Many Ways to Manifest Your Creativity

It is a little late in the month, but here is Creativity Portal's inspirational writing prompt for March.

You can manifest your creativity in many prolific, bounteous ways.

Prolific Writer

First, let me provide a Dictionary.com definition of "prolific": producing in large quantities or with great frequency; highly productive: a prolific writer. 

As writers, we are at least a little bit in touch with the right side of our brain. If we did not have a creative spark in us, we would probably not volunteer to write a blog, create a website, and share our thoughts publicly on the World Wide Web. Well, maybe some would.  Or maybe some of us think we are more cunning and creative in our words than we actually are.

Creativity can come in great frequency and in large quantities.  True. Some of the time. As writers, we know this can be an important part of the writing process. Being productive keeps us on target, keeps the creative juices flowing. Being a prolific writing means not allowing yourself to get stagnant. But, it can happen.

Writer's block to a writer is akin to a runner getting leg cramps.  Or something like that.  Think of it as the loss of the ability to produce creative thoughts, being unable to achieve your goals because of an obstacle.  But, we can pound through it and manage to push past the obstacle even with these "cramps" holding us back.  There are always ways around the obstacle, it just may take some creative thought.  Ah, there are many ways to skin a cat.

Giving Thoughts Freely and Generous

Here is one way how Dictionary.com defines "bounteous": giving or disposed to give freely; generous; liberal. 

Get out there and share your ideas. Don't hold back!  Being a writer means bearing your soul sometimes.  At least your thoughts. This is more applicable to blog writers or the writing of a memoir.  We are talking creativity here.  Not much creativity goes into certain writing, like technical writing or a wanted ad. Creative writing should flow and not be blocked. Liberate your creativity!

When we are being creative, we are creating thoughts, images, and ideas.  Right? Makes sense. If we hold back, this creativity may not flow so easy.  Open up the creative flood gates and share these thoughts freely. Be generous!

Sometimes, creativity needs a swift kick in the behind or a manual jump start.  Writing prompts are a great way to manifest writing creativity.  Especially if the prompt does not even make sense to you!  Get out of your comfort zone and spark that creative side.

One last cliché: Think outside the box.

This quote comes from the free calender offered on the Creativity Portal website. 

Write Freely and Don't Stress About Perfection

One of the things I have learned from writing is that sometimes the best and most creative pieces come from the times I just wrote freely. The thoughts just hitting the keyboard. No pausing to think. No correcting typos or grammar along the way.  Just writing.

As I have hinted in previous posts, sometimes, yep I CAN be a perfectionist, especially when it comes to my writing. This can slow me down or even cause frustration.

Often times, I am so worried about having the most perfect post, I procrastinate and find it hard to find any motivation at all. To remedy that, I have told myself to STOP being so worried about perfection.

Goal Number Ten: Don't worry about being a perfectionist!

Alas, I have reached my last goal of 2010 and this one I will take to heart.  Most of the time, we are our worst critics. The slight imperfections and just so-so posts are okay, too. 

Edit, Edit, Edit

I am not saying to not correct spelling or other syntax errors.  Just don't stop in mid-thought to do it.  You can always go back and edit. When writers pause to correct spelling, the thoughts sometimes slip away and can not be retrieved.  When you are on a creative roll, keep the thoughts coming.  Editing will always be there.  When your ideas start to slow down, take a minute, reread the writing, and go back and edit.  Simple.

Remember Your Goals

I have now discussed my ten goals for 2010 and we are almost a quarter of the way through the year.  So far, I have followed most of these goals.  But, as part of this goal number ten, I will not stress that all of my goals are not perfect or on target.  Creating goals will help you stay on track, but remember, all you can do is do the best you can. Nobody, NOBODY is perfect. And that is okay. Really!

Chasing Google PageRank is a Waste of Time

Yep, I said those words, "waste of time" when referring to a Google metric. Bold? Maybe. Requiring further explanation? Yes.

At first, I thought of using the word "absurd" but thought that may be an absurd exaggeration. So, I changed it to "waste of time" because I think that is a more accurate description.

There are so many articles and forums discussing this subject, I just had to write about it.  So, let me explain further.

Disclaimer: This is my opinion and I have a right to have one.

What Exactly is Google PageRank?

