Happy days… it’s time for our first Fab Freelance Writing Ezine Contest.
Here’s how to enter.
Entering the contest is simple. Your entry consists of a short “How I Write” essay of 100 to 200 words.
To enter, just describe how you write. You could include:
* Where and when you write;
* What you use to write (computer or pen and paper or ___?);
* The writing schedule you keep;
* Anything you like, as long as it fits the “How I write” theme of the contest.
Keep it short and sweet; write from 100 to 200 words.
Simple, yes?
Post your entry in the Comments to this post.
Writers are always interested in how others write, so I hope this contest will inspire and motivate us all. 
The Prize
Your prize is a Premium Sell Your Writing Online NOW (SYWON) web writing membership, worth over $800 dollars.
The winning entry will be chosen by a current SYWON member.
The Contest Rules
Please read these rules carefully, and follow them. They’re not onerous.
1. You MUST be subscribed to Fab Freelance Writing Ezine to win.
If you received an email message with a link to this post, you’re subscribed. You’re also subscribed if you received a download link to the “Write And Sell Your Writing: The Power-Write Report – 2010″.
2. Post your entry in the Comments to this post. No other entries will be considered. Comments are moderated, and any entries with promotional links (such as those to affiliate products) will be summarily deleted.
3. The prize is not transferable. That is, should you win, you may not sell the prize to someone else, nor may you exchange the prize for cash, by selling it on eBay, or anywhere else. If you win, you win.
4. Entries close on April 30, 2010. The winner will be notified on May 5, 2010, by email, and on this blog.
5. Current SYWON members: if you win, you complete your training for free — and if you’re on a Standard membership, you’ll be upgraded to Premium. Thanks to Tammi for suggesting this.
Good luck, and happy writing.
Info Product Maestro: Make $500 a Day with Your Information Products
Sell Your Writing Online NOW
This sounds fun. Can SYWON students compete to finish our course for free?
Great question Tammi.
Yes, you certainly may. I’ll amend the rules.
How I Write- I write on notepads, on my computer, on sticky notes, and sales receipts. I write on my blogs, in my calendar, on cutsie papers, and in pretty journals. I write whenever and wherever I can because my dream of becoming a published and paid writer can’t possibly come true without putting words to the page. But mostly I write because I simply love to write. It soothes my soul. To have a reader is the frosting on the cake, to actually be paid is pure bliss.
I write in my desk in my room, usually the window next to my desk is open to let in fresh air, even if it’s cold. Writing when it’s night-time, or evening is usually a great time. I work better under stress, and that’s when the mind soars. My schedule consists of relaxing a bit, listening to ambient classical music, then sitting down and writing. I use a simple tool of paper and pencil, it’s the best there is. Listening to music really helps inspire amazing things, I strongly suggest it. Writing can be done any way, as long as it helps you write!
How I Write
When it comes to writing, a few things that I tend to not leave behind. The first one is my passion for writing, second is my trusted 13.1 inch laptop, and the third one is the Internet connection for easy reference. With these three things switched on, I can sit on my favourite sofa at home and write the whole day from ghost writing to report writing to ebook translation to just giving simple comments on other blogger’s site as long as my fingers are hitting on the keyboard. And sometimes I could be joining cool contest such as the one my favourite freelance writing guru is having here. And that, ladies and gentleman, is how I write. Cheers!
Note to Angela:
Thanks for making this a contest. It’s so much fun in a simple kinda way.
My SWYON membership is currently canceled at the moment (my own fault) but I’m going to enter anyways because I think this should be interesting.
My writing usually starts out in my little notebook that I keep in my back pocket for ideas and whatnot. After that, my writing usually consists of sitting at my desktop computer writing in spurts between getting my kids out of things.
After I’m done writing, I take a break for a bit and then come back to edit before I send it to wherever it’s going. If I’m writing something bigger than something like an article, then it’s the same process but just a little bit at a time.
Sometimes I do get the chance to write without the kids around (I love em, honest!) it’s usually at night. I keep them as rough drafts till the next day because by then I’m pretty tired and editing is pretty well out of the question.
That is the normal process, but sometimes I get the chance to write on my little rinky dinky mobile computer (not a laptop) which I then go back over later on the pc.
Either way, I always have my little notebook with me. I come up with ideas when I’m not writing, so when I do get to writing I can get into much faster.
There have been many days when I felt that there were no words in me. But just as a singer or musician must “warm up” prior to a performance, so must a writer, I feel. I pick up my journal (a small book with lined pages and a plain cover) and I just write about anything and everything. I write about my schedule for the day, what I plan to make for dinner, what is bothering me–I write as if no one other than myself will ever read what I have written. Before I know what has happened, several pages are filled and I am ready to tackle any other subject that I would like to write about that day. This simple exercise works for me every time!
