Writing Deliberately — Day 3/1000

One step at a time, aware of your progress.

Any task worth doing, is worth doing slowly.
Slow equals smooth, smooth equals fast.
And that’s where I say that the fun of writing comes from.

I’ve spent some time reading about writers and I found that sometimes writing can be a taxing process, especially when one needs to finish writing for a deadline.

A few others, such as myself, who is here to focus on improving my writing style and be better at this skill are focused on making sure that I put up certain piece and publish it on a daily basis to make sure that I have a chain of blog posts.

There are times where I find myself frenzied and hassled to finish my quota for the day and being frustrated about finishing my blog post.
What people are going to thing if they read it, or the anxiety of this blog post never being read anyway.

There was no sense of peace when I write like this, it’s all a means to an end.
Telling myself, someday I’ll become a better writer, someday all this is going to be worth it.

That’s the pitfall right there in my logic.
Ontologically, the act of writing for me is to prove a point that I am someone who is productive ( I mean look at the body of my work! it’s maybe not a hot-bod sure, but hey, it exists!).
What’s missing here is fun.
I am not having fun writing and that’s why I had given up twice over the last time I wrote on medium and what’s more coming back and writing here again feels like an obligation.

An impulsive decision of mine to maximize profits. An investment that would pay up in the future, not right now obviously because right now I got to slog through it.

Then, I began to imagine what would it be like if I really was having fun writing…
I would be at peace, excited to reach the end of the day and let flow my thoughts on the pixelated paper typing it all out.
I would find myself calmly typing the words one at a time, deliberately thinking about the person who would eventually read it and what kind of impression that person would have.

I began to think about what I would share with this person, what portion of my mind and theirs would meld or the parts where we would disagree upon.

These are the possibilities that would be present for me and what I saw was that it would mean a lot for me to have this present in my life.
No more would writing a blog be about making a business decision or an “investment” for my future that I wouldn’t want to regret…

It would be something that I find joy and peace in.
It would be about crafting these perfect essays that would make the reader go on a journey and facilitate and kind of awakening that I have experienced in the past whilst reading the great writers of the past.

It’s a sense of discovery that I am going through and whatever I post here would someday grow into the likes of Leonardo’s journals or at least one can aim towards that kind of an impact.

Reading the biography of Leonardo Da Vinci, written by Walter Issacson was such an incredible experience that I would love to read that book again.
Exploring Leonardo’s life and the creativity that he displayed gave me an insight into the kind of person you see everyday. The fatally curious type.

I promise in the next coming days, as I go on the journey to fulfil on my 1000 days of writing my essays on medium I shall commit myself to produce better and do better writing.
Until then goodbye!

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Another Piece of Writing Advice, This Time From a Complete Newbie

If you haven’t seen the movie American Gangster, starring Denzel Washington, you must.

Photo by Eduardo Goody on Unsplash

Frank Lucas is a small time New York drug pusher towards the end of the Vietnam War.

He talks to one of his old army pals one day, and learns that the American soldiers in Vietnam are going crazy over heroin they are getting locally, from Vietnam and Thailand.

It’s especially pure.

Much purer than the stuff Frank is currently peddling in New York.

Frank realises that there’s a huge pent-up demand in the U.S. for this stuff, based on how quickly it has spread among the forces in Vietnam.

He flies to Thailand and ventures deep into the jungle to meet the source: the grower of the poppies who can sell his heroin to Frank in bulk and transport it to the U.S. in army transport planes.

Frank orders an initial 100kg, ships it to New York, and turns it into thousands of tiny blue packets of 100% pure heroin stamped ‘Blue Magic’. This he distributes at prices that nearly everyone can afford.

Blue Magic instantly becomes a sensation, and Frank goes on to build a thriving business, importing as much as 2,000kg from Thailand at a go.

Unfortunately, everything falls apart when the Vietnam War comes to an end, there are no more U.S. army transport planes to use, and a snitch rats him out to the cops.

