Write the way people like to read

July 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Apple iPhone User's Guide not User Guide

Image by IvanWalsh.com via Flickr

Plain writing or informal writing is the new-age writing style. Times have changed. People do not have lots of time to read. For those who can manage some time to read, they want something that is informal and easy to understand.

People like to read on the move. They might not get enough time to read at home. Travelling time is the best time for them to catch up on some reading. E-book readers satiate this need of people by providing a mobile platform that supplies them with thousand of books.

But at the end of the day, people want to read information that is written like you spoke it. Sometimes such a writing style might not adhere to rules of perfect English. But does anyone care? Is effectiveness more important?

Modern communication has gone through a lot of changes. Preferences of people have changed dramatically. They do not enjoy reading something that is esoteric and full of words that makes one run for a dictionary. They want to read information that is written plainly and purely.

Thus, the need of the hour is for writer to communicate interactively. The power of communication in such a way is so effective, that is can influence people in a positive way. Writers need not think of losing their ability to use the language flamboyantly. They can do such self-indulgence for a niche audience. But what about the mass audience?

Writer the way people like to read. When you write, speak to them through your words. Don’t just write to them.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Becoming a Better Writer, Books Tagged With: , ,

The Necessity of Collaboration

July 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Hands collaborating in co-writing or co-editin... 

Image via Wikipedia

Writer’s block is an old enemy, and it strikes every writer at some point. No ideas flow, no new creativity abounds. For a writer to carry on his work, he has to get around the block and carry on. This is where collaboration comes in.

Bouncing ideas off someone else can get both your imagination and theirs working. With so many ideas flying around, chances are you’ll find one that gets the magic going again.   While some may shrink from the idea of sharing their work-in-progress with someone else, it really does help. A collaborator can give you suggestions, ask questions that point out issues that need to be addressed, and catch inconsistencies or errors.

Just as the picture shows, having multiple people work on a project can help move things along. Even if you want to retain a final say on the creative genius of the project, it can be beneficial to have others give you “what ifs?” to get your blocked mind going again.

Collaboration doesn’t have to be with another person in the room. Collaborate with authors and artists that you admire, by gaining inspiration from their work. Read a book you love or watch a movie. Go to an art museum, anything that will jar your mind and refill your empty tank of creative juices.

A famous author stated that writers don’t get blocked, they just get empty. You need to restock your mind’s shelves with creativity and imagination. Once you’ve done that, you can carry on to completion of your project.

Filed Under: Becoming a Better Writer, Books, Writing For Kids Tagged With: , ,

Reading is feeding. Why reading is a writer?s fodder.

July 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The Ghost Writer

Image via Wikipedia

Many writers do not read. Yet they are writers. It is quite surprising. You might have heard plenty of stories of writers who have not even read a full book in their lives. The reasons for this are many.

Writers are by nature imaginative. Another writer’s imagination might invoke awe in a non-writer’s mind, but it might not do the same for a writer. Because it might seem ordinary. It’s almost like saying why Michael Jordan might consider a slam dunk by another basket-baller a normal thing, while it is awe-inspiring for the spectator.Certain writers also feel that reading the works of other writers might destroy their original writing style.

Most writers want to think originally. But this is wishful thinking. Although there are writers who are original in their writing approach, most writers in the world work on inspiration. In most cases, knowingly or unknowingly, it is another writer’s work.

Reading is a writer’s fodder. When a writer reads a variety of information and a variety of books from various authors, a writer will not be influenced by anyone. A common mistake writer’s make is when they become loyal to only one medium of information, and one author. They do not seem to like many information sources, or read many books from many authors.

To become a better writer, writers need to feed themselves with various influences. There is no harm in doing so. The only harm will be to not get exposed to what other writers are writing. This would be akin to living like a lone hermit in fool’s paradise.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Becoming a Better Writer, Blogging Tagged With: , ,

Becoming a Better Writer

June 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The first page of a medieval print version of ...

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There are many ways to becoming a better writer. Like many things, not one set path gets you there. Determine what you want your goals to be, and then set out to accomplish them, not goals that someone else gives you. If an English professor is training you to become a reporter and you want to be a novelist, drop the class. Become the writer that you want to be.

Just like riding a bicycle, cooking, doing autopsies, or painting, writing takes practice. So practice!  Look for any opportunity to write, and do it. Are you in school? You get to write papers? Does your school have a newspaper? Go into their offices and say “I want to write for you.”  Look online. With the Internet revolution, websites after website has to have content on each page, and they need someone to write all of that. There are plenty of organizations that hire content writers and provide them with work online, or you can approach companies alone and offer your services. Writing never goes out of style.

Writing is how we communicate, and the human race will never need to communicate less, quite the opposite in fact, it needs to improve. And as a writer, you get to help the rest of us improve!

Practice, practice, practice. Take advice from others, but remember that you get to set the rules for your writing education and how you go about doing what you do.  So go and do it!