I write. That’s how, when, and what I do. I just write. Well, it’s not really all that simple, but yet it is. Many teachers both old and new will tell you the same thing. In order to write, you just have to write. However, we all have our own little idiosyncrasies and now I’ll share mine with you. I crawl out of bed each morning before the rest awaken, make my way to my special coffee mug which warns others to be careful or wind up in my novel, and then slide behind my desk and into my world. The creative vibes start flowing with the scratch of my fountain pen across the journal pages. Sometimes I’ll work on a storyline after my journal, but my journal is a must and an always.
At work I write on memos and scratch pads and even with my mouth on a recorder. In the evening it’s just me and my recliner, my headphones, my laptop and coffee until midnight. Regardless of how and when, I just write. I must. I am writing and writing is me. One with pen and paper….that is how I write.
Everyday I try to wake up at 3am and write until 6am because my fulltime job requires me to work for 10-12 hours on weekdays.
I usually write in my small desk with my laptop. I realized lately (thanks to Angela’s weekly newsletter) that preparing an outline before writing works for me. I am more productive and it saves my time for research which I usually do in the evening after office hours.
Then on weekends I wrap up my unfinished projects and prepare my schedule for next week.
Cheers..
P.S. Writing isn’t writing for me without a mug of coffee.
As a world champion procrastinator I find an imminent deadline is the only cure — it sharpens the mind, focuses the concentration skills and gets me writing like the wind! If you can focus, you can write anywhere, anytime. I’ve filed features for magazines from a bar in Hong Kong, the veranda of my parents’ weekender in the bush and the basement of a hotel in Brazil. I even wrote a speech in an internet cafe in Launceston the day before I had to deliver it at the University of Tasmania. But for every case of deadline nerves I thank my lucky stars for the experiences being a writer has given me: first class all expenses paid travel to places such as Kruger National Park, Turtle Island and New York, and meeting fascinating people — from Hollywood stars to gourmet food producers. Above all, writing has given me a continual education. This week I wrote about platinum mining, next week it’s opportunities to work as a volunteer abroad. Who knows what the next week — and next deadline — will bring?
To become a writer has been my goal. Procrastinator as I was, it took me ten long years to actually write daily. I did write for those ten long years, but only when I had the deep urge to do so; when I could no longer contain the words that were struggling within me to get out. Most of all, I write wholeheartedly when I was hurting or in mild depression. Writing produced in me a kind of relaxed feeling and fullness of being.
It was early last year when I considered writing seriously; especially when I met online gurus like Angela who encouraged and inspired me. Now I write daily even if I do not feel like writing. I write even if I do not have anything in mind. I write even if my office mate is conversing with me. I write even if clients are interrupting my concentration. I write even if I know I do not know where or how to end my topic. I just write.
I write on the computer when I am in the office. I write on my journal in the quiet of the morning. I write on my notebook in the silence of the night.
It takes only one thing to stop me from writing: when my three-year old toddler sits on my lap wanting to be cuddled.
I write what I feel and I fell what I write.
Like a bird in the wind my imagination takes flight.
Sometimes it has direction, other times it just flows.
Headed to a destination that know one really knows.
Coffee in one hand and a pen in the other, I sit at my table and let my thoughts wonder.
Mostly at work but sometimes when I’m home, in the stillness of time is when my mind roams.
My thoughts become solid as I write them in ink, now my thoughts are yours to read so tell me what do you think.
How I write
As a freelance writer, most of my writing is on assignment. Thus, I usually have a deadline and at least some instructions to follow. Based on that, here’s what I do:
1. After outlining what I need to include in the article and doing my research, I generally block out a period of time to write (usually during school hours).
2. I write a rough draft, then “let it gel” a day or at least a few hours.
3. I read it over, correct typos and fill in any holes I’ve discovered.
4. If it’s a SEO (search engine optimization) article, I count the keywords and add or subtract as needed.
5. I read the copy and the instructions again.
6. I pass the copy to my husband or to one of my very literate children to read, correcting copy as necessary.
7. Finally, before I submit it, I’ll run it through a plagiarism checker to make sure I didn’t inadvertently copy someone else.
8. When that’s done, I close my eyes, say a prayer and click “send.”
9. Repeat as necessary to meet my earnings goal.
I write late in the afternoons and evenings because I usually spend the mornings exercising and trying to get the house in order. By the afternoon, I’m feeling guilty, and by the evening I’m in the flow, tapping into a natural rhythm that comes to me when the shadows gather outside my office, turning the glass patio doors from transparent to solid black.
When I write for clients, I use my computer because I’m a fast typist and I benefit greatly from the invention of spell-check on my word processing document. However, when I write for myself, I write long-hand with a 0.7 gel pen that reminds me of when I was young and used fountain pens for my school essays. These writings are journal entries, and my office has many multicolored journals scattered like autumn leaves on a windswept day.