Frank spends 15 years in jail.

I’m new to writing and I wonder if any of you newbies are suffering from the same ailments as me.

I learn how to prepare an outline, craft headlines and subheads, and design the page for readability.

But all this learning has gotten me stuck with actually writing.

I’m becoming obsessed with doing it all correctly — so much so that I am frightened to type out the article.

And when I do start to write, my words come out in an anal retentive, uptight way. It’s as if I’m not even a human being behind the message.

So I watched that movie and saw a way out.

I saw the movie in two parts: one, going to the source; and two, marketing under a fantastic brand name.

Getting the pure stuff first — then packaging it just right for the customer.

Letting the pure thoughts flow from the source first — then packaging the article just right for my reader.

So my solution to my writing ailments is:

Just sit down and write.

Write to think.

Let all my programming, life experiences, learnings and values come pouring out of me in a steady flow, helped by my muse.

Don’t brainstorm, plan or outline.

Sit somewhere quietly and let your thoughts come to you, get energised, and then hurry over to your computer. Let your own source feed you with all that addictive stuff.

Now you have some pure gold sitting on the screen. It’s time to get it ready for the market. It’s time to turn it into something that your reader will find irresistible.

Just as Frank Lucas packaged his heroin in small quantities with an appealing name — just what would appeal to his customers — so you can now edit your article so as to appeal to your reader.

You can now make sure that you hit her pain points: her fears or her desires.

You can massage and mould your words, sentences and paragraphs so that your reader takes one look — and is hooked.

That, my reader, is how I wrote this article. And that is how I intend to carry on writing.

So good luck to all of you newbies. Let’s get typing!

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5 Ways To Boost Your Writing Creativity

Creativity comes in spurts and sometimes you cannot wait for inspiration to strike you. Tap into your creative zone and use every writing tool at your disposal. These tools vary from person-to-person but find something that works and stick to it. Here are a few suggestions on how to boost your creativity as a writer.

1 -Read As Much As You Can and From Varying Genres

Perhaps easier said than done but if you want to boost your creativity, a starting point would be to read as much as you can. It’s not enough to stick to a genre or genres that you’re most interested in and have read countless times before. Try to read books, or even online resources that help to stimulate your mind and challenge you to grasp concepts that are otherwise alien to you. This will help spark your creative flow and will offer you new perspectives and perhaps a new favorite genre or field will pop up on your radar.

2 -Move Around

It’s important for all writers to have a workspace. Whether that’s at their desks or at the kitchen table, or perhaps outdoors; moving locations can enhance creativity. You’ve changed surroundings and while this may give you a feeling of discomfort, it’s important to sometimes change environments to provide stimuli or inspiration that you may not have otherwise experienced before.

Too often us writers are confined to one workspace and yet it’s so easy to move from that setting to another and see new sights, hear new sounds, and this may just uncloud your perception and allow for a breakthrough in your next piece.

3 -Make it a Habit to Write Regularly

Writing each day may seem rigorous or sound like overkill, and it is. However, if you want to sharpen your skills and dust off the cobwebs that may be holding back your creativity it’s worth a shot. You don’t necessarily have to write a novel in a single sitting — that’d be ridiculous. Instead, write about any subject or topic that comes to mind or, if you’re itching to write that new piece of flash fiction, or short story, chip away at it each day. If you can’t, at least you gave it your best shot.

4 -Listen to Music

Listening to music can be soothing, it can excite, provide catharsis, but most importantly of all it can heal the soul. Listen to your favorite tunes, and don’t be afraid to explore other genres that you might not be all too familiar with.

Certain singers, bands and rap artists can spurn creativity like you’ve never experienced before. Embrace popular music, but for some, instrumentals or ambience work best. Find something that works and stick to it. If you’re not feeling inspired with your current selection — ask for recommendations and keep expanding your musical muscles.

