Tag Archives: generating writing ideas

Five Reasons to Write What You Know

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Guest post by Debra Johnson

You’re stuck. You have no idea what to write, how to start writing, or even where to set your story. You are frustrated, getting angry and wanting to give up this gig. Don’t give up. There is one simple trick to get writing- write what you know. What do I mean by that? Read on.

1. Write emotional- You feel things intensely. It might be your love life, your pets, even your love of food. Whatever you love or even hate will come through in your writing. The more emotion you have behind the words, the more they will connect with readers.

2. Write opinionated – don’t blend in with the crowd. You have your views on subjects, so share the. Don’t try to please others, even the hypothetical readers you’ll have. The more you sound like the group, the less people will want to listen because they’ve heard it all before. Stand out and dare to be different!

3. Write truthfully– They will know when you are lying. It will sound forced, faked, or just too complex. Real life is crazy, fantastic, and bigger than anything you can make up. So write the truth. It has more impact when people know you are just being honest. Even if you are writing fiction essential truths are always there.

4. Write local – You know where you live. You know what it smells like, sounds like, how hard it is to get around, how the people act and relate. Use that. Even if the location is just a tiny blip in your story, the realism will bleed through. It will make your story a richer, more vibrant place for your characters to roam.

5. Write life –You’ve lived. You’ve experienced. Even the most boring and normal person has done and seen things that few others ever have. Share your life with your readers. It doesn’t have to be non-fiction, maybe your character visited the bathroom and saw a Daddy Long Legs on the wall. Maybe she walked past a department store and could swear the mannequin winked at her. It doesn’t have to be anything complex, but just adding that little spark of real life makes your stories more powerful.

There it is; five reasons to write what you know. You know a lot more than you give yourself credit for. You’ve lived a full, rich life and you need to share it with the world. It might be through poetry, fiction, or non-fiction, but any style of writing can be improved by just knowing what you are writing about.

About the Author: This guest post is contributed by Debra Johnson, blogger, editor & a knowledge gainer of  being full time nanny.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: – jdebra84 @ gmail.com.

 

 

Article Writing Tips: Never, Ever Run out of Ideas

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Most writers have found themselves staring at a blank piece of paper, or a blank screen and feeling a bit of panic in the pit of their stomach because they can’t think of a single thing to write. The goal of this article is to make sure that you never find yourself in that position ever again. Let’s take a look at a few ways to create a never-ending flow of article ideas.

This article is written on the premise that you will be writing keyword optimized articles for the purpose of article marketing, but the tips on idea generation can really be used for any kind of writing projects.

Plan Ahead
Keep a list of keywords that your web site is focused on, and update this list every week. When you are ready to begin writing, consult this list to get the ideas flowing.

Capture Ideas
Use a small notebook that you carry with you everywhere to jot down ideas that strike you throughout the day. Better yet, jot down these thoughts in your PDA or smart phone and then email them to yourself. If an idea strikes and you don’t have your notebook with you, call and leave yourself a voicemail message with as many details about the idea that you can come up with.

Create a Swipe File
Open a Notepad or word processing document and use this to capture snippets of copy, headlines, graphics–anything that inspires you or gives you an idea to write about. Keep this open while you are writing so that you can take down those quick things that occur to you as you are working on other writing projects.

Brainstorm Article Titles
Come up with a list of titles for articles that you want to write articles for. Copy good titles that you find into your swipe file to inspire you.

Use Mind Maps
Mind mapping is a fabulous way to prime your brain’s creative pump. You simply write a keyword in the center of a piece of paper. Draw a circle around it and jot down thoughts related to that word or idea and draw lines from the keyword out to the related words. Visit mind-mapping.org to find an endless supply of mind mapping and creativity resources.

Try any of these techniques that appeal to you and you will never again face the terror of a blank screen. Keep adding to your swipe file and use the mind mapping technique and you will exponentially expand your productivity.

Evelyn Bourne is a freelance writer who specializes in creating compelling Internet content from SEO articles to blog posts, eBooks and special reports. Guess what? She is available for hire. You are invited to visit http://contentcreation.wordpress.com to find out about how she can create content for you.

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