The writing schedule I keep is regimented. I list all the things I’m hired to write–articles, sales copy, and blog posts–and organize these by priorities. Then I tackle each project in a methodical way: researching the subject, organizing my notes, choosing an outline style, writing quickly, composing spontaneously as I go but guided by the structure of my thematic template, reviewing and editing, and submitting to the client.
I’m the volunteer PR guy for the temple I belong to, I use Word on my Dell laptop. I keep the releases in a separate document folder titled ‘Temple Stuff’ . As the stories are aged out I simply delete the body copy, leaving the contact info and the formatting intact, while changing the name of the file after I ‘save’. I use E-mail to send, I paste the releases in and also send the file as an attachment. I keep the copy tight and to the point with the time honored Five W’s learned in Journalism 101, and get ‘published’ almost verbatim evey time.
How do I write? Let me count the ways. No, let me count the numerous paper notebooks I keep around for jotting down sundry thoughts and ideas with my trusted fine-point zebra. The problem is that my disparate thoughts on the same theme may be spread over ten different notebooks. And I am a senior; so the memory is not what it used to be. I find the bits and pieces I have tucked away by playing a little game. One of my notebooks is an old Day-Timer leather-bound agenda cover packed with refill pages which I have labelled ‘Flagship’. Others have names like ‘Pinta’, ‘Nina’, ‘Santa Maria’ etc. Efficient cross-referencing and linking is the name of the game and it is fun. Once I have gathered the notes for the target theme, I assemble them on to my laptop using Word. A bit of editing and off we go. I write deep into the night against my doctor’s wishes. The silence all around helps me hear my own mind, and for a writer, it is a primal source of inspiration.
My passion for writing has made me an avid fan of blogging. This is my way of keeping my sanity from the hassle and bustle of city life. When I write, I call it – “unloading the trashes in my mind”. The “trashes” which make others smile and say, “Hey! you can write and touch our hearts”. My thoughts flow freely best late at night till wee hours in the morning. And when I wake up, I end up with raccoon-like eyes. No matter how I would look like for staying up so late at night just for the love of blogging, my passion for writing hasn’t yet died or will never be. In my room, sitting in front of the computer, I write directly on the blog and press the “publish” button when my heart says, “Let it go and share the thoughts from you hearts to everyone you know”. – Rainbow / Philippines
Every day, starting at around 5 or 6 in the morning, I am on the computer typing as fast as I can, writing my morning pages. It has become a treasured morning ritual for me these past four months. I’d have to say it has been a transformational experience. Ever since I turned 50 years old last summer I’ve been evolving at a rate I never anticipated a year before. The writing has just accelerated that growth. I’ll write about whatever is on my mind; it can be something small like my thoughts on a speech I had heard or at one point I wrote a hypothetical letter to my 19 year old daughter relating pieces of my life I had never told her about before. Perhaps it would give her a little more perspective on her mother. Well, three days later that “letter” wound up exploring issues from my upbringing in a way I never would have anticipated; I was in tears. Since then I have found that My Journal has become a “friend” in a true sense; I not only write to my journal, but “it” writes to me……
How I Write: When I can steal a moment, I fire up my laptop, open a Word document, and let it rip. I’ll lounge on my bed with my laptop, working on press releases for clients, or I’ll perch at my desk, staring out the second-story window at the street below, as inspiration strikes. And then I type, my fingers flying over the keys, my cat peering at me suspiciously from the bed, as my words form on the white screen. Sometimes I’ll put in my earbuds and listen to music, but my writing flows best when the background noise is just the hum of my computer, the snoring of my cat, and soft breaths over the baby monitor, punctuated by the occasional car ambling down my quiet suburban street.
My day revolves around writing pieces and then some more. Each word is like an urge from some corner of my mind, or “soul” to get a bit philosophical, and it give me utter joy. The successful completion of a work gives me jitters to say the least. I write in my house, anywhere depending on my mood, and I have a cuppa next to me while I dig in the pearls which general public calls “words”
I use my Sony laptop for writing, it has been my companion for good and the worse. I’d need a schedule if I have other better things to do, but in my current incarnation at least, writing seems to be the best thing, so I don’t really need to schedule, it tends to naturally flow. Nothing is better than lazing around in your couch, reading and absorbing as much you can, and producing some masterpieces!
Alternatively, I write at a retro-style cafe at the Camberwell Street in Melbourne. The place gives me extra-kick to see the beauty in things with the fresh brewed coffee and sweet-smelling breads! With writing, truly, I almost realize there’s so much to life. Ah…pure bliss.
I write in fits and starts; a bit here, a bit there. Fitting it in as I can amongst the mundane but necessary tasks of the day, tasks that fade into oblivion when I get half a chance.