5 -Make Creative Exercises Routine

Setting short-term writing goals are important and sometimes it’s easy to forget how to be creative at all. If you need inspiration — choose a starting point. Whatever comes to mind, just start writing.

If you need something to get the creative juices, it’s worth choosing a topic at random and writing about that. Or recount an experience or memory and recreate it on the page. Who knows where it will lead you and it could very well provide you with the wherewithal to write your next great piece!

So, there you go. Feeling creative is part of a larger process when it comes to being a writer. Everyone writes, but not everyone writes well. With these tips you’ll have a starting point, and while the list isn’t the end all be all of how to write well…believe in yourself and your writing. Keep moving forward and your efforts will pay in dividends.

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The Best Times to Write

Getty Images: 5second

We all have daily rhythms and we also have weekly and yearly rhythms. It is worth paying attention to all of them. Here are ten ideas for acknowledging and using your rhythms so you can be productive in your writing.

• Early morning. Many people find this to be the very best time to write because the muddle of the day hasn’t started yet. If this is your best time, then schedule it so you have it right there waiting for you. Sharon O’Brien said, “Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn’t wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say.”
• Late at night. The nightowl writer is the one who loves it when the house is quiet and all the rest of the world is asleep — and then can write uninterrupted and unimpeded. For some, this is the rhythm that they need to capitalize on. For some people the nighttime writing is not planned but is the result of what Carrie Latet describes: “If I’m trying to sleep, the ideas won’t stop. If I’m trying to write, there appears a barren nothingness.”
• At lunch time. Found time is a fine time to write. If you wrote even 30 minutes of every lunch time for 5 days, that’s 2 1/2 hours of writing a week. You can get a lot of words written during that time. You can write at your desk or better yet, get out of your regular “work” place and write outside, in the car, in another room, or a place that let’s you know you are taking a (needed) break from your other work to write.
• Special times that you protect for yourself on the weekends or certain workdays. Even though the wise writers don’t try to hold all their writing to do during “blocks of time,” because those too rarely show up, we can create some special spaces for writing. You can decide that Saturday mornings are special writing times for you or Tuesday afternoons, or any other time that you can look ahead, block out and decide to protect…just for writing.
• Seasons of the year — summer. Gosh, summer is a great time for writing! For some folks summer is their least busy season or at least the one that has more flexibility. If this is true for you, then see summer as a time for productive writing. It’s not that you are trying to do ALL your writing in the summer (or in any of these other seasons) but rather that you recognize that the yearly rhythm offers summer as a unique time for writing.
• Seasons of the year — fall. Guess what? I’m going to say that fall is a great time for writing! For many writers, fall signals “back to school” and/or a physical and emotional change of seasons that is more apparent than other seasons because of the falling leaves and the smells of fall (in many parts of the world). Look at fall as one of those times of using this shift to support your changes in writing focus, style, or production.
• Seasons of the year — winter. You already know what I’m going to write don’t you? Winter is a great time for writing! Depending on where you live, there might be the possibility of snowy days for luscious writing. Or, maybe you live somewhere that is scrumptiously warm even in the winter and you can revel in that and just write. It seems like there are many holidays (in the U.S.) that fall during the winter, so that’s another interesting aspect of winter time for writing.
• Seasons of the year — spring. Well, it’s the last time I’ll say it (only because we’re out of seasons after this one…), but spring is a great time for writing. There is such a sense of rebirth and awakening and change that comes around as we move from winter and spring and you can use these overall sense to awaken new ways, ideas, venues, or other shifts in your writing.

Note: There are plusses to every season.

