Writers Unbound

Tell me your story Photo by Mary MacIntyre

The dead still teach us beyond the grave. How easily we forget and neglect the power of their word, or fragmented pictures of what they endured and saw in their lives. Be us the writer today, it may behoove us to listen and reflect upon these words. Words, visions, and structure can provide each with a springboard for them to fly off into the ethers, that the jumper may experience or transcend what already has been demonstrated.

I am listening to a video about MArianne Moore whilst also listening to Annabel included here. I beg you to experiment. I included these two videos to speculate on what can be inspired from old scripts. Oh Raven come now share your secrets with me and any who will listen.

Write and capture our lives now in your song, and let the muses fill our verse with everlasting meaning. TRy this listening to two at once. Behold the metaphor dancing in our words. Write!
Edgar Allan Poe
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For the attorney general of Maryland, see Edgar Allan Poe (Maryland attorney general).
Edgar Allan Poe

1848 daguerreotype of Poe
Born January 19, 1809(1809-01-19)
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Died October 7, 1849 (aged 40)
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Occupation Poet, short-story writer, editor, literary critic
Genres Horror fiction, crime fiction, detective fiction
Literary movement Romanticism
Spouse(s) Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe

Signature

Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor and literary critic, and is considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction.[1] He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.[2]

He was born as Edgar Poe in Boston, Massachusetts; his parents died when he was young. Poe was taken in by John and Frances Allan, of Richmond, Virginia, but they never formally adopted him. After spending a short period at the University of Virginia and briefly attempting a military career, Poe parted ways with the Allans. Poe’s publishing career began humbly, with an anonymous collection of poems, Tamerlane and Other Poems (1827), credited only to “a Bostonian”.

Poe switched his focus to prose and spent the next several years working for literary journals and periodicals, becoming known for his own style of literary criticism. His work forced him to move between several cities, including Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City. In Baltimore in 1835, he married Virginia Clemm, his 13-year-old cousin. In January 1845, Poe published his poem “The Raven” to instant success. His wife died of tuberculosis two years later. He began planning to produce his own journal, The Penn (later renamed The Stylus), though he died before it could be produced. On October 7, 1849, at age 40, Poe died in Baltimore; the cause of his death is unknown and has been variously attributed to alcohol, brain congestion, cholera, drugs, heart disease, rabies, suicide, tuberculosis, and other agents.[3]

Poe and his works influenced literature in the United States and around the world, as well as in specialized fields, such

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe

Light always abounds within us: celebrate! photo by Mary MacIntyre

I’ve had a very busy week. So this will be a fast(?) update. Remember I am still always looking for writers who would like to publish here. As A writer there are always deadlines. Fortunately, I am in a productive moment in my life. However, sometimes people need tips to help them get work done before deadlines. The following may be self evident, however try them:
1) Grab a folder and start writing notes at the first notice of an assignment and deadline. Perhaps even use a recorder for ideas. Add stuff to folder.
2) Create a specific time reserved for writing. Use that time frequently so you are accustomed to letting words flow. Aren’t ready to work on that assignment? Write on other ideas for future material.
3) Research and make it fun. Remember that going to your local library may break a block and you could quickly find more resources in a lovely quiet environment.
4) Reset the deadline for a week earlier with a bonus if you finish by that time. This gives you time to review and rewrite.

Paul Penton was kind enough to stop by and let me know of another writing site. So I copied a bit and here comes: www.objectwriting.com

Consider this... photo by Mary MacIntyre

When one writes from his or her heart, the first results may escape technical perspectives. Yep, that sentence could use improvement. I had a talk with a teen this afternoon about her writing. She has a passion for her work and described herself as extremely particular about what and how she says it.

Come explore what is in you.

Just a quick review of the previous work principles we’ve covered in the last two weeks:

1. Imitate high quality
2. Learn from successful people
3. Ignore cheaters, scammers, and get-rich-quick promises
4. Never think you know it all
5. Help other writers
6. Don’t pick fights

Today we will add the next three principles to the list, but first a little more review: What is a principle? To my favorite source for word definitions, Webster’s 1828 dictionary, and we find the following among the list of meanings:

• Ground; foundation; that which supports an assertion, an action, or a series of actions or of reasoning.
• A general truth; a law comprehending many subordinate truths; as the principles of morality, of law, of government, &c.
• A principle of human nature, is a law of action in human beings; a constitutional propensity common to the human species.