In these sporadic snatches of time I write fluidly, spontaneously, urgently – the words flow from my fingertips across the page or screen, nothing getting in their way. They are life itself – seeing, breathing, animated objects, asserting their right to be there. They spring forth of their own volition, I cannot stop them; they make their way from somewhere deep inside and jostle each other for a place on the page, each one proclaiming to be the perfect one for the requirement at hand.
Just for now, as those daily tasks distract me from my purpose, I must be satisfied for these fleeting moments to appear just often enough to tempt and tantalize me with their taste, edging me forward, urging me to hold on to the promise of the next fleeting moment where I can again succumb to the power of those words as they strive to reach their rightful position on the page.
How I write….
Every night I set my alarm for 3:55am, my intention-to get up and write in the dark, distraction-free, depths of the early morning. But when the alarm goes off, I look at the clock and remember that I am the furthest thing from a morning person. I smile at the many hours I still have available to sleep and doze off.
You could say that I do everything I possibly can before I actually sit down to write. I read about a writer once who alphabetized the cans of soup in her cabinet just to postpone actually sitting down and putting pen to paper; I’ll often feel as if I have a kindred spirit as I use a q-tip to clean the crevices in the dashboard of my car or scrub the burners on the stove with a brillo pad.
Finally when I’m good and ready, I’ll start typing a piece of writing that isn’t my own. If I have to write a sales letter, I’ll type out one of the expertly written letters I have from my swipe file. If it’s fiction I’m writing, I’ll start typing out a random chapter from one of my favorite books. Soon, I’ll start to fall in love with the words, the metaphors, the themes that show up as I type. That’s when I get down to business. I’ll find my clipboard, turn it upside down (the clip at the top proves to be the biggest nuisance for lefties), and I’ll write in the most undecipherable penmanship one can imagine until instinct tells me I’m done for the day….unless of course I have a deadline. In that case, I soldier on and thank my lucky stars, I’m a night person.
**and I’ll always prove to be extra verbose, writing far more words than I’m supposed to as I’ve done here. But that entails revising…and how I revise would be a whole different contest.
I have a broken ankle to thank for my current writing space.
Since my kids were young I had my computer set up in our basement- away from the noise and distractions and prying little fingers.
The children are now grown but old habits remain.
But a couple of years ago I broke my ankle and couldn’t get down the stairs so the computer was brought upstairs to a desk by the living room window. ………. and it is so much pleasanter to work there. I have never returned to the basement.
I can write only when in front of a keyboard – I think and have ideas in other places but I can’t settle down and write – so I bought myself an Alphasmart word processor, which is much lighter and sturdier than a laptop and it travels around with me.
As I teach as well as write- most of my writing is done in the evening….and if there’s a deadline looming then I can carry on through the night – once again a habit left over from the days when the only ‘sure’ quiet time I had was when everyone was asleep.
I only write non-fiction. When I write, I always consider the reader. It has to be something that I am sure that the reader will need to hear and their lives will be improved by reading it.
I was an abused child and reading was my escape. Because of the abuse, I gravitated towards the helping professions. Like reading helped me escape, by writing, I feel like I am helping people. I will stew in my own juices considering an article. Once I get an idea, I mull it over in my mind from several days to several weeks. Once it is finished in my mind, I sit down and let it flow out of my fingers onto the computer keyboard in one sitting. I tweak it until I am satisfied with it.
The writing is the easy part. The hard part is shopping for a venue that will accept my piece. Here is where you need a strong sense of self confidence and not get down with the inevitable rejections. You have to believe in yourself and your piece and wave off the rejections and keep on until someone buys it.
Blessings on your and yours. John Wilder
Words sometimes flow and at other times, I have to battle for days till a couple of hours before the deadline when I force myself to type my words in MS-Word. For relaxed writing, I do it as I travel in train, once or twice a month. Writing while in train helps me be more creative as I don’t have to give notice to the phone calls, household work or attend courier people who knock at the door. This is also the time when I stick on to notebook and pen. I also mark the date, time and train I’m traveling, to which destination before I start writing.
My husband’s three-shift schedule and other commitments do not let me choose a fixed timing for writing.
Currently, I am writing a couple of ebooks. One requires fair amount of research. The process is slow but I prefer to enjoy and write rather than hurrying with unverified data. For local assignments too, I try to include international / foreign expert quotes. I believe such quotes gives a specialized touch to my article. I write about my writing and promote my works through my work blog that helps me in winning more assignments.
I write using Microsoft word on my laptop or sometimes on my desktop computer. On occasion I will rough draft with pen and paper first, then type it out on the computer.
I write search engine optimized articles on various topics for clients who use them on their website or blog. How I format the article will depend on the guidelines or information given to me by the client.
