One of the things that I have struggled with over the last few years as a freelance writer is getting support from people I know.  Not other writers or all of the great people I have met online, but my REAL friends and family. I wonder if they take my seriously.  Do they think it is just something I do for fun, and there is not real money in this “hobby?”  I think the answer is a yes. I have known this, but every now and again, I get a painful reminder.

I equate this lack of support to a scenario of a person who heads to L.A. to try and make it as an actor or Nashville to be a singer.  Even though those career choices might be a real passion, who can take those people serious?  Until they land a supporting role in a movie or produce a CD that sells a million plus copies?  Or write a best seller?

Rejection Always Sucks

What people don’t know is all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.  The rejection letters.  The heart-felt words that never get read.  The hours of knocking out articles for a measly $.02 a word.  It is not glamorous.  It is not New York’s best seller’s list.  But, it is something many writer’s take serious and personal.  Don’t you think?

When you are in the creative art’s, whether you are a writer, painter, musician, or artist, when people don’t support something you have created, it is hard to NOT take it personal.  Often times, a painting comes from the heart, lyrics bears one’s inner soul, and writing reveals your personal thoughts.

Rejection always sucks, but it sucks worse when it something you created from your mind, heart, and soul.

So, when you ask a friend or family member to read your writing and they pretty much blow it off as, “oh, this is another one of Julie’s hobbies she wants us actual take seriously,” I guess it stings a little. No, it stings a lot.

Do you need thick skin to be a writer?

Absolutely!!  Even though you have thick skin, it does not mean that your heart is not vulnerable to the rejection and lack of support on occasion.  It does not mean that even though you have support and positive feedback from strangers that come by and read your articles or blog posts, that you don’t want to occasional, “great writing” comment from someone you love in life.

But, you keep on writing, figuring it out, hoping to make a serious living one day with a real full-time income. and lots of supporters.   Hoping not only for your personal sense of accomplishment, but that maybe then your loved ones will finally take you seriously.

Share you thoughts – do people take writers or artists seriously?

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Editor’s Note: This is a guest post written by Dillon Farowe.  Please read more about Dillon the the footer.

All of us have developed our writing style through years of schooling and practice. From the moment we started Kindergarten, we were instructed on a certain way to write. As the years went by and high school rolled around, our writing styles probably reflected what we were taught from a young age. For those people who had a great education, that is probably a good thing. However, for those of us who maybe had a bad teacher or two, that is not so good. I was in the second boat. What I thought was good writing in high school turned out to be almost worthless in the working world. Thankfully, I was able to find a solution to my problem and have improved my writing style considerably. The answer to my writing woes was enrolling in online schools for writing.

The Fundamentals of Writing

In order to develop a new writing style, you have to get back to the basics. If you were taught improper fundamentals from the start, it is likely that you are still carrying those bad habits with you. Online schools for writing make a point to teach each and every student how to properly write on the most basic level. They go over themes, sentence structure and voice. It is amazing how much you can improve your writing if you just pay close attention to these three basic principles.

Learn from the Best

You are probably wondering why you should sign up for an online class in writing when you can just teach yourself by reading guides on the Internet. I know how you feel, I thought the same thing. However, one of the biggest advantages of enrolling in online schools for writing is the faculty you get to work under. Online schools only hire the most qualified teachers. The people you will learn from are likely professional writers. They know what it takes to make it in the writing world. The style they developed has proven successful, so you know you should listen to any tips or tricks they provide.

Work When You Want, How You Want

Let’s face it, we all live hectic lives. The last thing any of us want to do is take another responsibility. Thankfully, online schools for writing are extremely flexible. Most let you work at your own pace. If you are extremely busy one day, you don’t have to do any of your writing work. You can leave it for when you have more time. In addition, you don’t have to worry about making any travel arrangements. You never have to waste any time waiting for the bus or any money on gas. If it is wet and cold, don’t worry. You can stay warm and do your work for your online writing course from the comfort of your own bed.

