s life (with all the self-discipline, rejection, and uncertainty that comes with it), you’re going to have a far more difficult road to travel than if you have complete confidence as a writer.
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