Normally I will write in the evenings unless the workload is high and it requires that I also get up early in the morning. I write very early in the morning before getting my kids ready for school and myself ready for work. As a single mother I sometimes have to write simply whenever I can find the time which may include weekends.
I write too slowly and always research new ways to complete the articles much more efficiently. At the moment I write for very little money but it helps. One day I hope to write quicker, better and be paid well for it. The ultimate dream is to write full time, have my own team of writers and pass what I know on to them.
How I Write by Doug Jackson
I write in pain, passing time, watching time and judging time by weakness, waste and moments of knowingness. I write hopped up on caffeine hoping to chase down my last thought that rushed out before I was able contemplate the melting ice-cube that falls victim to room temperature. My possessed pen controlled by a timeless soul writes without care of the past, present and future, in the effort of always searching for the unthought-of thought, banking on the fact that I’ve done it before. This is how I write.
I can write just anywhere – sitting under a tree, sitting on the dining table, in the car. All I need is a laptop which is my favourite possession and free time to myself. The thoughts from my mind start flowing like a river with a lot of natural flow. One after the other the thoughts keep coming. My fingers move at a great speed on my laptop and I like to capture them at the same time. Be it my children who wish to listen to a story or I have to narrate an event, it is done with lot of emotions added to it. Without those emotions I would not be able to write ever. It is my experience of life and my friends who made my writing always possible.
I’m not sure how I write yet.
I haven’t written anything more substantive than 2 or 3 paragraph emails since I took half of a creative writing class in 1991. I only took half of the class because I had to quit halfway through, to provide transportation for my grandmother after her stroke. The only thing I remember about the class was an assignment to write an essay about coyotes.
I recently decided that since I’ve been sucking in words for so long, I surely had enough to rearrange. So, I just sit down and write whatever comes to mind, and then go back and take out everything that’s not interesting. It seems to be working so far, and I don’t have to edit much.
It also works even when i don’t have anything in mind to write about beforehand. I intend to write what I’m thinking and then my mind always goes blank, so I just write the same thing over and over. Eventually it gets boring, and something interesting that I wasn’t even considering writing about spews forth.
I’m at the very beginning of the proverbial million words, and I can’t wait to see where they take me.
Brian, re “I can’t wait to see where they take me”… Excellent point, because that’s what’s exciting about writing. Every day, a new beginning, with new ideas and words to play with. Good luck with the million words — you’ve got the right attitude.
I write with a quill on vellum parchment paper, in an Italian palazzo, in the mountains beside a lake. I wake up every morning in light-filled white room, and a cup of steaming black coffee is brought to me, along with the lightest flakiest croissants, hand baked by my chef. I then bathe in a marble tub sunken into the floor. Upon dressing I head to my writing room where all is peace, quiet, paintings on the walls and floor to ceiling shelves lined with books.
I read over what I wrote the day before and get cracking, stopping only for a lunch brought to me by my resident elves. After that I swim in the lake – not really advised – and return for an hour or more of further writing.
Or at least that’s how I would write, in an ideal world.
…….mostly poetry….. my words EXPLODE when I feel…
……when my inner self is moved and strings pull it out to express…
I do not use specific p u n c t u a t i o n marks…
I am a fan of multiple dots…
……my best writing reveals when listening to unusual music with a TRANCE effect….
ACTUALLY I feel like dreaming when writing…
I believe in the power of uncensored thought…..
I WRITE….so I could read…playing with letters and rhythms…and stylistic devices…
MY OWN STYLE…as I tend to make it my religion…
I am in a eternal fight for finding my best string of ideas…
WORDS like COLOURS are the eliberation of my power…
……that is what I need and I want…TO WRITE….to be read…to enter into people`s routine…
so I WRITE….how? KEEP it SIMPLE yet SURREAL…
How I Write
I start by reviewing yesterday in my planner-journal where I record everything from ideas to appointments. The planner-journal goes everywhere with me. Reading it gets the ideas flowing along with reminding me of what needs to be accomplished. Then I sit at my laptop and begin to write or edit depending on the state of the next piece due. I write between chores and keeping my Maltese out of trouble. Some days it is poetry, or articles. Others it is short stories or research on the Internet. I prefer to write when no one else is in the house. If the weather permits, I like to sit out on the front porch while I write and listen to the birds, animals and people in the area. Otherwise I play instrumental music on the laptop while I write.
Writing is a serious business.
I play with words. Thoughts emerge from conversations, meditation, seeing things others can’t, topics to be explored.
I play with lists. When a topic wants to open itself I let it. Sometimes the act of writing one word is the key which unlocks half a dozen poems. I might be on a train, walking in the rain with a hand-held tape recorder, sitting on the beach with nothing but stick and sand.
I write what and when I can. I lock an image of that thought into a title or sound. If I have nothing else to contain it, the rhythmic feeling might be sung and will open like a purse to the treasures of that creative moment.
