Entries Tagged 'How to write' ↓

How to write anything

Blogs and the microblogs Twitter are becoming even stronger as a web strategy according to Web Strategist Kirsty Farrelly.

So if your heart is sinking at the thought of more stuff to do, then what’s a good way to manage blogging?  Well I’m still coming to terms with Twitter (if you have any tips that work for you I’d love to hear them) but I think I’ve got blogging itself sussed.

Just like any other activity you have to be organised.  I have a couple of folders set up for my blogs.  One in Outlook and one in Word.  When I see items that would fit for my blog I drop them into the folder then when I come to write the blogs I have them to hand.

What kinds of things? Tips, inspirational quotes, recommended reads, events.

That way you don’t have to generate every word that goes into your blog.  And if you know subject experts in your area that would round out your blog ask them to contribute.

I have a few sessions each month where I blog intensively and schedule items ahead of time.  Then I add to it with items in the news as it happens.

Do you have to tell people what you have for breakfast?  Not if you don’t want to.  This blogging for business is about business.  You have to put yourself in there and come over as who you are, but how much of you is up to you.

The writing projects: the review stage

At a recent networking meeting, a colleague was talking to me about his uncle who’d written on his very varied life.

When he’d written it out, he printed it and passed it around his family to read. My colleague was saying that he thought it might have benefited from having a professional writer take a look at it. Because although he said his uncle was fascinating when you talked to him, when his story had been transferred onto the printed page it seemed to have died on him.

That’s a shame. And it often happens because it’s very hard to sort out your own material and shape it in a way that makes sense for others. What appeals to us might not be right for other people.

And if you don’t know your way around the writing profession it’s difficult to know who to go to – especially if you’re telling a family story. I think that expecting your family to give you a good assessment of your material is fraught with danger.

That’s because they don’t come to it fresh. And there are so many underlying aspects of our relationships within the family circle that can really screw up objectivity. If you like the writer, you don’t want to hurt their feelings, you want to support them but…. What do you say?

If you don’t like them or you’re of a mind to pay off old scores then you can put the boot in.

Whether you’re supportive or not, you’re not in the best place to judge. The writer ends up with a too soft or a too harsh review that has nothing do to with the quality of the writing or the story.

Tough call but I’d go for an objective outsider every time. To have a professional writer/editor critique your writing will cost you financially and maybe chip away at your pride. But at least you’ll know that their judgement is not based on the reaction of someone whose toy you broke 30 years ago or who loves you so much they daren’t tell you your writing stinks.

To end, I recently read about a famous ITN news reporter, now writing novels.  He said he’d been lucky enough to find a good agent who for each book he attempted critiqued his book for several hours.  Some of his work had gone through 25 drafts before the agent was satisfied.

Gives the rest of us heart doesn’t it!

Writing projects: the inspiration stage

Recently I was speaking to a man whose wife loved reading fantasy and magic books. She’d read widely in that genre for years and had from time to time said to him “I wish I could write a fantasy book, but I don’t have any imagination.”

He was asking me if I thought that anyone could write and if so how did you get around the not having any imagination challenge.

I asked him if they had children, which they did, now grown up. And then I asked if his wife had made up stories with the children when they were small. Which she had.

So the problem really isn’t lack of imagination. If we watch children, I have a 5 year old great niece, they are full of it. Somehow it often gets beaten out of us as we get older because we have to be sensible and not in my mother’s words, “tell fairy stories”.

But the fairy story was real to me. And I’m sure that to the lady who reads fantasy, the stories are real to her.

I love the quote by Jack London, “I don’t wait for inspiration, I go after it with a club.”

Our imaginations/inspirations are there and simply shifting our focus can open up a whole new world for us. For that man I offered a very simple stimulus for his wife.

“Tell your wife to start with the words, As I walked down the street…”

I’ve used this phrase or a variation of it so many times to kick start my writing. And it works just as well if you’re writing non-fiction. It’s the physical act of writing that generates the inspiration that then generates the writing.

If that doesn’t seem to work then try writing your name and keep writing it until some words come into your mind. Doesn’t at this stage matter much what the words are. What’s important is that you allow them to come uncritically.

Once the flow has started – then you’ll be onto the next challenge.

How to stop!

Writing projects: the editing stage

My sister was working in the garden yesterday, giving the roses a first hair cut. Then in a month or so she’ll go round again and do some more tidying up. My approach to editing text is something similar. It’s not until you do the first prune that you begin to see the shape of the text then you can make those final tweaks.

As someone who writes to deadlines for clients, it’s become automatic to me to approach projects in a certain way.

But when I first started, I used to get hung up about starting them, powering through them and finishing them on time.

Obviously I’d learned so much from my writing tutors but I think each writer has to develop their own style. I know that one of my writing colleagues functions best when the clock is ticking – not hours but minutes away from the deadline.

