The Consistency of being Inconsistent: Ways You Can be More Productive as a Writer

 

Source: Pixabay photos

First of all you have to remind yourself that you ARE a writer. You are here to make a difference through your work by the simple act of expression. Every now and then the purpose has to be re-visted. It’s necessary to do this in order to get the ball rolling and to start getting noticed for your work. You ARE a writer. Go ahead and say it out loud if you need to!

Inspiration

What inspired you to become a writer in the first place? Was it because you read a certain book or admired another writer? The fact is, when you’re truly inspired to do something, your heart is set on doing it no matter what. Some folks write because it’s a way of release and expression. They literally cannot rest until they get whatever is rolling around in their head onto paper.

Maybe it’s your own story you’ve lived that inspires you to write. Whatever the reason may be, always re-visit it to give you a boost in keeping up with your writing. Many writers will remind you to look around you because there’s inspiration everywhere. It could be something as random as a corny magazine that will give you fresh ideas. It’s important to get out there and find inspiration at times. J.K. Rowling uses this to find ideas for her own writing:

“And the idea of just wandering off to a café with a notebook and writing and seeing where that takes me for a while is just bliss.”

Relationships

So much writing material can be developed from relationships – good and bad. As far as the good ones go, it’s important to have a healthy circle of folks who aren’t afraid to remind you of who you are and what your plans are as a writer. Having people around you who doubt or criticize what you’re doing can make it more difficult for you to grow and develop to your full potential as a writer. I’ve experienced both; the people who are in my corner and aren’t afraid to nudge me every now and then when I start slacking and those who don’t understand or don’t relate to what I’m set out to do. I’ve taken both experiences and used them as a motivator for me. Not only do I have good material but I can apply certain concepts and thoughts to my work and the way I get it done.

Discipline

This is a very challenging area for most writers. Cracking down and getting the work done. The bottom line is, the dedication to your writing comes with the discipline. Not that you have to write 24/7, it’s okay to take breaks, walk away from assignments and come back with a fresh mind. But there should be some type of structure in place in order to stay productive. Here are some simple ideas:

• Make a weekly checklist of assignments and tasks to complete. You’ll feel much more accomplished and encouraged as you check them off!
• Figure out when you’re most active and productive. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Do you get more done on the weekends because of your full time job? Determine when you’re at your best for performance and schedule yourself accordingly.
• Move away from the TV. It’s often difficult to type out articles or case studies while watching The Real Housewives of Wherever. You may have the intention of being productive in front of the tube, but it never plays out that way. Sometimes you may have to leave the house altogether, i.e. the library or café in order to be more productive. You know it’s the truth!

A Realistic Vision

The beautiful thing about a vision is that it’s always changing. It doesn’t have to start and stay the same way. That’s why it’s important for you as a writer to come up with a realistic vision for yourself and your work. Don’t create goals that are out of reach and exhausting to accomplish. Have a reachable vision and once it comes to fruition, enlarge that vision. Do it by steps or levels.

Confidence in Yourself

Lack of confidence can definitely lead to no production in your work. If the confidence isn’t there, then your writing journey will be very short-lived. Keep in mind confidence doesn’t come overnight. It has to be cultivated and nursed to a strong level. A good place to start is practice. Write up some drafts for yourself until you’re comfortable to share a piece of your work with someone to review. Without practice, you don’t develop rhythm and it’s impossible to develop your writing voice. Your voice will not be the same as J.K. Rowling, Robert Frost or Shakespeare. Everyone has their own voice and you have to find your own. Find out more about developing your confidence in a previous post where I share secrets for writers to improve their work.

What slows you down as a writer? How do you overcome that obstacle?

First Five Steps: Important things to Know as a “Baby” Blogger

Photos source: Pixabay

The past several months of engaging in blogging have been quite interesting. I’ve learned an extreme amount of useful information and developed some great connections. One of the things I’ve learned is the concept of paying it forward; helping others along the way as I was helped in the beginning. So without further delay, here are 5 important steps every new blogger needs to know (shout out to DC Ladies who are hosting Blogtober this month!):

Get acquainted with social media asap

If you already know your way around the twitters and facebooks, you should be good to go. If you aren’t get knowledgeable as soon as possible. You don’t need an account for every website out there, but you should find the outlets that work best for you, your niche and your audience. Some of the solid ones to start out with are Linkedin, Facebook and Google+ ( depending on your niche others such as Instagram and Tumbler may be more appropriate; i.e. photo blogs). They are filled with endless types of communities that can be a stepping stone to building your audience. You’ll also find folks that are willing to share a plethora of knowledge on building a website and becoming an effective blogger.