I open up words by taking a few letters into another word and create word chains and mind maps across scapes of my own endless travelling.
I like words which describe a thousand pictures. Quintessential.
I condense and expand. With time at my command I strategize plans which link groups of words, let them hint and whisper to each other. Words breathe me. The pen in my hand is an illusion. The book I sign sells itself.
Hi Angela, thought I would have a bit of fun with this. Imagine the words set to the theme song of that well known Aussie beer Ad for Victoria Bitter. If you are not sure, check this link on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KolkCNvDnWc
I can get it gardenin
I can get it motherin
I can feel it coming on about ten
That’s when I pick up a pen
(Or head to my computer)
A quick flash of inspiration needs, a big fast write up
And the best fast write up is on my computer
I can get it washin
I can get it gossipin
I can get it plucking my brow
Matter of fact, I got it now
Inspiration, I gotta write it up.
Seriously though, I love writing and inspiration for story ideas is all around me. I am the master of multitasking – I write in the garden, when my daughter is asleep, while checking my emails or lying in bed.
Initially, I write in my head – anywhere and everywhere. I don’t often get writer’s block. I try to write my ideas down as soon as possible – either on paper but mostly on my laptop computer or iPhone.
I love writing in many different styles. I particularly like magazine feature writing but find the pay rates quite low for the amount of time you have to spend researching, interviewing and writing an article. Therefore, I am open to other work – especially online.
I’d love to write a book one day, the book is in my head – I just need time to focus on pulling it out.
My schedule is sporadic – depending on when my kids are at school and in care or during the night after dinner when finally my time is my own.
When time permits, I like to write my copy and leave it for a day before I edit and polish it into the final piece.
Cheers
I don’t write because I choose to, I write because I must. The compulsion is just too strong to ignore.
The obsession started with a spark of an idea for a novel. The outline sat in a drawer for five years before I decided to put the first chapter on the computer. Three months later, I emerged from a mumbling stupor with a manuscript in hand. As I query agents for that now completed novel, I am also creating a middle grade fantasy for my children. In addition to novels, I dabble in magazine submissions to my favorite reads and maintain a blog.
My passion for writing comes from reading the work of others, being observant of the use of language around me, and the sheer pleasure of the art form. There is no greater high than finding the perfect combination of words that precisely expresses an image.
For me, writing is an expression of the soul. A way to share myself with the world, and the only means of releasing the voices in my head, telling me their stories.
How I write? When the inspiration is knocking my door, I compose them in my mind and save it. In any day when I sat down with pen and paper or keyboard, the draft in my mind flows down fluidly. Words flow without hassle from my mind and connect with my pen or finger. I don’t even have any idea how I accomplish but it always does successsfully.
I have to say that most of the “writing” goes on in my head. I spend very little time in front of the screen and I’ve long forgotten how to write with a pen; the best I can do with it is a shopping list or some short memo.
If I find myself staring helplessly into the screen looking for words, I prefer to get up and do something else: cleaning, cooking, shopping, crocheting… While doing this I still can think and outline the text in my head, so next time when I want to type it, it will be ready and I will spend mere minutes in taking it from my head to my computer.
Sometimes I get some ideas which are interesting to ponder on, but I tend to forget them. That’s why I prefer to write down a line or two and after go back to it; so I always have a fistful of sheets, shop receipts, tickets and other papers with scribbles which keep my own ideas and help them to evolve in texts later.
So that’s how I write: composing everything in my mind and then quickly typing, without wasting time.
In the innermost recess of my mind lies a blank parchment/scroll. Along side of it is a fine quill ink pen with black ink bottle. Regardless of where I am or what I am doing, when the inspiration trigger is pulled, my ethereal hand grabs the pen, dips it into the ink bottle, and commences writing on the scroll. As a former musician who always carried on his person a small tape recorder and upon subconscious to conscious illumination hummed a tune into the device for preservation, so it is with my mind’s eye writing. Then with paper and pen always available in my trusty backpack, I transmutate the mind scroll script onto three dimensional, material matter. Then I edit it, shaping and carving the piece like a sculptor with chisel. I refer to this process as quantum writing.
First, I take out my sword. It’s always at my side — never out of reach — and I make these wild stabbing motions in front of me. You can’t start writing until you’re ready to get a little violent. And I’m stabbing that sword all over the place, left, right, ten feet in the air, nothing is out of range.
Eventually I focus. I calm my sword down and start stabbing for the heart. I’m still violent, still totally mad with bloodlust, but at least I know where I’m aiming my shots now. The only way to tackle a story is to drive straight for the heart of the beast with as much force as you can muster. And even then, it’s usually not enough.