• When you’re happy. When you are happy, content, satisfied…and you are a writer, you can enjoy that contentment and keep it flowing right into your writing. Writers feel such discovery and joy around writing and to mix that in with a time when we’re already happy…wow! People might not be able to stand being around us we’re so blissful.
• When you’re not (happy). Sometimes, the most authentic writing comes when life is NOT going well and we are not enjoying any aspect of it. While I wish you didn’t have those times, I know full well that all of us do. When the unhappy, unpleasant times come (and they will) then write. You may not be writing your normal genre or style of writing…but don’t miss the opportunity to write. You may feel, as Graycie Harmon did that, “Being an author is like being in charge of your own personal insane asylum.” And…you might as well write about it.

Note: Acknowledging your rhythms does not mean excusing yourself from writing at other times, i.e., if writing is a goal for you. And I’m assuming that since you are reading an article about writing, that writing is a goal of yours.

Do you know any writers who procrastinate? Could that writer actually be you? We writers know perfectly well that we procrastinate, sometimes in very clever ways. In need of tips to help you stop? You’ll want the Get a Plan! Guide® to Postponing Writing Procrastination, part of the Get a Plan! Guides® series. Inside, you’ll find 15 practices to postpone your writing procrastination. You’ll receive the ideas and inspiration to do your work easier, faster, and in a more focused fashion.

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Has Writing Changed Your Life?

I have been writing for as long as I can remember, as a child I knew something I could do extremely well; I had the ability to tell a story, I had a way with words, I always carried a notebook and would write everything down. I could be having the worst day, and once I started writing I could forget about everything. It was just me and my words. It was my escape from reality.

I just knew that one day I would want to go public and express my thoughts and emotions with the world and here I am doing that.

Eventually, writing became this different thing for me all together.

I discovered blogging. I discovered writing online. And I discovered how to live a better life and to have an impact on others. I have also learned so many things about myself and writing has become something unique and more powerful than I’d have expected.

Writing expands your mind

When you write, you will realize how little you know. The more you write, the more you learn about yourself and the world around you. If you are serious about developing your work and if you want to create something worth reading, you will seek out knowledge and the best teachers are BOOKS. I don’t know of a good writer who did not read voraciously. And above all, as you know more, you become wiser and have the ability to see what most people can’t.

All good writers read a whole lot.

Writing shows your bare your soul to the world

Writing reflects your soul. If you are timid and insecure, your words will reflect that. If you are honest and brave, your words will reflect that too. But if you take the hard route and write down truth, even when doing so makes you bleed, you’ll grow in boldness. I have never been so open about my personal issues. I choose to share them because I want my stories to be seen in the public eye in hopes that the people reading them can relate on some level. I want to help others realize they aren’t alone in the different life conflicts that we all face each day.

Writing is my therapy

Writing offers me this release, release from pain, depression, and confusion.

Most of my writing tends to focus on my life, what surrounds me and many observations that I make through each day. I write every single day, especially when I am feeling emotionally distraught. I tend to piece certain things together. Writing picks, me up when I am down. If I am writing something I am passionate about, it’s a feeling like no other and sometimes I just get lost in the words and my fingers are just typing on their own.

Writing opens a whole new world

I am thankful that I have connected with many beautiful souls that it wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for my work.

When writing moves people, they respond. I’ve had so many people that reached out to me to tell me my articles inspired them, moved them and they don’t feel alone, and then I realized I am not as alone as I feel sometimes. We are all connected. Perhaps because I wrote about my own vulnerable stories, people felt safe to write me personally and chime in with their own. People all over the world told me their hopeful dreams and devastating heartaches.

Writing gave my life a meaning

Writing, more than any other pursuit, made me feel the most “me.” I understand that sharing my unique thoughts and ideas openly allows me to set myself apart from the world.

Writing has shown me that I can influence the minds of many, and that I may do things a little different than most, but that I can still leave a lasting impression, and do it all with love and integrity. I’ve seen the impact it can have, and I can see myself using it for years to come.

Writing has allowed me to start my own blog and connect with amazing people.

And most importantly writing has taught me that I can be human, that I hurt like others too, I struggle but still do things that no one ever thought I was capable of doing, and to show others that if I can do it, so can they.