Practice Makes Perfect

As much as you may want to develop your writing style, it is hard to find the proper motivation without someone pushing you to work. Enrolling in online writing schools keep you on task and focused. You will have plenty of assignments and readings to keep you occupied. You will have lots of opportunities to improve and fine tune your writing style. You will soon realize that all of your hard work creates results. Your writing style improves with every project or assignment you complete. When you compare your work before you took the writing course to what you can do after, you will be astounded.

So there you have it, plenty of reasons to enroll in online schools for writing. However, it will all come down to you. You need to have the drive to succeed in order to accomplish anything. Put your mind to it, take some writing courses and watch your writing style flourish.

How many times have you read about something in the news or a piece of history that sounded like a completely different event?

The beauty of writing is it puts a new perspective on the same old story.  When you read history books, you will get an entirely different perspective, depending on who wrote about the event.  Many historical recollections taught in history books combine these perspectives to get a pretty accurate interpretation of an event that occured.

When you later read the different historical accounts from various personal perspectives, you may be enlightened to read the various interpretations.

Words are powerful.

Writers use words to express a thought, feeling, or an event.  These words are not always articulated in such a detailed and flowing manner when spoken. The written word can be even more powerful.  The written word takes the rough, random thoughts we have in our minds and puts them in a coherent sentence, phrase, or passage.  People simply do not speak how they write.

Sure, some people are great verbal story tellers.  You meet them at parties and they usually have a crowd around them anticipating in the next punch line.  But, that person has rehearsed the story and it is probably not the first time he or she has spoken it to an attentive audience.  Imagine if that person had the written skills to express that story.  I am guessing it would offer a different answer to the question: what happened next?

Same Event – Different Story

September 11, 2001 was a tragic day in American history.  Those who were alive on that day will never forget it.  Now, imagine the different perspectives you will read depending on who wrote a recollection of events.  The event was the same – two airplanes crashed into the Word Trade Center leading to a collapse of both buildings.  The same ten people who witnessed the events offer a different angle,depending on how their written lens interprets that horrific day.

The bits and pieces of events we have all experienced throughout life accumulates in our brains. Writing shares with all if it’s readers a completely different spin, only seen from the author’s lens.

Writing can always be new, even if the story is old.  One author may have a completely different style and perspective of writing.  A different voice.  This is not just with historical events, but an opinion piece (the same opinion).  Writing makes each story or article sound fresh and new because it is looked at through each writer’s lens. Each perspective provides different words that readers may have never thought of before. Even the SAME writer!

Writing offers descriptive words that flow from the abstract depths of the mind onto the concrete paper or computer screen.  Often times, it does not come out the same.  Our moods, our experiences, our education, our audience, and even our values. This can change on a regular basis.

Take a look at some old writing of yours, an old article, journal entry, or a fiction piece.  How would you write it today?  How would someone else write it?

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Bethany Ramos. Please read more about Bethany in the footer.

Perhaps you are already sitting on a completed manuscript that you are just itching to get out to a literary agent. Still, it is not always that simple… Any seasoned author can tell you that you must edit, revise, edit, and then revise again. To get your creative juices flowing and help you take an objective eye to your manuscript, here are some important final questions to ask yourself about your work:

1. Does your opening grab the attention of your reader?

It is always helpful to open while the story is already in action because you may lose the attention of the reader if you spend too much time warming up. The intro to your story should also reflect the tone of your novel, so make sure that all descriptions you use are consistent with your tone and mood. You also need to introduce a story tidbit or action in the first chapter that will compel your reader to continue to read. Whether your lead character is in danger, there is a relationship conflict, or there is even a hint of mystery, your reader needs something to carry them through the entire book.

2. Is your lead character captivating for the entire length of the novel?

This is a very important question indeed since you definitely don’t want your reader snoozing or losing interest halfway through the novel. You need to go back to your manuscript with an objective eye to make your lead character literally jump off the page.

As far as your other characters go, determine if they sufficiently contrast one another and are each interesting enough to stand on their own. You definitely want your reader to bond with the lead character, whether it is because he or she is funny/irreverent, an underdog facing the odds, has a relatable dream or desire, or even is in jeopardy or danger. Make sure that your reader is attracted to your lead character, and you can’t go wrong!