By the end I’m all bloody and sweaty and dirty, I’m exhausted. I’ve got tear stains on the page and ink is everywhere. Nothing is in its proper order, but I look down at the paper in front of me and see that I’ve done more to it than it’s done to me. I sleep. I wake up the next day knowing that I have to attack the damn thing all over again.
My first step in writing is to enter the words that come to me onto the keyboard with generous input from my rational mind. Once that is done, the prose gets tossed around by my creative mind which is the second and more important step. This changes my original words so often that step one rarely resembles step two.
Sometimes the paragraphs get smaller, but usually they grow longer, which takes me into arduous world of word cutting (or editing). That is when I know the process is almost complete. Is this word right? Is it necessary? Does it evoke an image? Does it change the tone? Is it creative and rational?
Then I do the spell check, the check for grammar, the word count, and I am done.
I write anytime of the day and night, wherever I go, wherever I am. I always carry a small notebook as my companion, to write on my ideas and thoughts, all the time, even at bedtime. I write before dinner mostly and after midnight occassionally. I prefer to write long hand on paper rathen than by typing on to computer. Ideas comes easily to my mind by scribbling pen on paper and further I can go on writing like eating tasty food and feel satisfied afterwards. Writing is a fullfilling act of accomplishment in a single passionate moment. Writing to me is like eating the best food that bring energy to my life!
* Where and when you write;
* What you use to write (computer or pen and paper or ___?);
* The writing schedule you keep;
* Anything you like, as long as it fits the “How I write” theme of the contest.
When I start to write I have received an idea. I keep a small notebook with me and jot down ideas. I then get out my journal and expand on the idea. I am usually at my computer desk in my living room, which is my work area.
I usually like to free write whatever I am thinking without editing it. It comes out with a genuine and authentic feel. I get great joy out of writing whether anyone else gets to read it or not. However, I would like to share it with the world. I write at least 3 times per week and sometimes more depending on my schedule with my daughter. I work best at night, you could call me the vampire writer if you like.
I write with weight on my shoulders. That little editor rides there, beckoning guilt that I’m not more clever, faster, more concise, more creative.
My shoulders lighten for a few moments when my words make me smile or chuckle but the weight comes back when I return from one of many sidetrips. Perhaps for a piece of toast, perhaps to make a phone call. One of dozens of “should nots” that keep my word count and productivity lower than I’d like.
Then come the moments when the words flow out like thick cream onto the page, when the path I’ve chosen for an essay or article makes sense. My shoulders, my heart and my hopes rise high and fly.
I write everywhere: in the kitchen room while cooking, in classroom listening to the teacher, sometimes stop in the middle of walking to write some nice phrase or topic to discuss…My inspiration can come anytime and anywhere. Sometimes I feel inspirational crisis, and I cannot write even one good sentence. These times no matter how I struggle I cannot push myself.
When I am walking, there are so many different thoughts in myself, so many words going around, flying like butterflies. However, unfortunately, like scared birds, they escape from the cage of my imagination as fast as I stop or try to write them down.
First I write down the first thing which comes to my mind. Then sit for a while, discovering what topic the sentence belongs to. After that I have visions in my head, so I take a pen fast and write everything I think about into paper. My handwriting is going up and down, up and down…After I am done writing I take a glance on the whole picture, take a pen of different color and correct mistakes. If I feel that language is not beautiful enough or there is lack of something, I take a dictionary and look for more interesting synonyms.
My writing is always struggling. When I was writing in Russian, the words were floating easily, but now all my sentences are a mix of Russian, Finnish and English:( That is now nowadays everyday is a battle between me and “them”,but I believe that I will definitely win!
I carry a pen and paper most everywhere. I write while waiting for the bus, in a taxi and walking the dog. “Sit.” The dog sits; I jot down thoughts, ideas, whole sentences and even the structure of a news article, an essay or a short story. The entire piece can come out while I’m away from my computer and out on the street, where the events, people, places and things that happen can feed my writing and provide fodder for description, dialogue and ideas. I drafted much of a short story about a boy who nearly ruins Christmas while helping my wife shop for clothes. She probably wanted to wring my neck. Another story – about a cemetery security guard who desperately wants to quit – came out during a 40-minute round-trip commute to take my daughter to art class. The frequent stops in the morning rush-hour traffic were as good a time as any to jot down dialogue and sentences, to push the story forward. I wrote this essay while bathing the three kids. The bathroom got wetter than usual. But a mop will do the trick. And this piece is done.
How I write
The “thief of time” is a problem that I have to overcome to keep on
schedule with my writing. How I write has to begin with a plan so that I
can ensure that I achieve my goal of completing the writing assignment
on time. The first task is to research and prepare the outline of the
essay to make sure I have focused on the correct theme and the details
of what is required.
Where I write varies,it may be at my desk or sitting on the bed. This is
why I prefer to have pencil and note pad when I am starting a written assignment, so that I can write down my thoughts on the required
topic as they occur to me. In particular ideas seem to generate while I
am sleeping. So I need to make notes rapidly before I forget them in
the morning.