Sometimes your greatest passion will lead you to your greatest impact. All it takes is work, lots of work.

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The Biggest Challenges I’m Facing as a New Writer

And how I plan to overcome them

Photo by Danka & Peter on Unsplash

It has come to my attention that there is no single path to becoming a successful writer.

Every author has a unique story, and each must find the way that leads to their goals.

In addition, there are some common challenges that new writers, like myself, encounter — and overcoming these obstacles is the key to success.

As a new writer who wishes to earn a living through writing, I will discuss two of the most common challenges I am facing right now.

The first challenge is to develop the habit of writing

A major challenge for novice writers is developing a writing habit.

When you are first starting out, it can be tough to find time for your writing, and it is easy to put off your writing until “later.”

The most effective way for me to overcome this challenge is to make writing a priority in my life.

Given that I will be pursuing this endeavor full-time, I will need to create a working environment similar to what I would expect from a traditional office setting.

I have a three-pronged strategy:

Firstly, I will set my alarm in the morning and commit to writing throughout the day.

I plan to devote eight hours a day, five days a week to my process, even though I work from home.

This worked for me when I was employed in a traditional office environment.

Why should it be any different now?

Secondly, I keep a record of my work hours.

It is important for me to document the time I spend doing research, writing, or editing. By doing so, I will be able to determine how much I earn per hour and how much I can accomplish in a day.

As the days, weeks, and months pass, I will gain a better understanding of my progress as well as strategize where my time and effort should be allocated.

And finally, my working hours are divided into 1-hour blocks interspersed with microbreaks.

The breaks serve as a great way to reset and refresh my mind.

Previously, I have handled physical tasks in other jobs, such as serving tables, valet parking, and installing home flooring.

While these jobs require a certain amount of mental concentration, they do not compare to the level of focus required for writing. As a result, I must take several breaks throughout the day in order to regain my stride.

Maintaining motivation is the second challenge

Motivating yourself can be difficult, particularly when one is a beginner in a new field.

I have found that setting small, attainable goals is an effective method for maintaining my motivation.

As an example, I have a pretty accurate estimate of the length of time it takes me to write a 500–750 word article.

Currently, the pace is around one hour, plus or minus fifteen minutes.

For the present, it is what it is.

Nevertheless, I recognize that there is much room for improvement as practice leads to experience.

As a result, I am able to set daily writing goals that are achievable, which not only aids in my relaxation but also gives me the confidence to keep going and not give up.

Providing advice like “staying focused will prevent you from becoming overwhelmed” seems a little simplistic, in my opinion.

Consider it in this way: If you were going to the gym for the first time, how much weight would you expect to lift?

In a short time, you’d figured it out.

Moreover, if you push too hard and too fast, you may not only become discouraged but may also sustain injury.

However, if you begin with the minimum amount of resistance, you’re already on your way to building muscle!

The same applies to writing.

While I would like to be able to write 1000 words an hour, I am not yet at that level.

This is fine with me.

The more consistent I am in my writing, the more likely I am to encounter resistance, and my growth as a writer will naturally follow.

Thanks for reading!

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“Being a Writer Is Easy!”

But Here Is Why Not Everyone Succeeds

Image courtesy of Tumisu at Pixabay

My friend’s eyes lit up when I mentioned how much I had earned last year while working as a freelance writer.

“Send me information so I can get started,” he said, somewhat eagerly. “I’ve always been a great writer.”

So, I did. His interest lasted all of a week.

He wanted to start writing at home because they saw how lucrative it had been for me and how I’ve been able to live less of a 9-to-5 life than many of our peers.

I sat down with him and walked them through starting out on a few platforms. To me, learning through platforms and agencies is good for beginners, because chasing down clients for payment or having to negotiate isn’t usually part of the process. Instead, the company that manages the clients handles payment concerns on your behalf. I thought platforms would be easier, but he still didn’t even make it through the application process.

