Author Archive
Being Prepared
This morning, I got into a car I wasn’t used to driving and I expected to get to where I was going on time. Of course, I didn’t. Why not? I wasn’t prepared to drive this particular ar.
That’s how writing is: if you don’t do the prep stages in the four-step writing process, you won’t get to where you want to go in your writing, whether you’re writing a technical report, novel, short story, article, memo, or status report.
The prep stages of the writing process are first, pre-writing (getting the ideas through brainstorming or freewriting), and second, organizing those ideas into a logical format or flow. Skip these two steps and get right to writing, and you’ll end up where I was this morning — stuck in a driver’s seat going nowhere.
Happy Writing!
Sue
Facing & Conquering the Giant of Writer’s Block
Among all the barriers to pursuing one’s dream, writer’s block must be up there in the land of giants. If any of you have ever suffered with writer’s block, you know what I mean. It’s very frustrating to sit down at your computer every day at the appointed time you have set aside for your writing only to find a barren desert where your creative mind is supposed to be!
As you have probably surmised by now, I have been facing writer’s block lately. Actually, this syndrome has been occurring off and on for three years. But now that I have made a clear decision to write every day, it’s harder to ignore the condition (which, in the past, I sidestepped with a nice chocolate treat, thank you very much!). Many extra pounds and days later, I realized that I have to face and conquer this giant that is standing in the way of my dream of an eclectic, fulfilled, and independent life as an abundantly wealthy writer.
Here are some of the ways I’ve decided to conquer this giant of writer’s block. Maybe they will help you.
- I am going to write at least one full page every morning. Julia Cameron calls these “morning pages” in her books The Artist’s Way, The Right to Write, and The Writing Diet (great books to have in your writer’s library, by the way).
- Write out the questions I would ask myself if I were interviewing myself for an article. This technique helps me to see myself — my life experiences, talents, etc. — objectively. One of these questions could develop into an excellent topic for an article or essay.
- Go to my public library and read current and back issues of The Writer. Sometimes, just browsing through a magazine about writing can stimulate your creative muse and give you ideas. Make sure to bring along your writer’s notebook so you capture all of those great ideas!
- Take a walk with a recording device in hand. I find that when I walk I am inspired with ideas that would never have occurred to me. I discovered that my cell phone has an audio recorder feature in the multimedia section. So when inspiration hits, I pull out my cell phone and talk away. Several times a week, I sit down at my computer to record those bits of inspiration. I am amazed at what my creative muse came up with while I was walking outside in nature.
Let me know if you try these techniques and how they work out for you. I’d also love to hear what you’ve done to help face and conquer your writer’s block giant.
Happy Writing!
Sue
Conciseness in your writing
Do you think it is easier to write a 1,000-word essay or a 360-word article? Think carefully before you answer. I had an interesting conversation today with a colleague who commented that he had so much respect for news journalists because they had to report the most important news in a very limited number of words. His comment gave me pause to think. When I was a technical writer pumping out 80 to 120-page user manuals in a week, I learned how to write 1,000 words in about 15 minutes. The 10-year experience taught me how to write a lot under pressure and how to self-edit my work. But I didn’t have a limit to the number of words I could write; news journalists do. And, that’s a very valuable skill to develop as a writer because it makes you focus your topic and choose your words very carefully. In other words, your writing becomes sharper, more concise.
The following exercise will help you develop those “news journalist” writing skills. Do it at least once a week and you will be well on your way to clarity and conciseness in your writing.
Choose a topic or ask a friend to give you a topic. First, write 1,000 words on the topic. Then write 500 words on the topic. Finally, write a 360-word article on that same topic.
Compare all three pieces. Which one do you think says the most with the least amount of words? You most likely answered the 500-word or 360-word one. You can consider the 1,000-word piece as your first draft (also known as your rough draft). Rough drafts are very important in the writing process. They are part of the third step (write), but they are not the end of the writing process. After you have written your verbose rough draft, you must proceed to step four: rewrite and edit. This is the crucial step that many new writers skip in their eagerness to send out their writing for publication. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the reasons their words are rejected by editors. Verbosity does not breed conciseness; careful rewriting and editing do.
