Tips on Fun Writing from Schmeg.com

   

è Feeling frustrated with your job, people, or life in general?  Don't go over the edge -- write about it!  Turn your frustrations into helpful articles, or deal with them in fiction, even if it means saying to people (characters) what you REALLY want to say. Don't bottle it up -- turn it into a creation.

è Get a writing buddy!  Are you writing a book?  You wouldn't believe the difference a writing buddy can make.  In just two short days of having a writing buddy, I have become more enthused about my book than ever.  Why?  I think it is because I have someone to talk to about what is going on rather than battling it on my own. A writing buddy is perfect for exchanging ideas, brainstorming, and just taking a break.  Look for one - you won't regret it.

è Don't just keep talking about writing -- do it!  Take advantage of every second.  I flubbed the other day.  I took three children to the dentist's office.  There is a rule there that kiddos go back without parents because parents tend to get in the way.  I'm cool with that. But guess what I did.  I went without pen and paper.  I was there for TWO hours!  For two hours I could have written SOMETHING.  Instead, I read all about what's up with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, and how rude fashion people can be in Hollywood.  So productive.  So next time you find yourself in a position where you will be waiting, don't be an Angela -- take your paper and pen and get some real work done.

è I cut out and keep the current mastheads of favorite magazines in a file folder.  This way, after informing myself about a publication in Writers' Market, I can double check the information from their own masthead from my file before sending queries or submissions.

è The next time you claim you don't have enough time to write 100 words on your book or an article, look at the last e-mail you sent.  If you participate in group discussions, take a look at how many e-mails a day you write.  Now, cut one of those out and spend that time writing instead -- real writing!

è Do you receive the newspaper?  If so, do as I do when searching for ideas for fiction.  Grab the paper, scissors, a notebook and pen and set to cutting all the stories, even classifieds, that spark your interest.  If any immediately jump out at you with possible story lines, jot those ideas down and paperclip both together. Only write non-fiction?  This same idea works by looking at what the world happens to be interested in at the moment.  Health concerns, too much television, etc ... All new ideas can be found simply by cutting news from newspapers. Your children can help you!  Tell them what you are looking for and have them go at it.  You never know what else they may cut out that you might not have thought of.

è Unplug the Internet.  Try writing for a whole day without the Internet hooked up.  When trying to write while also online, the Internet calls softly every time.  But if you can totally unplug and resist the urge to hook up, you will find yourself writing a lot more than usual. Do you have a laptop?  Head outside and away from all phone plugs. Write, write, write. No laptop?  Pen and paper still work just fine, and there's NO way you can connect to the Internet with those.

Want to write with pen and paper but the computer keeps calling you? Set it up to do maintenance like defragging so that you can't use it.

è Need a deadline?  Enter a contest!  Find one that is either free or with a small entry fee and check the deadline date.  If it's coming up real soon, enter it.  The sooner the deadline, the better chance that you will find that free time you need to write a story to enter. Then, even if you don't win, you have a new article or story already ready for you to market.  Not winning a contest doesn't mean your work isn't any good.  Send it on out into the world and seek publication.  Many writers have reported how contests inspired an article that they were later able to sell even though they did not win the contest.  Try one today!

è Take all the magazines you have saved in a pile and set them up at a work- station for your children.  Give them safety scissors, glue sticks and construction paper and challenge them to write a whole story from pictures and words.  While they are working, write.  When they finish, give them a reward for letting you work.  If it's food, that will buy you a few more minutes for writing.

è With summer vacation coming up and many of you with children who will be home for a few months, begin to make plans now for the best effective schedule you can to keep writing.  If you normally write during the time your children are in school, start looking into activities that can occupy your children's time while you try to get some of your work done.  Also, think about summer programs they may enjoy joining that will still give you an hour or two each day to write, even if you have to do so on paper with a pen.  Perhaps you will want to set their bedtimes so that you can get some writing in before your own bedtime.  Whatever the case, summer is fast approaching in many parts of the world and you want to make sure you are prepared for it now.

è Create your own deadlines.  It is proven that many writers write best if they know they have a deadline.  By creating your own deadlines, you don't just
mark it on the calendar - you let the world know about it.  You tell your friends, family and anyone who will listen that you have a deadline and it must be met.  When you only create one for yourself, you are bound to ignore it.  But by telling others, you are more inclined to follow through, whether you have children demanding you or not. On a large calendar that can be seen by your whole family, wrote in bold, red letters DEADLINE and make sure you stick to it.  When you make it, thank your family for their cooperation and mark it off.  Not only will they see you are serious, but they will feel good to know they were a part of your success.

Become a writing buddy with another writer and make weekly goal lists, including at least one deadline.  This way, your buddy can ask you about it enough to where you would feel bad making excuses.

è  Remember when we learned in school about words that sound alike but are spelled differently?  There were words like THERE and THEIR, and even
THEY'RE.  It got confusing.  But we learned it because we had to.  Well, it's time to go back to school.  It seems as time went on, many of us forgot which words to use when.  Many writers are using YOUR when they should have used YOU'RE.  Myself, I was recently called on the words PEAK and PEEK.  Sound the same, but both are spelled differently and mean two different things.  And when it comes to impressing an editor, you want to make sure YOU are using the correct words.  Editors aren't looking for what you MEANT to say; they want to see that you KNOW what to write.  So take some time this week to go over all the words you have in written in doubt.  I bet there is one or two that you misuse without even realizing it.  PEAK was my word.  What's yours?

è Return to your roots. Not your family roots but your writing roots. When you first began writing, you probably used paper and pen/pencil. Then you advanced on to a computer (perhaps after a stop at a typewriter like myself). Now you can't even remember how to compose on paper. It's time to return to that. Break it all out (borrow some from the kids) and find a cozy place to relax. Let your mind flow and see where your hand takes you. You may discover a poet within that you never knew was there, or a fiction writer who previously only wrote non. The possibilities are endless. Re-discover your inner writing self today!

è Been thinking about writing your memoirs? Since your life story involves your children, why not gather together for a writing session. Children can spend time with you and write their own memories while you work on your own. Not only will you successfully complete your work sooner (since the children hopefully will not be bothering you), but also your children have helped put together something that can forever be a part of the family.

è Take all of those magazines you bought to read up on what certain publications want and give them to the kids with safety scissors, construction paper and glue. With everyone at the same table, tell them to cut out pictures to tell a story with. Meanwhile, you get to write at the same time they are constructing masterpieces. When everyone is finished, share all of your stories, yours included.