Do you have trouble getting your thoughts and ideas down into an article? Do you find it difficult to put 'pen to paper' to get your book started? Do you sit facing a blank screen struggling to find the words to write? If so, here are some tips and strategies you can use to get your material written quickly.
1. As daft as this may sound, don't worry about the words. Most delays appear to be trying to choose the words. You don't do this when in conversation. The words come naturally. By trying to be careful over the words, you are interrupting your brain's word selection processes. The result is that you can't choose the words - because you are trying! So, don't try to choose the right words. Just get writing - your brain will choose the right words. Trust it, just as you do in conversation.
2. To make it easier for you to get writing, start off as though you were speaking to an individual. As I write this I'm imagining I'm talking directly to you. When you write for an individual it is so much easier. This is because your brain is in 'conversation mode'. The words come more easily then. Plus...and this is important...conversational English is easier to read than 'written' English. Many business reports are difficult to penetrate and fail to communicate their message because the authors have spent ages agonising over the words to write them in 'business-ese'. Forget it: make your reports easy to read - and easy to write - by being conversational.
3. Get the words down and do the editing later. This is how newspapers and magazines survive. They get thousands of words first, then they knock them into shape later. Editing 'as you go' doesn't work. It slows things down. Switch off your spell checker and grammar checker. When it shows you with squiggly lines what's wrong, you'll be inclined to go back and check it. This will slow you down. Check the spelling and grammar once you have finished. That way you'll get your work done more quickly.
4. Set a deadline which is absolutely fixed. Do not set deadlines like 'next Wednesday'. Instead, set a deadline of 10.15am on Wednesday. Give yourself an immovable deadline and stick to it. The difference between newspapers, magazines, TV and radio and the rest of the world is that their deadlines cannot be moved. Each day a national newspaper produces the equivalent of two novels in terms of number of words. They can do that because the deadlines are completely fixed. The pressure of the immovable deadline is a tremendous motivator to getting the words down on paper. I know many potential authors who still haven't written their book because they keep moving their deadline. Don't do that, you'll never get your article, report or book written. Most people move deadlines because they are worrying about 'getting it right'. Forget getting it right, get it written.
5 If you really do find it difficult to put 'pen to paper' or 'finger to keyboard' tape record your thoughts, ideas, knowledge etc. into a tape recorder, or onto your PC in some way. Then get the material transcribed and use this as the basis for your written material.Or get yourself interviewed by someone in your field, then use the interview as the basis for your printed material.
6. If all else fails get a ghost writer (try http://www.elance.com). You'll only need to pay a small fee to get most things written. A book, for instance, will only cost you a few hundred dollars.
Graham Jones is a psychologist who has specialized in the way we use the Internet. He is an author of 27 books and thousands of articles. He runs Infoselling.com where you can get a FREE report on how to sell your own information products, ebooks, reports and articles online.
In a crowded market, clients will be seeking personality as... Read More
Ever wondered how the most successful children's book writers get... Read More
Dream that your book can be a number one best... Read More
Why is it that so many people don't take writing-as-a-job... Read More
If you want to be a writer, you must write... Read More
Being a great writer is no longer enough if you... Read More
Remember back in the dark days of your school years... Read More
I owe the completion and success of my book to... Read More
If you either want to write a book to help... Read More
Open any book on 'how to write,' and somewhere you... Read More
Our Freelance Writing Needs DefinedWe must make freelance niche types... Read More
I went to school to be a teacher. In fact,... Read More
During the past few months I have received many questions... Read More
There's nothing that kills a scene like hackneyed dialogue. Just... Read More
Everybody knows writing a story is not easy. Like the... Read More
How many of you take the time to really write... Read More
Characters in a good novel really carry the story along... Read More
Authors need to write their book according to their target... Read More
Not long ago, I went to an Internet Marketing Seminar.... Read More
* Scanning and Skimming Practices *Whether you're writing e-mail messages... Read More
So you're one of 20 million Americans who want to... Read More
Regardless of what sort of writer you are and how... Read More
And a dreadful thing from the cliff did spring, and... Read More
1. SECRETS TO SUCCESS2. MAKING A POWERFUL FIRST IMPRESSION3. AVOID... Read More
ADAPTATION 101Brimming with confidence, you've just signed the check purchasing... Read More
If your articles aren't getting published very often, or you... Read More
Q. My writing sounds stiff and stilted. Help!A. Memories of... Read More
Bookcoaching clients come to me at different stages of writing... Read More
You are far more likely to successfully write and publish... Read More
May I tell you about a writing technique shared by... Read More
How to avoid mistakes that undermine your credibilityYou're probably already... Read More
Often, time is an enemy of writers. Sales seem slow... Read More
For several years before I left teaching to write full... Read More
Remember back in the dark days of your school years... Read More
No matter what your fifth-grade English teacher says, some grammar... Read More
ESSAYS ON AUTOBIOGRAPHY: NUMBER 1Preamble:Nearly seven years ago I wrote... Read More
Griselda spent hours polishing up her resume. No detail was... Read More
A certified proofreader is one that has taken a few... Read More
Writers are often are greatly surprised or disappointed by how... Read More
Want to write a how-to article but can't come up... Read More
As a professional copywriter, not only do I do a... Read More
The decision to publish a book is very exciting! It... Read More
1. What Is A Premise?A premise is the point you... Read More
WRITING THE PERSONAL STATEMENT TO GET INTO UK UNIVERSITYHOW DO... Read More
My husband is no poet, so when I offer my... Read More
If you become a writer for any publication, private business,... Read More
In one of the exercises in my "Getting Started as... Read More
SALE, SAIL Sale is either offering something for purchase... Read More
Virgil, the great Roman poet, wrote "Practice and thought might... Read More
Not all writers write good grammar. That's a fact. It's... Read More
First, let's tackle the question that is uppermost in many... Read More
If you're getting rejections from your submissions, please don't quit... Read More
Your struggling to sell just a few copies of your... Read More
There are three ways to write a first draft. One... Read More
Why is it that so many people don't take writing-as-a-job... Read More
Recently I was watching the Oprah show and it was... Read More
The only way to become a writer is to write.... Read More
Has the thought run across you mind that you might... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?Writing is a creative process and how... Read More
Dave, I just got a contract for a book... Read More
The following rules are essential if you want people to... Read More
You may wonder why I have chosen this title of... Read More
The purpose of this article is to consider Print-On-Demand publishing... Read More
If you're targeting an educated, more affluent audience with your... Read More
You are the only one who knows what being a... Read More
Why should you consider creating a memoir of your personal... Read More
Writing |