Happy Writing!
Sue
Resourcefulness
I’m incredibly resourceful. So resourceful that all my friends and colleagues call me “The Resource Lady” or “The Resource Queen.” Whenever someone, friend or stranger, needs help with finding information, resolving a problem, or figuring out their next step, I help. No matter their question, I always seem to be able to point them in the direction of really helpful resources (people, places, things, etc.). Some days, I sit back and go, “OK, so what is this all about? What do I do with this? Do I make a business out of this not-so-hidden talent? Or, do I just continue giving it away, so to speak?”
Here’s what I think today: resourcefulness is a hidden, and necessary talent, of a good writer. Why? Because writers have to be incredibly resourceful to get the information and ideas they need for their craft. Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, writing comes down to this mission: organizing and communicating information for a useful purpose. That useful purpose could be entertainment, as in the case of a novel. It could be education, as in the case of a reference or how-to piece. It could be thought-provoking, as with a well-written personal essay.
The point is that no matter what you write, the fact that you are a writer means that you have a hidden talent of resourcefulness. It’s the only way you could be making it as a writer – somewhere inside of you, there is this innate ability to observe, gather, absorb, and remember the information and resources you need to know about in order to write about whatever it is you’re writing.
So the next time someone asks you what you do or what you are, answer: I am an incredibly resourceful writer! (Or, is that redundant?)…
Happy Writing!
Sue aka The Resource Lady
Sales Proposals
Every business document has the purpose of conveying information. Each business document type conveys information from a different perspective. The Sales Proposal’s purpose is to win the job by conveying to the potential client that you are the best person or company for the client’s needs. This is your sales story. Your sales story must be woven throughout your proposal.
Well-planned and well-designed proposals increase the likelihood of winning the job. Investing even an hour to plan your sales proposals can save you hours in writing your first draft. Remember, 80% of the writing process is NOT writing!
When writing your sales proposal, remember to use PLEASE:
P is for Passion for your client’s needs—show the client that you “get” their concerns and that you are just as passionate as the client to address and meet those needs.
L is for Literally following the style standards of your language and your organization.
E is for Easy to understand and Easy to read. Following style standards will go a long way to making your sales proposal easy to understand. Completing the pre-writing and organizing steps in the writing process (steps 1 and 2) is also key in making sure your proposal is easy to read.
A is for Accuracy in all. Make sure you use your client’s facts correctly. For example, make sure their personal and organizational names are spelled correctly, that you have the correct information about them, that your numbers are correct, and that you can deliver what you promise.
S is for Show me with specifics and examples. Examples of similar projects you have successfully completed for other clients are powerful examples of the results you can obtain for this client.
E is for Everyone might be reading it. Your sales proposal should impress everyone, not just the person whose name is on the cover letter because, most likely, other people in the organization will be reading it.
Well-planned and well-designed sales proposals win results. If you or your organization would like help with writing, editing, or learning how to write winning sales proposals, please contact me at:
sue at thewriterscottage dot com.
The Four Steps of the Writing Process — Step 2
Whether you’re writing a sales proposal, business report, grant proposal, executive summary or white paper, following the Four Steps of the Writing Process will make writing more effective:
- Pre-write
- Organize
- Write
- Edit
Most people skip steps 1 and 2 and jump right into Step 3. And, that’s where they usually get stuck. That’s why, too. In other words, Steps 1 and 2 prime your writing brain muscle for the actual writing part of the whole process. In fact, the actual writing part, Step 3, is only about 20% of the entire process. That’s right, writing is 80% preparation and editing, and 20% writing.
Last time, I talked about Step 1: Pre-Write, or Brainstorming to get ideas. Today, I’m going to talk about Step 2: Organize.
Once you generate a lot of ideas, it is easy to become overwhelmed and just stop dead in the writing process. But it doesn’t have to be that way. All you need is a little organization. There are many ways to organize your ideas; which way you choose just depends on how your mind processes information. Some people like to outline their ideas in the traditional I, A, 1, 2, 3 order:
I. Main Topic
A. Subtopic 1
1. interesting point
2. interesting point
… etc.
