29

Jul

Writer’s Block

Writer’s Block, Sam Jones

How do you push past writer’s block? This image and a great blog post got me thinking about different strategies and techniques to keep writing.

I consider myself very lucky in that I don’t experience writer’s block often. Usually, all I need to jump start my writing is to switch projects for an hour or two. Let’s say I’m having difficulties with a brochure, I work on the research and outline for another project and then go back to the brochure.

Yet, there have been a few times this doesn’t work. Here are a few techniques for those situations:

1. Create a rough sketch of what you are writing. Use whatever technique works well for you – a series of bubbles shooting off from the central point, a storyboard or a mind map. I like using the mind meister app. Aim to get your ideas and thoughts on paper as quickly as possible, not to create an organized outline. Often, this non-linear approach reinvigorates your ideas.

2. Use a different medium. If you’re having trouble writing web content, use the information to write a newsletter or an annotated diagram. Some novelists do this by writing their story as a play or writing a letter from one character to another. By switching mediums, you focus on the project’s most important elements and may even discover new ones.

3. Let it marinate. This is the hardest part for many writers, but it’s important to accept that writing takes time. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is to take a break for a few hours or even a day. You’ll then return to your writing refreshed and with better ideas!

How about you? Have you ever experienced the elusive pain of writer’s block? How did you get through it? Has the experience given you more confidence as a writer?

302 days ago Short URL 2 Comments

Writing

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18

Jul

Editing & Polishing: Part 2 (aka Letter by Letter)

Once you have edited your project and feel happy with the results, it’s now time to proofread and polish the document. By checking (and double checking) each letter, you’ll allow your writing – and its message – to really shine.

Nothing distracts readers like spelling errors and grammar flaws. While a few are permissible (after all, we’re all human), several mistakes detract from your overall message and credibility.

Many people love this step – striking out unnecessary words, fixing spellings and incorrect punctuation with a red pen, almost as a form of catharsis. I’ll admit to nerd-ishly enjoying finding mistakes, but I need to be somewhat systematic to catch as many errors as possible.

I always proofread by reading backwards. By starting at the last sentence of the project and slowly moving to the first sentence, it’s easier to focus on each letter and punctuation mark, rather than the sentence’s meaning. Here’s my checklist of what to look out for:

Check spelling mistakes that spell-check doesn’t catch.

  • Homonyms and contractions are easy to type incorrectly, but change the sentence’s meaning completely. Pay close attention to these words, such as “it’s” and “its” or “there,” “their” and “they’re.”
  • Some words have similar spellings and meanings, so they’re easy to mix up. Always double check words like “complement” and “compliment”, “prospective” and “perspective”, “effect” and “affect.”
  • If you type quickly, you may omit a letters, causing spelling errors. “Your” is frequently misspelled as “you,” and “too” as “to.” Like with many other mistakes, spell-check can’t catch these.

Subjects and verbs must agree. “The dog see the cat” should be changed to “the dog sees the cat.” For complex, compound sentences, the verb form is determined by the subject closest to the verb.

Revise punctuation carefully because small mistakes can change a sentence’s meaning dramatically.

  • Make the decision to use – or not use – oxford comas, then be consistent within that document.
  • Check the placement of each coma to make sure it’s correct. They’re easy to mess up, especially after several rounds of editing!
  • Punctuation marks belong inside quotations. For example, “Thanks for your e-mail regarding Bill’s report, “Exponential Growth.” I enjoyed your input!”

Eliminate word repetition as much as possible. If one word is used too frequently, circle it every time you see it on a page. This helps visualize where synonyms should be substituted.

Revise slowly and carefully to ensure your project’s flawless. Of course, it never hurts to enlist the help of a professional for a sharp set of eyes.

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313 days ago Short URL 3 Comments

Writing

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18

Jul

Writing and Editing: Part 1 (aka the Big Picture)

Once you’ve finished a piece of writing — an important e-mail, ad, white paper or the next Great American novel — you need to revise your work to make it shine. All writers edit, no matter how brilliant and talented. Even Hemingway, who famously said, “Write drunk. Edit sober.”

When editing and polishing writing, I break the process down into two parts: 1.) The Big Picture and 2.) One letter at a time.

I like to look at the writing’s “big picture” to make sure everything makes sense, follows some sort of logical progression and has a consistent style.

Every writer has a different way of doing this for each type of writing project — for example, some like to read a hard copy, others like to edit straight on the screen. No matter your style or the project, here are a few of my (not so secret) tricks:


Take a break from the writing. An hour is enough time for smaller projects, but for longer projects give yourself at least a day. This break gives you fresh eyes to look at the writing. In the meantime, get to work on other projects!