This isn’t something new.

I started writing in 2009 when there were few platforms offering this kind of work. I absolutely hustled to find work and to become stable on some kind of income. At first, income was sporadic, and there were days when I’d make $10 or $15. Other days, I would earn $200 or $300. It was unpredictable.

Over time, freelancing and writing have changed. It’s much, much easier to get started, yet many people still don’t succeed. Why? There are a few reasons that I believe make up the core factors in early failure in this career.

Writing for Money Means Writing for Others, Not Yourself

Most people have an idea of what a writer is, but that vision isn’t the reality for the majority of writers currently earning livable wages in the United States.

When you think of a writer, do you imagine someone writing a story? Do you imagine someone covering the news or writing for a newspaper? Those are both legitimate forms of writing, but the great majority of people living on their writing incomes aren’t earning in that way. Instead, they’re working in marketing or communications. They might write product descriptions or website content. They may be hired to ghostwrite a series for an educational institution or a white paper for a technology company.

Writing isn’t just writing fantasy novels or telling stories, so a lot of people become disillusioned with what they really end up doing: Piecework for a variety of clients.

It Takes Persistence

Many people get easily frustrated when learning something new. There are thousands of people earning living wages as writers, but those surviving as full-time writers are the ones who have the most persistence. Didn’t get a gig? You need to apply for more.

The number of casting calls I’ve applied to in my 13-ish year career is astronomical. I’ve worked with hundreds of clients. It was almost eight years before I had a bylined book series and a little longer before I was able to be bylined with a cover story.

What I mean to say is that you will start small. If someone asks me what to expect when they have no experience, I tell them the truth: You’re probably going to have to accept lower wages (in my experience, anywhere from $0.02 to $0.03 per word, possibly up to $0.05) unless you can show a strong portfolio or test into a higher-paying platform. Asking for more is like walking into a brick-and-mortar store and telling the hiring manager that you’d like to be a manager with no retail experience.

I’m not saying you’ll be on those lower wages for long, but it’s reasonable to expect that you’ll need to accept less than seasoned writers to get your footing in the industry.

You Have to Keep Looking for New Work

Writing as a freelancer means there is no guarantee that you’ll have work. I’ve been fortunate in that I have one long-term contract that has been stable since 2012 and another that details how long I’ll write for each client (usually 6 to 12 months at a time). I also have around seven or eight regular clients who send work to me each month, so I know that I have a base amount of earnings to expect.

But even I can’t predict my income exactly. I’ve had clients promise bylines and then never send work. I’ve had people say they had thousands of projects only to send two and ghost me.

The best piece of advice for anyone in this industry is to keep looking for new clients even when you think you have enough. Putting too many eggs in one basket, as many of my writing colleagues say, is how you end up losing everything.

You Need Better English

Finally, a touchy subject. You need to use better English. No one wants to accept work that sounds like it’s written for the wrong audience.

If you are writing for a British audience, write in British English. For America, American English. Australia, Australian English. There are these and many other forms.

As well as making sure you’re using the right terminology and phrasing, you need to brush up on grammar. Use a product like Grammarly if you’re not 100% certain of your English, but keep in mind that even that program isn’t accurate all the time.

For something like Medium, you don’t need to be “perfect.” For a client paying you $0.50 a word? You need to be as close to it as possible. Know your style guides and basic English grammar before you start.

Enjoy the Experience and Be Ready to Work

Writing should be enjoyable to you, even if you’re writing for someone else. You need to enjoy learning about English and talking to new potential clients. You should also have a strong, persistent personality if you want to really push to make a career in writing, or you may end up giving up before you find what you’re looking for.

In the future, I’ll be offering consultations for people interested in working in this exciting (though challenging) field. If you’re looking for more helpful tips for becoming a freelance writer, consider signing up for Medium and subscribing to my email list.

https://catrinac.medium.com/membership

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