It Takes a Man to be a Writer

A blank sheet of paper lies in front of you…

No, this isn’t right. Who writes on paper nowadays? Let’s be modern.

A new word document is opened on the monitor, the coffee is steaming, your fingers slightly touch the keyboard and your thoughts are somewhat scattered like sheep, running in different directions. It seems like the right words are hiding around the corner, somewhere among the curves of your brain. And every time you’re trying to seize then, they scamper off and get away.

How to take charge of your sheep? How not to let them control you?

Why is this happening?

Creativity is not necessarily something one is born with. It can be developed, fostered and polished. You can work on it and make it better.

Here are a few valuable tips. Once you follow them, you will see how easily writing can become both profitable and enjoyable task!

SET YOUR GOALS

Decide what kind of writer you want to be. Different types of writing, different genres and styles require different skills and accentuation. Let’s assume you don’t want to be another Lev Tolstoy or Jack London. We’re talking about writing reviews, short stories, journal articles, blog posts, commercial ads and so on. Why is it important to locate yourself on the map? Because of the writing techniques that vary substantially, depending on the type and the nature of your work. High literate pieces like poems, ballads and novels meet absolutely different standards than marketing texts and hype ads, for instance. A person who is eloquent and devoted to long writing, might find himself perplexed to shoot a direct mail. You see what I mean.

Therefore, it is important to know your scope of work, your strongest writing sides and your final purpose. The best way to find out is … let the words flow. It will take a few thousand words, typing effort and time to determine your style, your “flavor”and your direction.

KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID

I remember my high school teacher used to nail this rule into our heads, before the final exam where we were supposed to write a composition.

“Keep it simple, stupid”, or “K.I.S.S.”

This may be understood ambiguously, therefore I’ll clarify: the idea is not to oversimplify, but simply not to look for hardships where there shouldn’t be any. This often happens to young authors, who want to seem more solid. They are using “smart” words to make their work look “authoritative”. Using high language is absolutely appropriate, when it fits the style and the content. But to say “the sky is adumbrated” in a personal frivolous blog in what-I-did-on-Saturday post, sounds more like an awkward attempt to show your readers that you are an English expert, familiar with the least common words. This is not a literature contest. This is about fitting the right words in the right place and talking to your audience. Choose your adjectives carefully. Then again, it depends on what you’re writing about, but we’re assuming here that it’s neither a medical report or a classic novel.

GET IT UNDER YOUR SKIN

Wherever you go and whatever you do, be “write-alert”.

What does that mean?

Life is dynamic. We’re exposed to versatile events, occasions and people every day. There are tonnes of things to write about, and it doesn’t have to be “extraordinary”. How come then, that you still have no topic for an article?

This happens when we don’t use the “write-alert” technique. Turn everything around you into potential words, articles, posts or ads. It may seem not easy and even disturbing at the first stages. You might say something like “give me a break, I don’t want to think about work when I’m on vacation”.

But this is how things work. It has to be in your blood, this continual process of carving and polishing ideas in your mind. Only then you’ll be able to draw a topic out of the pile anytime, anywhere and make a quick draft about almost anything. But you need to root that “pile of raw ideas” into your head first. The topics are already here, in your everyday life. Shopping, cleaning, driving, working, arguing, laughing… it’s your everyday actions, it’s people around you, your friends, colleagues and family members. Don’t turn a blind eye on what’s going on. Learn to notice things and turn everything into golden words.

One of my favorite techniques is using the “voice memo” function on my mobile phone. You never know where the great idea strikes you – in a bus full of people, on the street, in a mall or during a university lecture. But when it does, record it right away, at least the keywords. Don’t wait till you get home. Little sprouts of thoughts tend to be easily forgotten, and in five minutes you might not even remember you had this thought in the first place.

This is a common mistake that might cost you a lot valuable time and energy. Don’t let ideas leak and don’t struggle to remember them for hours till you get home or to the office. If you don’t like the voice memo thing, carry a small notepad with a pencil. Primitive but solid.

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Using these golden rules will make the writing an easier and a nicer task for you.

Now I’ll follow my own advice and keep it short and simple:

• Be dedicated.

• Listen to yourself.

• Don’t fight the natural flow of words.

• Always keep track of your thoughts and ideas.