Revisit your goal. Make sure the writing accomplishes what you set out for it to do. This is a “duh” point, but still good to keep in mind when revising something that you’ve been working on for several weeks or has a complex objective.

Read it out loud and see if it flows well. Do the transitions make sense? Are any sentences structured awkwardly? You (like me) may feel like a total dork reading out loud to yourself, but this makes it much easier to pinpoint what needs improving.

Pare down. We aren’t all going to write like Hemingway, but we can avoid repetition and redundancies. If a sentence, paragraph or section aren’t doing anything to help the writing achieve the goals, get rid of it.

Rearrange sentences and sections to see if they flow better. Once you are happy with this, add information that’s missing or needs more detail.

Activate your verbs to develop engaging, motivating and credible writing. Passive verbs have their place, but use them sparingly.

Fresh perspective is important. Have a friend, colleague, editor or proofreader look over your writing.

Editing the big picture challenges every writer and copywriter, so take your time. Enjoy the process as your writing evolves and improves, then it’s onto the details!

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313 days ago Short URL Comments

Writing

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15

Jul

What are you reading right now?

Cover of "The Wealthy Freelancer: 12 Secr...

Cover via Amazon

Is reading three books at the same time a bad habit? It might be, but it’s not a habit I’m going to break anytime soon.

Right now I’m reading:

1. The Animal Dialogues by Craig Childs.
Lyrical, eloquent essays about Childs’ encounters with wild animals throughout the world. The writing is stunning. I get an adrenaline rush – even panicky – when reading about swimming with sharks or unexpectedly running into a grizzly. Then, I realize I’m still sitting on my couch!

2. The Wealthy Freelancer by Steve Slaunwhite, Pete Savage and Ed Gandia.
After reading this the first time (I’ll read it many times again, for sure), I’d recommend this book to anyone who freelances full-time or on the side. It’s worth the price just for the many practical, nuts-and-bolts tips. But the real value lies in its discussion of why people decide to break out on their own, and how to reach your larger goal of designing a stable, satisfying and flexible career.

3. I Curse the River of Time by Per Petterson.
I must warn you – this is not a beach read; it’s not a happy book. It’s a beautifully-written exploration of sadness, regret and being dropped in situations you didn’t choose. Set in the late 80s, Arvid cares for his dying mother while recovering from his divorce. His commitment to communism is shattered when the Wall is torn down, causing him to question his place in the world. It’s a lovely book and Petterson’s voice shines, but don’t read it while listening to sad music – that would be too much to handle.

How about you? Reading anything great? What’s your favorite sad book?

316 days ago Short URL Comments

Writing

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08

Jul

Be a Storyteller

Writing is tricky stuff. Communicating within a corporate setting can be even harder. You have to be professional, while getting your point across and somehow instigate action. This all has to be accomplished in a succinct way, more often than not as a series of e-mails.

So how can you engage your colleagues and employees? Consider yourself a storyteller, not a messenger.

A storyteller gives the reader the right about of background information to understand what’s going on, and form a personal connection to the future events. It’s the best communication style for strengthening your brand and strategies.

Take this messenger-style e-mail:
Hi team,
During this morning’s meeting, the division supervisors decided to re-focus our internal communications strategy to improve employee engagement. Make sure to reply to this e-mail with at least four ideas of how to do this by Friday.

While you may not want to shoot this messenger, no one’s happy to receive this type of e-mail. Sure, it’s succinct. But it leaves lots of room for doubt and misunderstanding. To engage colleagues and employees, think — and then write — like a storyteller!

Hi team,
As you may know, I had the pleasure of meeting with our division supervisors this morning to discuss our internal communications strategy. I raised your concerns that we need to hone this strategy, and they expressed their desire to increase overall employee engagement at our organization.

We believe the best course of action is to focus our communications on employee engagement. But we need YOUR ideas to succeed. I want to hear your input on how you would like to develop this strategy. Please send them along by Friday — I’m looking forward to reading them!

This writing “hooks” the reader into the new strategy, prepares them for change and also excites them to share ideas. While it may take a bit more effort at first, the responses will be more effective and energetic.

What do you think? Do you think writing like a storyteller improves the message?

323 days ago Short URL 1 Comment

Writing

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06

Jul

Keep Calm and Write On

Hope you have an enjoyable day of writing!

325 days ago Short URL Comments

Writing

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