First, a quick explanation about what PageRank is.  PageRank (PR) is ultimately how important your website is on search engines.  The higher the PR (0 through 10), the more relevant Google considers the website. Very, very, very few websites have a PR of 10. The big deciding factor about increasing Google PageRank is backlinks. Basically, the idea is that websites with a higher PR that have links to your site will help increase your PR.

It is NOT the Holy Grail of Website Success

Now, I am not saying that PR is not important or valuable, but it is only ONE metric and honestly, it is not completely understood. Google PageRank is a good indication of site success.  Sure, I would agree.  Is it the one and only all-encompassing indication of website success? Absolutely not! So, why are people spending so much time chasing down this "Holy Grail?"

One of the Google PageRank discussions I came upon was actually asking how people are "preparing" to increase their page rank.  Really?  Is that possible to have a plan in place to do this?  Should that be the focus of a blog or website? While it is good to have a plan for your website, there are better places to put time and energy than chasing Google Page Rank.

Is Google PageRank Irrelevant?

I would not answer that question with a resounding "yes." But, I think when you consider how valuable your time is, it may be irrelevant. Another perspective on why Google PageRank is irrelevant may help you understand that it is not as important as some people may think.

If You Build It, Traffic Will Come

I do not want to completely dismiss Google PR or tell you it is not an indication of a successful website.  Data exists that does correlate Google Page Rank to site success.  Remember, I used the words, "waste of time" here when referring to "chasing" PR.   All I am saying is spend the time building a good website, attracting readers, maintain that quality website and traffic will come. Then, there is a pretty good chance that the PR will increase along with the traffic.

If you do not take my word for it, maybe you should read what Google itself says about Page Rank.

Benefits of Online Articles vs. Printed Articles

Editor's Note: Written by AJ Wilcox.  AJ is team lead of OrangeSoda.com’s SEO department. AJ has been in love with Internet marketing for close to 3 years and has done work for over 400 client websites.

I may be a touch biased being a local Internet marketer and a technology junkie my whole life, but technology affords us so many benefits over traditional media. Still, I’d like to walk through the benefits of an online article over being published in a magazine, newspaper, or trade journal.

Extolling the Virtues of Online

The process of writing content for online is very similar to writing for offline. That’s where the similarities end. After an article is written, the online medium becomes frictionless while offline feels like digging at solid concrete.

Easy to Share: When you get published in a physical work, sharing requires scanning, showing, or even handing over your personal copy of the work in order to share. Online, fans can simply send the link to a friend, and all can read and bookmark it for later reference.

Easy to Reference:  When you cite references in the offline world, they appear as a footnote that one in 10,000 might reference; whereas, in the online world, you reference with a link. If you were being referenced, would you like that credit given where no one sees it, or a frictionless invitation to easily check out the source?

Easy to Track:  Through the wonder and amazement of web analytics, all things are possible (well, almost). If the article exists on your website, or on another site where you can have access to the data, you can tell how many people viewed the article, how long they stayed, what geographic location, how many clicked links, and tons of other data. When your article is published in an offline medium, you will be told the estimated distribution and impressions based on where your article is located, and that’s about all.

Gives Rise to More Information:  In the offline world, when a reader disagrees with a point you have made, there is no way to respond immediately. You will often see in the online world a writer will write a controversial piece, and commenters will give instant feedback and turn the one-way writing into a conversation. This can be especially helpful for readers to get both sides to an issue. Another big one that affects me directly is that search engines can use online articles to determine which keywords to send traffic for. When you have information directly relevant to a searcher in your article, the chances of keeping that visitor on your website (and having that user link to your article in the future, which helps readership and search rankings), are higher.

Easy to Publish:  Publishing an article online is as easy as hitting the ‘Publish’ button; whereas, offline it goes through editors and printers. This may actually be the downside to instant publishing, because often it doesn’t pass through a peer review or sometimes even spell check before it goes live. An offline article would pass through a more stringent review in most cases. When your name goes on a print article, it innately means more than if your name appears on an article or blog post because it takes more resources to accomplish.

A Place for Both

Now that I’ve tooted the online horn sufficiently, I will say that offline articles should not disappear. Both types of articles are not mutually exclusive – if you write offline, you can still blog, and vice versa. Because the quality standards of print are so much higher on average, a blogger or writer in the online world should definitely still strive to be featured in print media.

There is also no reason for a print writer not to start a blog.  Information has become so easily obtained and pervasive because of skilled writers, so you could sincerely say that writers have changed the world for the better.