In the final stages I use a computer program such as Microsoft Word
for the final version but of course last minute alterations can easily
be made at this stage.
How I Write – I use a pencil for all my first drafts because I came of age before word processors, and the act of writing is ingrained in my right hand’s muscle memory. When it’s time to polish my work, the computer comes into play, but the all the mud is made with a pencil.
Although I know that the best time to write is soon after awakening so that my conscious self is more receptive to my subconscious promptings, I heed this advice only 50% of the time. Often I’ll succumb to my vice of waking gradually by reading a stirring novel or arguing silently with the callers on the morning talk radio show. Once involved in either of these activities, I relegate writing to the mid-morning or (horror of horrors) to the early evening, thus degrading the support provided by my inner librarian.
When I write in the morning, I’ll plop myself down on the love seat in front of the coffee table and scribble on college ruled loose-leaf paper. The sloped cover of a black three-ring binder serves as my desk. When I write in the evening it’s usually at a booth in the local McDonald’s restaurant.
How I Write
As I began to write my “How I Write” essay I became so surprised I had to quit for a while. Though it sounds crazy, I had never put down on paper (computer) what my writing habits were. I really didn’t know how I write!
Boy, was I in for a surprise. Maybe you will be too.
Sometimes I know the topic I am going to write on. Many times I have no idea what constitutes my topic. If I don’t, the first step is to spend the necessary time learning what I will need to know to write a good and informative article. So the first step to writing is study.
Next I work on formulating my title. This can really be the hardest part of the whole process! A great name with key words and exciting imaging is imperative
My next step is really my secret, if I have one. I was a pretty good extemporaneous speaker during my earlier life so I just put the principals I used then to my writing. I don’t use an outline, just key words to formulate my ideas. In reality, I just make a new speech each time I write anything.
It’s great. The words of my article just flow on the page as I pretend to talk to you. If you like my speech you’ll love my article.
After I’m finished I review and edit what I have written and I’m ready to go on to the next assignment.
John Bonzo
“How I Write”
Not they way “they” tell you one is supposed to write.
Creative non-fiction is my genre. I think and think and think, sometimes for days. Like Gina Nero (another contestant) I do anything and everything I can to avoid sitting in that chair and writing. After the thinking I research and research and research, even though I already have all the information I need.
Finally I have to sit in the chair, though I won’t stay there. I bubble chart the article on a sheet of notebook paper, including everything about the subject I can think of. Then I walk away and find more things to do to avoid sitting in that chair.
Deadline looms and I must write. So I do, on a computer this time. Straight through. No drafts. No rewrites. Just a once over after completion to check for spelling, grammar, and gross mistakes. Then off it goes to my editor.
I have a deadline, I’ve bubble charted the article, and now it’s time to stop using this essay to avoid sitting in the chair.
How I Write — I always keep ‘economy’ in mind as a key. When crafting sentences, all vocabulary embellishments must be functional, not merely decorative without much of a cause. And if a functional embellishment can perform multiple duties, generating all manner of literary nuances and secretive meanings between the lines, then the written embellishment has engraved itself as a well-earned insignia on the page.
I liken writing to channeling. Writing and channeling from pure inspiration necessitates an overriding faith that there is a higher consciousness endowed with the power to influence and guide our thought processes and its written consequences. I’m not saying that we let the gods brainwash us. Quite the opposite: individual talent is inherently and unconditionally unique.
The information channeled from that higher consciousness flows in the service of guiding my writer’s imagination into full bloom. But in order to allow the flow to fully nurture by inner author, I must relax. I’ve simply never produced a quality piece of writing when I am stressed out. It’s okay to write when I’m sad or lonely or upset — such negative emotions can always be harnessed in the service of writing, to enrich, expand, and diversify its complex layers. It must be said however that feeling generally happy when writing certainly soothes, clarifies, and accelerates the writing flow.
I’ve been writing since I was a kid. First, for fun and play. Later, for school and work. And for the past couple of years, to make my living.
This is where I’ve struggled with deadlines and writers block and learned to gather techniques and tricks. Some have helped, but I still searched to make my writing easier, faster.
But just this week a new season arrived in my writing life.
I realized that I’ve been immersed in words for my whole life. I’ve absorbed so many of them from my rich experiences that I don’t need to be inspired to create words. And I don’t need to struggle to find them. They’re a part of me.
It’s enough to reach into my mind’s pockets and pick a handful, toss them out and play with them as they land. Let them rise and fall. Rearrange them.
And I can write this way as long as I’m willing to select the assignments that fit me best, instead of forcing myself to spend time with topics that deaden my soul.
I used to think being selective about topics and clients was a luxury. Now I know it’s a necessity.