Find your audience = finding your voice

There’s no point in logging onto your website every day to write posts if you don’t know who you’re writing to. Why did you decide to start a blog? Who do you want to reach? These are just a couple of questions you need to ask yourself when starting out. From there, it will be easier to build and make the right connections. Once you identify your audience, it becomes much easier to develop topics and posts that will gain interest. It may be kind of slow at first, but consistency and persistence will definitely pay off. As your audience is defined, your voice will continue to develop for the better. As this is happening, you’re not just gaining an audience, but you’re building a solid relationship with them, which is important in the blogging world. You’re not only building your voice from posting, but from interacting with audience as well. Answer their comments; start discussions with them – this will help you develop your vision and voice as a blogger.

Familiarize yourself with SEO knowledge, but don’t obsess over it.

As a new blogger, you’ll come across overwhelming amounts of information – especially SEO tips and tricks. While this is helpful, knowing the basics should suffice for your blog. If you get too into it, you’ll spend an endless amount of hours reading site after site about SEO tips when you could be using that time to develop your blog. You won’t be able to obtain that much information overnight. It comes with time and experience. Google AdWords is an excellent place to start to find keywords to use in your writing. This is especially effective once your audience has been defined.

Google has great apps for new bloggers to get acquainted to their new role.

Hook up with writers who aren’t afraid to share information.

Yes, there are writers and bloggers out there who are willing to lend a helping hand. Twitter is a great way to hook up with blogging communities. If you need additional help starting out, check out writing sites like HubPages, Problogger and Facebook. These sites are filled with blogger and writing communities that will provide tips to get started as a great blogger. The ones who have been around for a minute obviously know what they’re talking about! Here are a couple I would suggest:

• Bill Holland on Hub Pages and WordPress
• Darren Rowse on Problogger
• Writer’s Digest

If you’re serious about blogging and becoming a good writer, these sites provide excellent information and folks aren’t hesitant to share what works.

Blogging is easy. Sites such as WordPress offer easy to follow steps.

Don’t overlook original networking – face to face

This is one step that continues to help me again and again. The best relationships are made face to face, in my opinion. In today’s world of internet interaction, physical interaction is not as popular, but it’s very effective. One of the best decisions I made as a young blogger is join a networking group. Taking this step is extremely beneficial; you’ll be surprised at how many people have the same drive and vision as you. They’re also willing to share their experience and information with you which is great advice. You’ll find people who need guest bloggers – which is another great way to build your blog, you’ll also find people who will direct you to avenues that can make you money and so on. The opportunities that stem from networking are endless.

Are you new to blogging? How has your experience been so far?

Chronicles of a Freelance Newbie: The Importance of Networking

Sharing = Caring

As indicated by the button on the left side of my blog page, I’m part of a networking group. This organization is designed for independent business women trying to make their mark in the world. There are women with all kinds of backgrounds who are a part of the group. I’ve attended a few meetings and every time has been a rewarding experience. No one is hesitatant to provide guidance or advice on how to market your brand and work your away around social media. It really is a group of unique women who are willing to share.

This whole social media thing

I’m no stranger to the internet, but some avenues of it leave me slightly skeptical. After ending my relationship with Facebook after 5 years, I opened an account with Google and have been on there for a while now. I recently joined Linkedin, but haven’t really made my rounds there yet. I was highly encouraged by the group to get  back on Facebook especially because it’s the nucleus of their organization, which is understandable and makes perfect sense. My previous encounter with Facebook made me tired of the personal ads, obnoxious friend requests and annoying privacy changes. When I first joined Facebook, it wasn’t with any real purpose; it was something everyone else was doing and it was a way to reconnect with folks you hadn’t seen since high school…well I’m pretty much over that now – next! After a few years went by all communication pretty much stopped between me and my contacts. If I really wanted to talk to I would call or text….and I didn’t care about your current status talking about eating a cheese sandwich while in the bathroom. Who cares?

Now, the purpose has been re-visited and re-defined. I haven’t gotten back on Facebook yet (one step at a time folks), but I feel a LOT more comfortable going back in with a business approach. This means fresh new contacts and a healthy way of networking, at least that’s what I’m hoping for. In the meantime, don’t get me started on Ello! I’m still trying to get comfortable with Facebook and Twitter! Well, I’ll ponder on it for a second: Do I think it will blow Facebook out of the water? Not really. Just from glancing around the site it doesn’t seem as feasible to navigate as Facebook. For example, those small circular pictures can get annoying – how are you supposed to recognize the faces or objects? Maybe it looks better on mobile phone. I haven’t read much about it so that’s pretty much all I have to say about it for now.