3. Is there any point in your plot where your reader may want to put the book down?

If that is the case, you need to iron out those kinks STAT. If there are any areas where the plot feels forced or unnatural, or even if the story is out of balance with too much or too little action, objectively edit that scene to determine how you can make the plot flow more smoothly.

4. Does your conclusion leave any loose endings?

A reader won’t appreciate any loose threads left in the end of your story, so you need to make sure that you resolve the story in a way that doesn’t take away from your main plot. The best ending will leave the reader with resonance and a sense of meaning so that they feel satisfaction as they end your story.You overall want the reader to feel the way you want them to feel as they turn the last page of your novel.

Are all of these four points achieved within your story?

If not, that is perfectly okay, but go back and read, revise, and revise again!

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Hannah Conti.  Please read more about Hannah in the footer.

Hart Crane once wrote, “One must be drenched in words, literally soaked in them, to have the right ones form themselves into the proper pattern at the right moment.”

Imagine a the writer’s equivalent of a long, hot bath. All the stress from writing under deadline or the frustration from editing and re-editing your manuscript drift away with the steam. You can relax, breathe deeply. Here at the writer’s spa, you are free to simply write without worrying about an editor, publisher, or even your SEO.

I discovered this freedom when I was about eleven years old. I was flipping through the books located in the art section. The title, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, intrigued me as I was interested in becoming an artist when I grew up. (You may remember the review that Julie wrote a while back about this site.)

I was especially interested in Cameron’s insistence of completing “morning pages.” This is a method of free-writing three-pages before starting the day. Cameron describes the process in her book:

“There is no wrong way to do morning pages. These daily morning meanderings are not meant to be art. Or even writing… Pages are meant to be simply, the act of moving the hand across the page and writing down whatever comes to mind. Nothing is too petty, too silly, too stupid, or too weird to be included” (The Artist’s Way, 10).

At eleven years of age, I was determined to do follow Cameron’s advice and faithfully complete my morning pages. In the beginning, writing three whole pages of anything seemed to be too broad, too difficult. Eventually, I became accustomed to grabbing my pen and allowing the words to tumble from my mind. Now, at the age of 23, I have amassed over 30 journals of scribblings.

At eleven years-old, I enjoyed reading The Artist’s Way (although the idea of finding one’s “inner child” confused me at that point of my life). However, it was the idea of free-writing that remains the most influential creative and spiritual technique in my life.

The other day, after a long day of creative productivity, I was feeling burnt out in many ways.  I picked up my pen and starting writing. The process of emptying all my pent-up thoughts, energy, prayers, hopes, and fears allowed me process and re-energize.

Here’s YOUR challenge!

I challenge you to give free-writing a chance. After a long day of double-checking Strunk and White, the OED, and the AP Stylebook, check in with you. Relax in the writer’s spa; “drench” yourself in words. Allow yourself to let the torrent of words hidden within to be released. It is a gift we have been given as writer’s.  Appreciate it, be thankful for it. And enjoy it!

Be sure to check out an excerpt from Cameron’s book here as well as her general website.

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Mitch Tarala. Please read more about Mitch in the footer.

“Let yourself grow in ways you never expect to. Become what you admire in others, for that admiration is telling you something.”

I wanted to start this post with the quote that inspired me to write it. The above quote appeared on a friend’s Facebook status the other day and it really struck a chord with me.

Ponder the quote for a moment and then think about how you might begin to apply it to your writing, beginning with the next piece you write.

Now let’s turn the above quote into an exercise that can improve your writing.

This exercise is not meant to be done in one sitting, but you can certainly do it all at once if you feel like it and have enough free time. I recommend you do this in pieces so as to not fill up a huge block of your valuable time all at once.

Become What You Admire In Others

For the purpose of this article I am going to be focusing on bloggers, but this can be applied to almost any skill or trade, it is not limited to blogging, writing, or the internet. This exercise may seem simple, but it is very effective.

First you should grab a pen and at least 5 blank pieces of paper. Now come up with a list of your top 5 favorite bloggers, authors, artists, musicians, or whatever skill you are applying this to.

