Creative Writing

I’ve had quite a few people ask me how to go about getting the word out about their writing skills and talents to the rest of the world. I’m probably not the most qualified to answer this question, but I’m going to give it a shot. I won’t tell you what you should or shouldn’t do, I’ll just tell you what I’ve been doing and go from there.

Of course, it’s all going to depend on your level of writing and in what genre you write. For those who write fiction, I’d say to join in several of the writing groups that cater to this style. Though I love to write my short stories, I don’t make a ton of money from it. I’ve made a little, but not much. Sites such as Writers Weekly offer market listings for print magazines that accept submissions for fictional stories. Another site, called Duotrope.com , sends out a weekly newsletter filled with listings of sites and print magazines looking for submissions.

I know more about writing articles and other forms of non-fiction, but again, I wouldn’t call myself an expert. Again, Writers Weekly is a wonderful resource for finding markets for your articles, no matter which topic you write about. Another great place to look is a website called Freelance Writing Gigs . This site has new listings for writing jobs every day, mostly online. However, they do post gigs for Internships and print publications as well.

The one thing that has worked best for me, however, is simply through word of mouth. When I first started writing online, I joined forums, writing groups, and anything else where I could let it be known that I was a writer. And from there, it just kind of snowballed. I wrote a couple of articles for one person, and the next thing I knew, I was doing more writing for other people than for myself. Which is why I haven’t been updating this site as often as I should. But, I won’t complain.

There is no right or wrong way to get yourself noticed as a writer. Just remember these few things:

a.) There is always someone out there who writes better than you

b.) There is always someone out there who writes worse than you

c.) Quality is more important than quantity

And most of all, it’s your creativity that makes you who you are.

What happens when the person who gives inspiration, needs a bit for themselves? I’ve been working so hard on building up one of the my other blogs, and pumping out a ton of articles for others, that I’ve all but forgotten about this one. Well, not really forgotten about it, but I’m beginning to feel stale. So, this post is more a way for me to get some of my spark back.

What are some of the ways in which you gain inspiration for the things you write? Do you have a ton of ideas running around your head? Or do your ideas come from reading the blogs and articles of other writers? I find inspiration all around me, much of which comes from the things I watch on television. I don’t watch soap operas or reality shows, I’m addicted to historic documentaries. And this is why many of the writing prompts I come up with have an ancient flavor to them.

Something I’m learning, the hard way, is that possible to exhaust yourself when writing. When you spend hour after hour writing about many different topics, your brain starts to go on strike. That’s when you’ve got to stop the working process and allow your brain to run free. Just like people who work in an office or those who work as laborers, you’ve got to take a vacation once in a while. I’m finding that it’s the same thing when writing.

Ok, I’m not saying that you’ve got to pack a bag and physically leave your house. I’m saying that you’ve got to allow your mind to wander, let the creative side to just take over and do its own thing. Visit the moons of Jupiter, go skiing in the Himalayan mountains, or simply check out any of the millions of travel sites and take a virtual vacation. The thing is that when you give your brain the chance to do what it wants, you can become much more productive.

If you don’t believe the things I’ve just said, go back and re-read this entire post. Why? Because this whole article is being written on the fly. I’m just letting my brain take over and not thinking about the perfect keyword, or trying to create something that a client will consider worth paying for. No, I’m just letting my mind wander and free writing as I go. And honestly, it feels great.

Well, we’ve made it through another year.  I hope this finds everyone feeling fine and not too hungover from last night’s entertainments.  I was a good kid and stayed home.  Not much of a stretch for me, as I rarely go anywhere anyway, but I thought it would be a good idea to bring in the new year doing what I love best; writing.

I’ve been reading several other blogs the past few days, and it seems that everyone is posting their New Year’s resolutions and goals for the coming year.  There are all the usual ones like losing weight and giving up various vices, but you won’t find those things here.  First of all, I haven’t made a New Year’s resolution since the 80’s and I’m famous for breaking every major goal I’ve ever really set for myself.

I do have a couple goals set for this year, but I’m going to try and keep them at a minimum so I’ll have a better chance of meeting them.  My goals for this year are to keep my blogs updated a little better than I have been, and to finish the e-book I’ve been working on for the past several months.  I figure that if I can achieve those 2 goals, I’ll have done something wonderful.

What types of goals have you set for yourself this year?  I think writers should set goals for themselves, but I don’t think they should go overboard.  When setting goals for yourself, keep in mind the other things that happen in your life and factor that into the equation.  Family, real-world jobs, and sort of thing.

I remember when I was in school, one of my teachers gave a speech about short range and long range goals.  As a writer, I’ve found that this is one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever heard.  As you look at the goals you’ve set for yourself, see which ones fall into which category.  For instance, say one of your goals is to get that novel published.  That would be the long range goal.  Now, figure out what it’s going to take to make that happen, and work on the short range goals.  Goal #1, get that first draft done.  Goal #2, do your editing and revisions.  And so on.  By meeting each of your short range goals, you’ll soon find that your long range goal is in sight and can become the reality you’ve been dreaming about.

I know many of you will read this and think, “Well, duh”.  However, there are a lot of times when we all forget that it takes baby steps in order to run a marathon.  I wish for you all to meet your writing goals this coming year and I hope you’ll come by and share your achievements with the rest of us.

To all my writing minions, have a happy and creative new year!!!