Learning the art of “paying it forward”

Because I’ve been introduced to the world of sharing (and caring), it only leaves me with the duty to be the same towards people who are not as knowledgeable as me in this journey of freelance and social media. The information I’ve learned at this point has really taken me places, all because people were willing to share and help me along the way. The advice they give is priceless; not just from Femworking but from other networks I’m currently a part of, such as Hub Pages (shout out to Billy Buc!) and Google. The great friendships I’ve built thus far encourage me to actually take time and build my online profiles with quality, instead of just rushing to put my information out there for the sake of numerous visits. I’m doing it because I actually look forward to working with and helping people. Why are you doing it?

Is it worth joining these types of networks?

Absolutely. Even if it’s just a few bucks a month, it’s well worth the investment. You’re not only investing in your business, you’re also investing in people which is a must in this line of work. The connections are endless, and the time is well spent. Because of networking, I’ve gotten clients for the line of work I wasn’t even planning on doing. But since I’m skilled at it, I don’t mind exploring and expounding in that area. Well what is it, you may ask? Stay tuned and find out!

In the meantime, I can be reached on LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest and Hub Pages. Stop by and say hello….you may never know how it might turn out! : )

Here are some recent thoughts I shared on Hub Pages:

Some really cool family info I just came across.

A new day at the “spa”.

Remember: sharing is caring!

 

 

Our Uniqueness as Writers

Source: New3Creation photos

Everyone has a different voice, but now everyone realizes that for themselves. Some of us are quick to click around on other sites to see how others write and format their blogs. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s important to do that only ifyou’re trying to develop your own style. During this writing journey, I’m learning more and more about my writing voice I have and the things I can do with it. That’s one way blogging is so beneficial. It exercises the writing muscles as the unique voice develops. Time and time again I’ve seen blogs become successful because the writer chose to be themselves. It may not have happened overnight, but after years of developing and being themselves, an audience that appreciates their voice started to grow and the benefits increased for the writer/blogger. It’s very encouraging to see this happening as I develop my own voice. It helps me to know that I’m on the right track.

Keep Going

Although I’ve seen many writers become successful because of their unique voice, I’ve also seen blogs fail because the writer gave up posting for whatever reason. This is a lot easier said than done, but I’m learning to keep going and discipline myself to be consistent. As a result, it’s become somewhat easier to finish out ideas that were started and to express myself better. Not too long after that, the confidence level starts to grown and I have the guts to start reaching out and networking effectively (yes, there will be a post on that!).

Check Me Out

In addition to my recent guest blog stint, I’ve had other opportunities come my way. It’s very encouraging as far as other outlets coming my way. Not only do I have a lot to say, I have my own unique way of writing about it.

An article of mine was recently posted on P.E.R.K Consulting, an empowerment blog for organizations. It’s a small start, but a big deal for me in my writing journey. I’m also working on another gig that came my way just last week as a contributing writer! Once that’s done, I’ll be sure to post those links as well. Again, not holding back on my own way of writing is what will open doors for me. The same can happen for you, if it hasn’t happened already!

 

What do you think? Are you a new writer trying to find your own voice? I’d love to hear about your experience as a writer and blogger.

Feel free to share opportunities that have come your way.

On the road again…taking in the sights…

Road trip!

I recently read a great post about cross-country traveling that gave insight on the beauty of the United States. It’s true – if you’re not too excited about flying from continent to continent, you can get a lot of scenic indulgence in the U.S. There’s a lot to see and a lot to be inspired from. I had my own experience with cross-country when I relocated from New Mexico to Maryland. A friend of mine accompanied me at the time (I was nervous about driving by myself).  I remember driving through Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. Each state had its own “feel” to it. Their own sights and sounds.

I kick myself now for not doing a better job at keeping a journal because there were so many inspiring scenes to write about. Not even the tourists’ sights, just the windy roadways, the valleys and hills of Pennsylvania, and the run down streets of St. Louis. Other sights were just plain and scary. Completely abandoned gas stations that reminded me of scenes from horror stories, and stretches of roads so plain and quiet the only action they had was tumbleweed blowing across them. When it wasn’t my turn to drive, I could’ve busied myself with pen and paper. Instead, I opted to take a nap. Oh well. I know there will be many other opportunities and sources of inspirations to use in my writing journey. One day I would love to drive from coast to coast and write about the folks I meet, the scenes I witness and the overall experience of a journey.

Have you taken a road trip? What was your experience like?