Creative Writing

We writers spend countless hours working on our stories and articles. We research our papers, we make sure our spelling is correct, and we hope our muse is in a good mood when we begin the writing process. However, one thing all writers need to remember is to network.

As with any business, you need to let the world know that you exist. You might be the greatest writer of all times, but if you don’t market yourself, nobody will know how good, or bad, you really are. It’s all about how you present yourself. The better you are at gaining contacts, the better your chances are of landing a writing gig.

Most bloggers will tell you that it is essential to market yourself. There are several different ways of gaining exposure for little or no money. Social networks are a great way of meeting like-minded people. You can get a lot of people to check out your site and maybe pick up a potential client here and there.

Another way of getting noticed is by commenting on other people’s blogs. There is always a spot where you can link back to your own blog or site. The thing to remember about commenting is to always leave a relevant comment to the post in question. It shows the author that you are a real person and you actually took the time to see what they had to offer. In most cases, you’ll get a visit or two in return.

You should also create a profile signature for any forums you’re a member of, as well as your personal e-mail. You don’t need to write a small book about yourself, but create links that lead back to your work. If you link it, they will come.

Another suggestion is to exchange links with others in your field. I have yet to meet a writer who didn’t love the idea of free publicity. However, unless you really know the person/site you’re linking to, take the time to check it out. Just because someone wants to exchange links with you out of the blue, doesn’t mean they’re the kind of person you want to be associated with.

It really doesn’t take a lot of time to do a little networking. It’s just a matter of being seen in the bigger scheme of things. You know you can write, now let the rest of the world know it too.

When do you do your best writing? I’ve heard a lot of people say that you should get up first thing in the morning and start writing. That just doesn’t work for me. I’m not a morning person and never have been. I prefer to write after dark, when the rest of my family is getting ready for bed. I’ve always been a night owl. I love the way the lamp in my workspace casts an eerie glow throughout the room. It inspires me.

My friend KatieAnne, runs a really cool site called Wake Up Writing. She’s been offering daily writing prompts with this site for 6 years now. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys writing first thing in the morning, I highly recommend you check out KatieAnne’s site. Every Monday through Friday, she’ll have a new piece of inspiration for you to jump into. Her writing prompts give you a reason to start your day out creatively.

But don’t let the name fool you. KatieAnne’s prompts are just as effective for those of us who write at night. Her prompts not only give you inspiration, they really make you sit up and think. I’m particularly fond of her phobias prompt. There are so many different directions I could go with this prompt, and that’s what makes it so great.

Next time you’re looking for something to spark your creativity, check out Wake Up Writing. I’m sure you’ll find something to write about, the only problem will be in determining which way to go.

Now, I can’t speak for all writers, but I know there are times when I go through writer’s burnout. It has nothing to do with writer’s block, I can think of a thousand things I could write, but I just don’t have the drive. I start to feel that my writings are boring and stale. I don’t feel as though I have anything interesting left to say, and then I start to doubt my abilities.

So, here are a few ways in which I get back into the swing of things. I’m not going to tell you that these will work for you, but they’ve helped me several times.

Play Word Games–I’m a word game junkie. Crossword games, search-a-word games, and even trivia games. They are all ways I still hang out with the written word, but in a new light. At times, a single word can change everything.

Reading Forum Discussions–This is one of my favorites. I like to go through some of the forums I’ve joined, and read the discussions. There have been several times when certain discussions will inspire me to write an article or blog post about the subject.

Stock Photo Sites–There’s just something about visual stimulation that gets my creative juices flowing. Sometimes, it’s from a picture that has pulled on my heart strings, while other times it’s a picture that made me laugh. Something goofy will pop into my head, and I’ll have to write it down.

Virtual Vacation–Did that one make you scratch your head? I like to take virtual vacations once in a while. A virtual vacation is simply taking your mind somewhere else for a little relaxation. The best part about a virtual vacation is that it’s not just a matter of where you want to go, but when you want to go. You can hang out with the gods and goddesses of Mt. Olympias, rock out on the moons of Saturn, or play at the bottom of the sea.

When you start to feel a little burned out with your writing, don’t let it get you down. Give your brain a little down time, and let your creativity stocks replenish. You never know when you’ll come across something that will send your writing in a whole new direction.

So, you’ve got your blog up and running. You’re looking at making some money through your writings, but now comes the time to figure out what to write about. We’ve talked about using writing prompts, but is there any other way of coming up with ideas? As a matter of fact, there are a lot of other ways of coming up with ideas. Newspapers–News items are a huge topic for a lot of people. If you look at any newspaper or online news service, you’ll see hundreds of headlines that pull people in. Pick a few of them and see how much information you can come up with. Don’t copy the work, that’s a no-no, but you can take the same concept and make it your own.

Celebrities–Let’s face it, if it’s about celebrities, someone out there wants to know something about it. Celebrity news is one of the hottest topics anywhere. People can’t seem to get enough of their celebrities. It’s kind of like watching a train wreck, you don’t want to watch, but you can’t help it.

Thesaurus–Yes, believe it or not, I find inspiration in my thesaurus. I just open it up to any page, and start running through the words. I can usually find something that strikes a chord in me within just a couple of pages. Then, it’s just a matter of figuring out how to put those chords into words.

Music–I find a lot of inspiration in music. Older music, new music, classical music, whatever. When you’re listening to your favorite singer or group, really listen to the words. Feel the emotion behind the music. It usually doesn’t take too long to find something to write about in there.

Your Daily Life–Unless you stay locked inside your house day in and day out, without any outside communication, you deal with stuff on a daily basis. From your work life, to your social life, there’s something there. In my case, I’m a mom of 2 teenagers. In my life, there is never a dull moment.

Whatever you do from day to day, there is something that can spark a little writing inspiration. All you have to do is grasp it, and hang on to it. Then, just write about it.

What makes you a writer? Do you have to be a college graduate? Is it important to have published a string of paperback books? No! If you enjoy writing poetry, you’re a writer. If you write stories, you’re a writer. If you’re a blogger, you’re a writer.

Since I entered into the blogging world, I’ve been amazed at the amount of talent out there. What’s more amazing is the fact that less than half of these writers realize that they are truly writers. This is especially true in the Make Money Online field. It seems that everyone who starts a blog is in it to make some money. True, a lot of them give great information, but they don’t take the time to check their grammar or even their spelling.

The blogging industry is becoming one of the top leading industries on the Internet. It’s been proven by hundreds of people that you can make money through blogging. But in order to keep people coming to your blog, you’ve got to be a good writer. You might have all the knowledge in the world, but if your words are hard to read, you could potentially lose your customer base.

If you’re looking at getting into blogging as a way to make money, make sure you write in a way that will make your readers want to come back for more. Don’t rely on your spell checker to fix all the mistakes for you. Do your best to make sure your punctuation is correct, and stay on top of your grammar. If you can show your talents as a writer, your readers will keep coming back.