Creative Writing

First of all, I wanted to let everyone who tried to leave a comment the past couple of days, but found a notice that they had to sign up in order to do so, that this option has been removed. It was a minor glitch, and it has been rectified. Things happen sometimes, that are totally beyond our control, but the amazing people behind the scenes here at Today.com have fixed the problem and all is well once again.

Now, on to the business at hand. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know all there is to know about the writing industry. However, I learn something new all the time and as long as I continue to learn, I know I’m on the right path. One thing I’m learning as I go is that the things you experience in your daily life can be used in your quest to become a better, and a more creative, writer.

There’s an old saying that tells you to write what you know. Personally, I believe that if you strive to write about things you’ve got to research, you become a more well-rounded person. But, what I’m getting at here is that a lot of people don’t take into consideration everything they know. Writing what you know, doesn’t just mean writing about what you’re an expert in. It goes much deeper than that.

For me personally, I have a lot of things that I can take into this subject. I’m the child of divorce, I’m a mom, I’ve been a Boy Scout leader for 11 years, and I’ve worked with the public since I was 16 years old. Each of these elements can be used in the “write what you know” topic. Let’s use the Boy Scout experiences as an example.

In Boy Scouts, you need to learn a lot of stuff. First of all, you need to know first aid. It’s not a requirement, but it’s a really good idea. Because of this, I’ve been able to create a few articles about putting together first aid kits, ideas on emergency preparedness, and what to do in case of minor scrapes and burns. In the fiction genre, I can use this to create a mother who has to rescue one of her children or someone else around here. The possibilities are endless.

Another part of my Boy Scout experience is that I spent many years going to Boy Scout camp. This is a week long endeavor, and I learned a lot about myself and what I’m capable of. But more than that, I came up with some killer ideas for short stories. I’m currently working on a romantic story that takes place at a summer camp. No, there are no Scouts in the story. LOL

Take a little time to sit back and reflect on all the experiences you’ve had throughout your life. No matter how mundane they might seem right now, they could be used as fodder for the next great story, or as a way to help someone else out who is looking for answers. If you’re going to write what you know, reach down deep inside and collect all the data you have to work with.

I know you’ve heard a lot of people talk about writer’s block, and I’ve probably discussed it here more than once.  The thing is that there are millions of things that can kill writer’s block, it all comes down to finding that one thing that will spark a creative ember.  Today, I’m going to post a few things that might help overcome the problem.  Now, please keep in mind that I’ve grown to believe that writer’s block is basically brain overload, meaning that you’re not really blocked, you’re creative centers have just had a temporary short circuit.  Let’s see if we can fix that.

Ok, now I can’t say that these will work on everyone who stops by, but who knows.  Maybe one little idea will help at least one person find something to get back into the writing game.  If that happens, I consider this a success.  So, here are a few of the things I do to get myself into the writing mood.

Think about someone from your past.  An old boyfriend/girlfriend, your favorite high school teacher, the one person that made your skin crawl.  Doesn’t matter who it is, just sit back and think about them for a minute.  Now, set that person into a character in a story.  Make them the hero, the villain, the reason behind the story, again this really doesn’t matter as long as you turn them into a character.

Talk to yourself in a mirror.  Ok, stop laughing, I know how ridiculous that sounds, but try it.  The trick is to NOT see yourself.  Did that make sense?  Here’s what I mean.  Look at yourself as though you’re looking at one of the characters in a story.  Use various voice tones, facial expressions, head movements.  Get a feel for what you think you’re character would be like if you were to meet them in person.  (Word of caution, don’t let your kids see you do this, they’ll think you’re nuts).

Write out a list of single words.  They don’t have to make any kind of sense, just write whatever words come to mind.  Milk, frog, plague, dinosaur—whatever.  Just write until you can’t think of anything else, then go back through the list and pick out the words that really catch your eye.  Why do those words catch your eye?  Where else can you go with those words?  Run with it.

Finally, if you just can’t seem to get the words to come out, write a letter to yourself.  Explain to yourself what’s going on in your head, in your life, whatever.  Put all your feeling on paper/computer screen and get them out of your system.  All your anxieties, all your frustrations, all your emotional traumas.  Scream on paper, tell yourself off, do whatever it takes to make the words come alive.  Believe it or not, you’ll find yourself writing like your fingers are on fire.

Every writer has good days and bad days.  If you’re finding yourself in a slump, try a few of these little tricks to get back into the swing of things.  Better yet, come up with a few of your own and get back to doing what it is that you love to do; write!