That doesn’t work for me. I like to take a chunk of time and allocate it to as I call it, ‘break the back of the project’. I prefer to know that a large part of the project is done with and I have the luxury of some extra time, even if it’s only half an hour, to go back and do that final pruning.

One of the hardest things I had to teach myself as a professional writer was to be my own editor. The more text there is the greater the danger that you become bogged down in fancy phrases and too many favourite words.

That’s where you have to be ruthless in order to bring out the best of the text.

My web genius and ex Waterstones branch manager, Kirsty Farrelly, was talking to me last week about rhythym in writing.

I’ve written several times over the last few years about this, probably some of it predating this blog.

It’s one of the most important things in writing.  It can make it easy for people to read.  It can help the flow of the words.  And most important of all it moves the reader through the text.

On Saturday we watched a programme about the singer Tony Bennett.  He’s been one of our favourite singers for many years.  That’s because we love the respect he pays to the words of the song.

It was interesting because he was talking about George Gershwin saying he liked Fred Astaire’s delivery of songs.  Why?  Because Gershwin said Astaire delivered the songs the way he’d intended them to be sung.  The word he used was ‘reported’.

Any singer will want to put their own interpretation on a song, especially one that’s well known.  But just as classical musicians go back to the text to find out what the composer intended, then songsters need to do the same sometimes.

I’ve talked about the challenges in songwriting before.  I liken it to creating a sales letter in miniature.  Or the perfect short story.  Because in less than three minutes, the songwriter has to create mood, a story, images and a resolution.  Quite a challenge.

I do believe that there are good songwriters around now but I love the writers of what they call the American standard.  Two of my favourites are Cole Porter (I get a kick out of you) and Lorenz Hart.(Mountain Greenery, There’s a small hotel)  Even if you think you don’t like the music, then as a writer, studying their lyrics can be an education in itself.

They’re witty, elegant and sometimes with amazing internal rhyme schemes.

I love them – wish I could write something like that but I haven’t managed it… yet!

I love talking to the people at the launch of Writer’s Little Book…with BIG IDEAS. There was such a variety of things they wanted to write about. One close to my heart was Continue reading →

How to write came up all the time at the book launch as you can imagine.

How to find inspiration to write

How to keep going with your writing

How to separate writing and editing

How to write when you find writing difficult

and of course How to promote your book when you’ve finished it.

Major topics all of them and of course in the book I can only touch on them very briefly.  That’s why we’re planning some training.  All directed to be practical, help writers do things more easily and achieve the result they want.

We’re pushing the training via the Writer’s Little Book Club – so signing up is the only method of finding out about it.  By the way joining costs you nothing and we’re in the planning stages of several more books, products and services.

Address as always is - www.writerslittlebook.co.uk

We’re planning some fun – not putting in the effort otherwise!  But all the time with our focus on providing practical, doable steps.

Book Launch event update

Today’s the day!

I’m so excited – I’ve got the usual butterflies already and the launch isn’t till 4pm.  It’s going to be a very interesting room full of people this afternoon.

We’ve got writers, artists, theatre people, trainers and business development people coming.  I love the thought of all that talent in one room.  Think of all the connections we can make.

As soon as possible we’ll have some pictures of the event up on the website and we’re about to start putting details of training, for people who join the Writer’s Little Book Club.

If you aren’t able to come to the event, then make sure you find out what we’re up to.  I’m determined that we’ll have some fun.

See you over at www.writerslittlebookclub.co.uk

And keep writing!

Book Launch event update.

Two days to go now and we’re rounding up all the things we need for the launch on Wednesday.

Collecting the book itself tomorrow – WOW – I know I saw the proof copy but this will be the real thing.

The printer was telling me about one of his friends who saw the book in the proof copy and wanted to know when he can buy it.  Soon as we launch, it will be available from the website, www.writerslittlebook.co.uk

There are all sorts of things over there now with some video, me on camera, I hate it! Plus you can now follow me on Twitter and we’ve set up a ning group.

So head over there – once the launch is over then we can pay more attention to the online stuff.  Lots of ideas, lots of plans with two more books in process, another product ready for production, and an audio product in creation.

Costs you nothing to join the Writer’s Little Book Club and it’s the only way you’ll hear about what we’re planning!

Come and join us and see how we can help you with your writing.

We’re making progress every day towards the launch on 28th January.

If you’re in the Nottingham area and would like to join us at the event, go to www.writerslittlebook.co.uk and request an invitation.

I’m publishing the book myself because I believe that with the digital printing revolution and the rise of social media networking for businesses,  that’s the way ahead for many authors.  That’s what we’re going to help promote in the Writers Little Book Club and offer training to show you how to do a great job with your book.

All our training and other things we offer via the Club will be as practical and down to earth as we can make them because I believe that small steps work, encouragement is vital and passion is where we begin.

Come and join us for the launch or at the club.

We’re going to have some fun with it and we’d like to share it with you.