I am presenting these work principles as the grounds for the actions you take as a writer, as general truths applied to a specific area (freelance writing), as tenets derived from principles of human nature. For example, our first principle for today is

7: Be diligent in your work to succeed

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There’s nothing new or unknown to successful people in this idea. You know that if you want to get beyond the scraping and pinching that so many of us freelance writers are stuck in, you have to work regularly, diligently, sometimes (it seems) ceaselessly. It’s easy to forget though, easy to put aside, easy to procrastinate, easy to look for another perfect job that won’t require you to be so darn diligent all the time.

That’s why this principle is out there: it’s true, and if you print out the list and tape it by your computer, or copy and paste it over to your desktop, you can remind yourself that you have to be diligent to succeed. Yes, you know it’s true: but sometimes you need a concrete reminder of the truth, something to stand on, a visible foundation for the action you already know you need to take.

8: Work ahead, even when there is no immediate “need”

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It doesn’t happen often, but every now and then I get through the first half of the day and realize that I’ve done everything on my schedule. My to-do list is just a pretty row of check marks, my drafts document is caught up with my editorial calendar, and I still have a beautiful afternoon in front of me. What’s my first instinct? What would yours be?

I want to take off, take a nap, take a drive, play Tetris, call friends, take a walk, do anything but move ahead on the work waiting for me. It’s a general truth that when we get comfortable, we start getting lazy, a little apathetic. It’s another general truth, though, that opportunity comes unexpectedly; if you’re not ready, it keeps on walking.

When you get caught up, don’t make that illogical leap into feeling that you’re automatically ahead. You’re not, yet. You’re just at the breaking-even point, and if you want to be more successful than you are right now, you have to push past that mark. So when you finish a project early, don’t go nap. Keep working on and be ahead of schedule on your next project. You’ll see three benefits from this action: first, if you run into a need for more research than you thought or trouble with some portion of an article, you have a little extra time to deal with it; second, if you complete the project and send it to the client done well and finished early, your reputation with that client is forever in the highest ranking; and third, when you finish work early and have a clear afternoon or day, you are free to find rush jobs that otherwise would not fit into your schedule.

9: Do good work, always, for every client

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When you were growing up, did you have one parent who was kind of a stickler for details and another who just wanted the job done? I did. I knew their preferences, and you can be sure I never did more than I had to in order to make either one happy. If I were cleaning up the kitchen for Mom, I washed those dishes until every part gleamed: otherwise, I would be going back and doing it again. If I were helping Dad in the yard, I did what had to be done to get the job finished: he just wanted it done, not perfect.

It’s easy to fall into the same set of varying standards with clients. We humans tend to discern pretty quickly what the minimum requirements for “survival” are, and then we set our mark there and never push ourselves further. And I’m not suggesting that you provide a 1000-word article with 3 referenced sources when all your client wants is a 500-word, opinion-based article from your perspective. Certainly, you can stay within the guidelines of each project. But certainly within those guidelines you can produce the best 500-word opinion-based article that it’s possible for you to write.

Even if you know a client will accept something less than high quality, don’t produce it. Don’t lower your standards. Don’t accept mediocrity from yourself. Mediocrity spreads like cancer, and soon you’ll be trying to get away with less than your best for clients who won’t take it. You put your writing reputation in jeopardy.

If you can’t force yourself to maintain high quality standards for “low-quality” clients, then don’t take those jobs.

Make it a good day.

1. Being Clever

   A knack for what is clever, as a sense of humor, cannot be forced. If you don’t naturally exude the ironic, skip it. Attempts to force the clever or subtly ironic will fail. I’m certain of this truth from my own experience.
   Quit worrying about it. Some subjects aren’t about being clever. Most subjects aren’t about being clever. Can you present information clearly? Can you tell a story? Can you analyze? Do you know how to construct a logical argument? Those are skills which, as a writer, you should both have and be continually improving. It’s a lovely thing to read a writer who can use those skills confidently without feeling the need to produce an accompanying witticism. Sometimes Plain Jane does the job best.
   When the irony flows and the witticisms rain, let them. In the meantime, though, just keep writing.

2. Being Original

   From a previous post:

   Originality isn’t really what we want… We want to hear ourselves, but a little bit different. We want to read someone completely different, but with just enough of ourselves that we can grab onto the similarity and expand into another kind of life.
   It doesn’t matter if you are writing a shipwreck survivor novel or an article about Christmas decorations. If you want originality, the best thing to do is forget about it and just write with honesty and vigor.
   Authors who write with originality as the foremost goal end up producing the literary equivalent of the teenager trying too hard to fit in. Somehow, the desperate expression of “Look at me! I’m an individual! I’m unique just like you!” becomes just another murmur of the mass-produced roar. The best way to be original is to quit trying so hard for it.

