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Whether you are into creative writing or just desire the skills to start writing sales copy, here are five simple things that you can do to make it easy to start writing.
1. Read.
Enjoy your favorite book, luxuriate in the imagery, and allow yourself to drift into someone else's experience of the world. When you read, your brain starts to warm up. It starts to hum and sing. It discovers the pleasure of its own function.
2. Write.
After getting inspired by the writings of others, it's time to express yourself. Sit down and write. Let the words flow; fall into a reverie; and go swimming in the river of your own mentations.
3. Edit.
Go over what you've written. Cut out extra words and tighten sentences and rearrange paragraphs. Make it a game. Play with the idea of how you can make it shorter, simpler, or more expressive.
4. Proof.
Read over what you've written. See if there are any typos or spelling mistakes. See if there are any grammatical errors or awkward sentences. Prune, correct, and clean it up.
5. Publish.
Get it out there. Do a blog. Post a letter. Gather it into a volume and pack it off to a publishing house or post it as an e-book.
Finally, bless the work and let it go. Don't be attached to the outcome. Your pleasure was in writing. You can't do anything about how others respond or fail to respond.
Writing can be a chore only if you set about it the wrong way.
Here are five ways that people like to turn the pleasure of writing into pain:
1. They confuse the roles of the editor with the writer.
First, let the writer within show up. Your editor sub-personality should only step in after the work has been completed. Unless you keep both roles separate, your left brain, so to speak, will stop your "write" hand from moving across the page because of it's hypercritical approach.
2. They write under pressure, with no sense of flow for the beauty of the imagery created by their words.
This is easily cured by reading a good book. Let the flow of language carry you. Your subconscious will then replicate its beauty. For example, read Walden Pond by Henry David Thoreau.
3. They spend hours editing, trying to get it perfect.
Words are plastic and they can always be molded better, and each time they are read a writer can see more to add or delete. Those who edit their own writings should not go over the piece more than three times at the most. If it requires more, than it indicates that the piece needs to be completely rewritten.
4. When they cling to the outcome.
When their work is not published and they feel rejected or when it is read by “friends” who make stupid comments based on their misinterpretations or bias. After you write and sending it out to be published, let it go. Any piece of writing can be infinitely improved. Perfectionism is the antithesis of productivity.
5. When they are unclear about an idea and it never comes out right.
Outlining ideas and waiting for inspiration may be necessary before it is possible to be eloquent about some topics.
In conclusion, write. It will do your soul a world of good. You’ll learn to share and help others, too. It's said that if you read just one hour a day that in a few years you'll be a world expert. Similarly if you write in a journal for one hour a day, I believe that you'll be a sage because you will have converted the raw experience of your life into reflection. | 