I’ve written about fighting to get the words to come out, and I’ve written about getting the words to slow down long enough for you to put them to paper.  I love writing.  It’s more than just something I do, it’s what I am.  I’ve also written about my adventures in writing for other bloggers.  But what happens when one of the people you’ve written for proclaims you to the world as “one of the best” in the business?  How do you live up to the hype?

One of my best buddies is a great guy named Garry Conn.  If you ever have any questions about the business of blogging, he’s your go-to guy.  Someone asked him about hiring a writer to do their writing for them, and that’s when my buddy not only wrote an amazing review about my services, he went so far as to do a video blog about it.  I was both humbled, and horrified.  What if I can’t live up to all that he made me out to be.

Writing for the Internet is a tricky business.  It all comes down to writing in a way that sounds normal, but will still catch the attention of the search engines.  It’s not easy, but it can be done.  I know because I’ve been doing it for almost 2 years now.  But, my dilemma is that I don’t see myself as being all that good at it.  In my mind, I’m just a goober country hick from Nebraska that fell into a pile of crap and came out looking like a writer.

Think about all the things you do as a writer.  If someone was to come along and tell the world about all your fabulous qualities, how would you handle it?  What would you do if your reputation was on the line?  All comments on this are more than welcome.

Have you ever had one of those days where everything starts out crappy, then all of a sudden, you find yourself walking in a field of roses???  Ok, so I may not have the field of flowers at my feet, but this is turning out to be a wonderful day.  I got slapped with a jolt of inspiration this evening that I haven’t felt in quite some time.

I’ve mentioned in a few of my posts that I do ghost writing for other bloggers out there.  I’ve been working on one campaign that was beginning to get really stale.  Basically, I’ve been writing about the same thing over and over again.  You can only make the words sound different so many times before you just want to throw the whole thing out the window.

Well, this evening, my client sent me an email with a new batch of keywords they wanted me to write about.  For some reason, I was able to do the entire lot in one sitting.  I can’t explain it, but I’m not going to knock it.  It’s just the thing I’ve been waiting for.  I talk a lot about being a creative writer in all aspects of your writing.  The thing is that I’ve been suffering for quite some time, and even beginning to question my own abilities.

Then, like something out of a novel (pun intended), I was hit with a bolt of inspiration and my fingers haven’t stopped since.  I’ve been pretty stressed out the past few weeks, but today was different.  Even listening to everyone around me complain about it being Monday, I had one of the best days ever.

So, my lesson for today is this.  When the mood strikes you, grab it and hang on for all your worth.  Sometimes, the words feel as though they’re stuck behind a brick wall and you’ve got to dig them out with a plastic spoon.  Others, they flow like Niagra Falls and you’d better have your barrel ready cause you’re going for a ride.

Embrace your words, no matter how much they suck.

I’ve found over the years that my moods effect my writings. When I’m in a good mood, I can write until my fingers ache. But, when I’m in a bad mood, it takes everything in me to just bang out a full sentence. That is, however, until I began using my moods as a catalyst for my writings. I figured out that no matter what type of mood I was in, I could use it to my advantage.

When I’m in a good mood, I feel as though I can write just about anything. Now, that doesn’t mean it makes any sense or sounds good, but the words just seem to flow easier. However, when I’m depressed or just plain PO’d, I’d fight to get the words to come out right. That’s when I started writing out my feelings.

Before I knew it, I was using my anger to write out some pretty good dramatic scenes for my fictional stories. I used my mood to create some wonderful dialogue. Rather than scream out all the things I felt like saying, I allowed my characters to do it for me. I could create characters that would have no choice but to listen to my rants, and my family was saved from having to deal with my attitude.

I’ve used this same method when I’m sad or depressed. I sit down and write out the feelings that are filling my soul, and use it as a section of a story I’m working on. It gives me a chance to write a scene that deals with someone dealing with the same emotions I’m feeling at that time, and it gives the whole thing a more realistic sense.

Ironically, when I’m not in such a good mood, and I still take the time to sit down and write out the things I’m feeling, I tend to feel better in the end. I think the reason is that I get those feelings out in the open and off my chest. Even though I’m focusing those emotions toward a made-up character, I’m giving myself a chance to scream, rant, cry, and throw a good old fashioned pity party. And the best part is that I’m not directing these things toward real people. In the end, I’ve created some great pieces for a story and put myself in a much better mood.