Some people like to write out each idea on a sticky note, put all the notes on their table top or white board, and then arrange the idea notes in an order that makes sense to them. Personally, I used this technique a lot in college when I was organizing all the information I had researched for term papers.
Another technique is to use the mind map approach. Mindmapping is a tool used to create diagrams of relationships between ideas or other information. For more information on mind mapping software, just google mindmapping — there are many tools available.
Whatever tool or technique you use, the key in step 2 is to cull down your ideas to a main topic with one controlling idea that you want to discuss. For example, let’s say you have decided you want to write an article on older dogs — that’s your main topic. Next, you want to focus that broad main topic on one key, or “controlling” idea, such as how to train an older dog. Now, you are getting organized because you are focusing! Write a sentence that introduces that main topic with the controlling idea — that’s the topic sentence for your article.
Next, list under the topic sentence all the points you want to make sure you address about training the older dog. Have at least three main points and no more than ten, depending on the length of your article. List those points in whatever fashion makes sense to your brain, as discussed above, be that with sticky notes, using a mind map, in a traditional outline, or however.
Focusing your mind on the main topic, controlling idea, and main points is most of the battle in writing. Now that you are organized, you are ready for Step 3: Write (which, remember, is really only 20% of the entire writing proces!).
Stay tuned. …
If, in the meantime, you would like my assistance with your writing, editing, and/or publishing project, please contact me at:
sue at thewriterscottage dot com.
Happy organizing!
~~Sue
The Four Steps of the Writing Process — Step 1
Whether you’re writing an article or a book, following the Four Steps of the Writing Process will make the task more enjoyable and faster:
- Pre-write
- Organize
- Write
- Edit
Most people skip steps 1 and 2 and jump right into Step 3. And, that’s where they usually get stuck. That’s why, too. In other words, Steps 1 and 2 prime your writing brain muscle for the actual writing part of the whole process. In fact, the actual writing part, Step 3, is only about 20% of the entire process. That’s right, writing is 80% preparation and editing, and 20% writing.
Pre-writing, Step 1, is all about getting the information, one of my favorite slogans in life. It’s all about gathering the ideas that you might use in your actual writing. There are many techniques you can use in the pre-writing phase such as free writing, brainstorming, concept mapping, and taping your voice as you discuss ideas with another person. The idea in this step is to write, or tape, without censoring your ideas as they flow. Just capture them and tell that internal censor of yours to go away, for now.
Once you get a lot of ideas down on paper, or tape, now is the time to sort through them and choose the two or three ideas you really want to commit to. This is Step 2. In grade school, our teachers often called it outlining. But I call it organizing because that is basically what you are doing – focusing your brain on a few ideas in an organized fashion. After you’ve chosen two or three ideas you want to focus on, go back to Step 1 and do some more free writing, brainstorming, or concept mapping around those two or three ideas.
Next, I’ll tell you how to complete Step 2 and move on to the actual writing part of the process.
In the meantime, if you need my help on any current writing task or project, please contact me at:
sue at thewriterscottage dot com.
Happy Brainstorming!!
The Elements of a Nonfiction Book Proposal
If you want to sell your book to a traditional publishing house, you must first send a proposal to the publisher, or more commonly, to an agent who will then present your book to the publisher. Your proposal must follow the guidelines established by the agent/publisher. So be sure to always check to see what those specific guidelines are. Nevertheless, there are basic elements that are usually required for every standard, nonfiction book proposal. These are:
1. Query Letter
2. Title Page
3. Synopsis
4. Author’s Background and Promotional Platform
5. Market Potential
6. Competitive Works
7. Table of Contents and Chapter Outline
8. Sample Chapters (if allowed by Agency or Publisher)
Remember, this list is for traditional publishing houses and agents and it must be adapted to the individual guidelines of a specific house and/or agent. For more details on writing a winning Book Proposal, contact me at: sue at thewriterscottage dot com.
Happy Writing Days!