3. Being Academic

   During my college years, my very best professors were the ones who forgot to be professorial and just shared their passion with the people around them. We happened to be students. My very worst professors were the ones whose entire identity existed on a university motto and alma mater memories. Academia is great, but people who attempt to squish an entire life into an academic frame end up stunted. And annoying.
   Writing about academic subjects does not require anything more than knowledge about the subject and ability to write clear sentences. Leave the latinate diction in ye old ivy-covered halls. Be enthusiastic. Use simple words. Be clear, above all. Bring what is “academic” into the real world instead of the other way around.

4. Being Relevant

   Romeo and Juliet. West Side Story.
   Relevant? Yes. Irrevocably associated with a particular time and place? Yes, but they are still relevant. Stories about people are timeless. We all live in a particular time and place, and it’s best to acknowledge that. Trying to produce writing that is relevant beyond culture results in a very dry prose. We like the details. We like today. We like to know what people are wearing and what they ate for breakfast.
   What if you are writing product reviews, news briefs, a thousand home and garden articles? Let them be what they are and serve the purpose for which they exist. Don’t waste time making more or less of your subject than what it is. Much of what we write today may be relevant only for today. Much may last. Your burden is to write it best for whatever purpose it is to serve. In that way, your entire writing life is relevant. Piece by piece will be determined by forces beyond your pen.

5. Being Personal

   You are a person. If you write honestly about your subject, you will write personally. You can’t really help it, unless you are spending your energy trying to sound academic…
   I write what I know from the perspective that I have. That’s personal. If I am writing something in which I have no experience (research-based), I can talk about my lack. When writers become less self-conscious and more honest and realistic, writing becomes sincerely personal.

What do you think? Am I wrong? Do you find yourself working to be clever, original, academic, relevant, or personal? How does that affect your writing? I’d love to hear.

Make it a good day.

Image Credit: FredoAlvarez.

Read the first installment here.

The next two steps are not needed for every piece, though they can get you moving again when you feel stuck even on shorter articles.

It’s time to do research.

After you’ve done your initial planning and outlining, it’s time to do research. Maybe. If you know what you need to know to write your article and you are ready to roll, then don’t stop to read what someone else has written. You can do that after you have finished writing, if you want to check additional material or resources. If, however, you need additional knowledge, sources, inspiration, or perspectives, if you’re feeling stuck, if you aren’t sure what angle to take, make use of the wonders of research.

I still think of the basement library stacks when I hear research. That may be where you need to go, but it may be much simpler than that. Call your Mom for research on frugal cooking, family traditions, or dealing with grown kids who won’t live home. Talk to your neighbor with the five kids about how she stays sane in the summer or what kind of advice she would give young moms. Shoot an email to an old college friend for his view on economic changes, the best financial software, or where to get great burgers in Boston. Read trade magazines for specialty articles and perspectives on any kind of industry. The internet, of course, is a wide, wide world of information. Just be sure the information you get is valid. Always give credit where credit is due. And if you’re using research as a way to get started on a shorter piece that doesn’t necessarily “need” it, give yourself a time limit and stick to it.

Outlining again.

After you complete the research, you may need to stop and outline again, or further fill in the outline you already made. Plug in those details you found under the appropriate main heading, or rearrange things to match the perspective you have decided to use. Don’t worry about getting it perfect, just get your ideas down on paper so you won’t lose them.

And then you write.

We have reached the step most of us try to begin on: Write. You should write, and you must write, but only after you have planned and outlined. Once that is done, sit down, pull out your calendar, look at your notes, and use your outline to start filling in those paragraphs. Feel free to break from your outline if, as you write, your piece takes a different direction. It isn’t meant to be a restrictive structure, just a helpful guide.

As you write, consciously turn your inner word critic to silent. Remind yourself that you are dedicating an entire step to the editing process, so there is no need to spend time on it now. Just get it down.

Then you edit.

If your schedule allows, take a break between the writing and editing process, especially for the longer pieces. If you must complete it that day, at least take a ten-minute breather. Walk around the block, get a snack, call a friend. Do something completely removed from the writing process, so that you can come back to it refreshed.

