Do you have trouble getting your thoughts and ideas down into an article? Do you find it difficult to put 'pen to paper' to get your book started? Do you sit facing a blank screen struggling to find the words to write? If so, here are some tips and strategies you can use to get your material written quickly.
1. As daft as this may sound, don't worry about the words. Most delays appear to be trying to choose the words. You don't do this when in conversation. The words come naturally. By trying to be careful over the words, you are interrupting your brain's word selection processes. The result is that you can't choose the words - because you are trying! So, don't try to choose the right words. Just get writing - your brain will choose the right words. Trust it, just as you do in conversation.
2. To make it easier for you to get writing, start off as though you were speaking to an individual. As I write this I'm imagining I'm talking directly to you. When you write for an individual it is so much easier. This is because your brain is in 'conversation mode'. The words come more easily then. Plus...and this is important...conversational English is easier to read than 'written' English. Many business reports are difficult to penetrate and fail to communicate their message because the authors have spent ages agonising over the words to write them in 'business-ese'. Forget it: make your reports easy to read - and easy to write - by being conversational.
3. Get the words down and do the editing later. This is how newspapers and magazines survive. They get thousands of words first, then they knock them into shape later. Editing 'as you go' doesn't work. It slows things down. Switch off your spell checker and grammar checker. When it shows you with squiggly lines what's wrong, you'll be inclined to go back and check it. This will slow you down. Check the spelling and grammar once you have finished. That way you'll get your work done more quickly.
4. Set a deadline which is absolutely fixed. Do not set deadlines like 'next Wednesday'. Instead, set a deadline of 10.15am on Wednesday. Give yourself an immovable deadline and stick to it. The difference between newspapers, magazines, TV and radio and the rest of the world is that their deadlines cannot be moved. Each day a national newspaper produces the equivalent of two novels in terms of number of words. They can do that because the deadlines are completely fixed. The pressure of the immovable deadline is a tremendous motivator to getting the words down on paper. I know many potential authors who still haven't written their book because they keep moving their deadline. Don't do that, you'll never get your article, report or book written. Most people move deadlines because they are worrying about 'getting it right'. Forget getting it right, get it written.
5 If you really do find it difficult to put 'pen to paper' or 'finger to keyboard' tape record your thoughts, ideas, knowledge etc. into a tape recorder, or onto your PC in some way. Then get the material transcribed and use this as the basis for your written material.Or get yourself interviewed by someone in your field, then use the interview as the basis for your printed material.
6. If all else fails get a ghost writer (try http://www.elance.com). You'll only need to pay a small fee to get most things written. A book, for instance, will only cost you a few hundred dollars.
Graham Jones is a psychologist who has specialized in the way we use the Internet. He is an author of 27 books and thousands of articles. He runs Infoselling.com where you can get a FREE report on how to sell your own information products, ebooks, reports and articles online.
eco-friendly cleaning service Buffalo Grove ..If you either want to write a book to help... Read More
If you have an online home based business you know... Read More
For those looking at the jobs listings for writers, they... Read More
The journey to having my first novel for children published... Read More
One of the nice things about being an author is... Read More
SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER?Many people have entertained... Read More
At some point, every serious writer is forced to sit... Read More
If a writer considers writing to be a task, he/she... Read More
Most books aren't rejected because the stories are "bad." They're... Read More
We've all heard a politician on their soapbox, pushing for... Read More
My dad was wrong. I just discovered that I am... Read More
When my first book "Starting Your Own Business" was published... Read More
Communication is effective when we follow certain rules. These rules... Read More
A book coaching client recently emailed me that she was... Read More
You've decided to write your very own Newsletter to promote... Read More
The first step in the writing process is to put... Read More
Almost everyone could profit from enhancing their writing skills. From... Read More
At first, I noticed that I could have written many... Read More
One Saturday afternoon, I sat in a packed conference room... Read More
Dave, I just got a contract for a book... Read More
Are you ready to abandon your short stories? Before you... Read More
Have you ever had a student write to tell you... Read More
As writers, we initially tend to be either more cerebral... Read More
We all know people who ramble. They include every boring... Read More
You have a great idea for a poem, a story,... Read More
express cleaning service Arlington Heights ..Creative Writing Tips ?Writing is a creative process and how... Read More
Congratulations on writing your first book. That is quite an... Read More
William Faulkner, the great Mississippi writer, said, "The tools I... Read More
I've seen it time and again. One of the most... Read More
Whether you're interviewing for a new job, trying to woo... Read More
It's clich?, but true-a picture does paint a thousand words.... Read More
Listen, consider this scenario.You have a deadline to honour. Time... Read More
So you've got your plot outlined, a title lined up... Read More
1. Write it fast, fix it later.2. Commit to writing... Read More
Whenever you sit down to plot a story (or even... Read More
"Do I send samples, a media kit, or just the... Read More
Arrogance has a bad rap. We think of arrogant people... Read More
Mindmapping is better than linear outlining because authors can use... Read More
Did you know that your back cover information is, after... Read More
Writers are an insecure lot.It's easy to understand why. You... Read More
Technology vendors often contribute bylined articles to trade journals. The... Read More
Human beings seem to be born with a gene for... Read More
Do you have a problem creating a focus in your... Read More
So you want to be a successful author? You want... Read More
In most aspects of business, we will be expected to... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?Complete a character questionnaire for each of... Read More
You must write a hypnotic persuasion letter to help you... Read More
Day after day, writers tend to sit for hours writing... Read More
The first five pages of a novel are critical.Editors make... Read More
(Skip directly to ten for the fastest shortcut!)Like any field,... Read More
Writing |