 

Filed Under: Becoming a Better Writer, Books, Writing For Kids Tagged With: , ,

6 Productivity Tips for Freelancers

June 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
As a freelancer, you’ve likely found that keeping yourself busy isn’t that difficult, but keeping yourself productive is another story. From time drains and stress to poor concentration and loss of focus, anyone even considering going the freelance route should take some time to learn about the seven habits and tools of effective freelancing. Integrating some of these productivity tips and tools can help keep even the most easily distracted freelancer on track.

1. Carving Out Your Space: Freelancers work from home and those who fail to find a space they can dedicate to work often have a more difficult time keeping on track. Spend some time carving out some work space that is your office in your home.

2. Creating Better Storage: The Internet has made freelancing a much easier proposition for people. Instead of relying on the Internet solely for communications, utilize tools like GoogleDocs to create an online depository for documents you need to share.

3. Easy Apps for Easy Days: Take the time to look around at the various apps available and see which one’s will work for you. For example, EchoSign is a great little app that will make it easy for you to create documents, like contracts, that your clients can sign. Use apps to make your day easier.

4. It’s All About The Plan: In order to be successful you have to have a plan each day. Spend a few minutes each week planning the events for the upcoming week and break it down into manageable chunks – do the same each day and you will soon find it easier to get everything finished. Consider using an online calendar if that works well for you, but don’t be afraid to use the old tried and true pen and paper to make your plan.

5. Don’t Forget The Goal: You started working as a freelancer for a reason – never forget that reason. Whether you are replacing lost income or working towards building a full time business, always focus on that goal. Keeping it at the forefront will help you stay on track.

6. Finding Balance: Many freelancers fall into the trap of working as much as possible, every day. It may seem logical, but in reality, if you do not have a balance between your work and your personal life, you will crash and burn. Part of your daily plan should include a clear start time and a clear end time.

Engaging in freelance work can be profitable and an engaging way to work. It presents new challenges each and every day. By taking the time to learn the tips and tricks used by successful freelancers and implementing them into your work schedule, you may soon find that freelancing can be just challenging enough.

Are you doing everything you can to be successful at freelancing? Which of these tips and tricks will you implement into your daily work plan?

Filed Under: Becoming a Better Writer

How To Improve Your Hand Writing

March 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Handwriting is one of the things that reflect the personality of a person to a great extent. If you have a bad handwriting, the chances are there would be a number of people around you who would be after your life to improve your handwriting.  Some handwriting experts believe that handwriting is one of the best judges to gauge the personality of the person.

This fact keeps those people conscious who have a bad handwriting as some people may presume that the person is careless if he has a bad handwriting. Are you one of those people who are trying to improve their handwriting? Here are some tips:

First of all, keep all the things ready which are required for the purpose such as lined sheets, pencils, some good quality pens and the likes. After you are able to acquire this material, you need to hunt for the handwriting which you admire so that you can try to imitate it in order to improve your handwriting. If this is a difficult task, grab a copy of calligraphy books and try to imitate the handwriting. Set an aim to practice two-five pages everyday and stick to the aim, without fail.

One of the tricks to improve your handwriting is to try to write each letter completely as handwriting is bad when people do not write all letters completely. Be conscious about your handwriting as initially, you need to very conscious all the time till good handwriting becomes your habit. Improving handwriting is a very slow process, so do not feel discouraged if you are not able to improve it after a few days of practice.

Evaluate your improvement on weekly basis by keeping all the sheets together and set them date wise and this would help you gauge your improvement. So follow these tips to improve your handwriting to get praise whenever you write. Good luck!

Filed Under: Becoming a Better Writer Tagged With: , ,

Dividing Work and Life

February 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Many writers have a privilege that most people would love: Working from home; however, this freedom can often be difficult to balance with the demands of a job. Even if you can choose your hours, work in your pajamas, and never have to deal with water-cooler small talk again, you still have work to do and still have deadlines to meet. So, to help in juggling your personal life and your work life you may need to set some ground rules for yourself.Rules are a good way to keep yourself on track. First, decide when you are working and when you are not working and keep it consistent. If you want to work 9-5, then work 9-5 everyday. During this work time you should not do anything involving your personal life, at least not beyond what you would do if you were at an office. Likewise, avoid working when you are not scheduled to work. You need to keep a clear divider between your work and your family and friends. If you would rather work from noonuntil 8, do so every day. This will help you develop a working mindset. Also, many people find it helpful to shower and dress nicely before work, to help get in the mindset of working. Lastly, it often helps to have an office or a room set aside forwork. If you do not have room to dedicate a whole room to your job then a desk will work, especially if you can get a desk with some sort of cover or locks on the drawers. Then, when you are not working, cover and lock up the desk and do not visit it again until your next work day. This will help keep you from being tempted into finishing up “one more sheet” or filling out “one more form” after you are off the clock.

Filed Under: Becoming a Better Writer, Professional Writing Tagged With: , ,
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