When you do come back, edit as if your worst enemy wrote it. Be merciless. Cut superfluous words. Find the right word, not a mushy one that will do, but poorly. Make sure your points are clear, your terms well-defined, your illustrations appropriate. If you aren’t sure of good editing standards, go read Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. Then edit.

The final step is the most fun. You have completed the piece. You have done the work. Now you simply send the piece on to its final destination: post it, attach it, print it. Put in the appropriate format. Find related graphics or photos, if required. Append image or information credits at the bottom. Double-check formatting, then put that piece where it is supposed to go.

Ta da!

Make it a good day.

Image Credit: Swami Stream.

We writers make a lot of mistakes. Sometimes we cite articles that contain faulty research. Sometimes we misspell a name or use a comma when we should have used a semicolon. Our biggest mistake, though, is about the process rather than the product: it is thinking that writing involves just one step of sitting down and putting the words on paper.

It’s intimidating to give yourself only one step between blank nothingness and a bright-n-shiny article that will make your clients forever loyal. You are under pressure when you only have one move to make. If you mess up, you ruin everything.

Take a deep breath. You have room to make mistakes without losing momentum.

There are more steps in the writing process, and whether you acknowledge them or not, you perform them. If you take time to break them down and fully focus on each at its appropriate time, you will find that you can write more with less pressure.

The first step is planning.

Planning is a little different for each writer. It might involve searching for jobs, applying, and working out the details with the clients you obtain. Or, if you have regular work set up, your planning might simply be choosing which article to work on when. Don’t skimp on the planning.

My productivity has increased a hundredfold since I started spending regular time planning my writing schedule for each week. It doesn’t take that long and the time returned for my initial investment makes it worthwhile. I usually do my planning over the weekend, when I can steal an hour or two in between family life and house projects and social events. I have a basic, wire-bound notebook and a calendar. I sit down and determine what articles I will write for each project or client. Then I assign each article (or a series of articles for a particular project or client) to a day in my calendar for the next week. For longer pieces, I might break down tasks further: research, outline, and begin writing over the course of three days or so.

The next step is outlining.

I try to get this done during my planning process. I am not talking about a complicated Roman numeral-research paper outline. Simple. Three or four main points for each title on my list. A few side notes, references, or related ideas, if I’ve thought of any. An opening line or illustration, if I get creative. That’s it. The outlines are very basic, but they provide a kick start to your daily writing. They save you from a blank page, because when you sit down to begin work you find that you already have your work for the day waiting for you, with a beginning and a direction. You don’t have to come to the table full of creativity and inspiration on Monday morning. You just have to sit down and continue the work you have already begun. Chances are, you’ll find that the creativity and inspiration start flowing as your fingers start moving.

Tomorrow: The rest of the story on The Writing Process.

Full Credit: I first read about breaking down the writing process over at Angela Booth’s place. I mentioned her a couple of weeks ago in my Weekend Reading post; if you haven’t gone and read her articles, head over there now.

Make it a good day.

Image Credit: MissTurner.

I harp on reading often. Writing and reading are like cooking and eating. You can’t be a great cook if you don’t enjoy the flip-side pleasure of savoring a well-prepared meal. The two are one, and often it is a love for reading that leads you to a love for writing. But then you take the step into “being a writer,” and in all the writing, editing, critiquing, submitting, you lose the hunger for a good book.

Or you think you do. I theorize that the book-hunger never dies. It idles, while your energy is spent on creating. It rests while you produce. When you feel your freelance bones beginning to dry up, though, it’s time. Open your mouth. Eat up.

There’s a difference between eating to survive and eating to be satisfied, and there is the same difference between reading what you must and reading to be refreshed. A loaf of bread and a cup of water might do you for the former, but you need a thoughtfully prepared and seasoned array for the latter. A few dry, non-fiction articles, bullet-pointed tip lists, and a lengthy blog selection will get you through the day and get your pieces produced, but you need a real book, an eat-it-up book for those writing bones to be rejuvenated.

Don’t skimp on your reading. You may think you have no time for a novel or a thick biography or a volume of poems. You do. You must find it. You must make it. Your writing, in a way, does depend on it.

You need the food of words and stories to fill you up, unconsciously, as you delight in the sheer experience of them. There are too many times when you must read simply to accumulate information. Be sure that those are not the only times you read.

Check these sites for reading recommendations:
The Book Stacks
Genre Fiction
Blue Archipelago
Book Reviews for Real People
One-Minute Book Reviews

Make it a good day.

Image Credit: kygp.