Put one of the names at the top of each blank sheet of paper so you have a blank sheet of paper for each of your choices.

Next you are going to analyze the work of each of your selections, making a list of all of the things that stand out to you about their blog, art, music, or whatever they do.

List all of the best qualities in their work and all of the things that you like about it. Try to notice any unique writing styles, formatting, or other subtle techniques that these people employ. All of these things combined is what adds up to make their work stick out as something special to you. These are your clues and they are telling you something important.

What Does This Tell You?

These clues tell you where to start making improvements in your own work. ‘Become what y0u admire in others, for that admiration is telling you something.‘

At first you will probably have a pretty generic list of things and this exercise might seem pointless, but push through this initial phase of resistance and you’ll start to notice the important bits that will make all the difference. You should spend at the bare minimum 15 minutes for each of your 5 selections. It would be better to spend 30-45 minutes on each one, writing down all of the things you notice.

You’ll come to a point early on where you think you’ve listed everything there is and that it’s pointless to keep going with this exercise.

Keep going.

You will probably be able to come up with at least 10-20 more items for your list. These last items are the goods. They are the things that your subconscious mind notices, the things that make it stand out above the rest, and the things that your conscious mind has a harder time picking out.

Once you’ve spent at least 15 minutes doing this, you can flip the page over and start listing all of the weak points for that same person’s work that you can find. Do the same basic exercise, but list the weak spots.

Because you’ve selected your favorite and most inspirational role models it will be more difficult to identify all of the weak spots. You may have a tendency to idolize these people so much that you can hardly admit that they have weak spots. That’s okay, keep looking for the weak spots and you’ll find them.

You can do this simple exercise for each of the 5 people you selected. You can do each person one at a time, or you can do them in groups, or all at once. It doesn’t matter. As long as you do this exercise and spend the required amount of time on each one you will end up with some fantastic information when you are finished.

Things To Look Out For

Notice the style and flow of the work at hand.

• Do they break their posts up into smaller blocks of text that are only a few sentences long?
• Do they use lots of emphasis with italics or bold text? What about headlines and sub-headings?
• Do they write in first person or constantly refer to themselves as ‘we’?
• Are they writing for an individual or a crowd?
• Do they instill a feeling of motivation or positivity?
• Do they include humor when they write?
• Do they always relate to a personal story or experience?
• Do they use any peculiar language or language patterns?

All of these things should be considered, and more…

Analyzing And Using The Data

Applying the data you collect during this exercise is easy. The title of this post says it all, Become What You Admire In Others.

Read over the lists you’ve created and try to apply what you’ve learned from it. Try out some of the techniques and styles that you noticed in the work of the people you admire most. Don’t copy their posts, copy the style. Learning from those who impress you the most is a quick way to identify some of your own strong and weak points, so do it and apply what you’ve learned!

You may also consider adding yourself to the list and analyzing your own work, or as an alternative you could find another blogger and you could analyze each others work, being as open and honest as possible.

Doing this exercise with another blogger can help you understand the way others see your blog. Even though you may not like to read about the weak points of your own work, it is a tremendous way to grow and improve.

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Bethany Ramos.  Please read more about Bethany in the footer.

What the heck is NaNoWriMo?

NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is a fast paced and fun kick in the pants to get you to start writing your novel! Julie just wrote about her first NaNoWriMo this year!  Perhaps you have an excellent idea in the back of your brain about what you would write about if you ever had the time, energy, and money to start on a novel. Well, let’s be realistic because all of those components probably will not fall together perfectly in the near future, which is why committing to NaNoWriMo from November 1 to November 30, 2010, is the perfect way to light a fire under your butt to get you writing!

Write 175 Pages

NaNoWriMo provides you with the goal of writing 50,000 words, or 175 pages, before midnight of November 30. This is a novel writing program for anyone and everyone out there that wants to put their pen to paper, so to speak, but feels intimidated by the entire process. This program also proves that you don’t necessarily have to be a pro writer to finish your work, and one of the biggest keys to your success will be commitment and determination.

Write Anything!

NaNoWriMo makes no bones about the fact that you will probably be churning out a lot of crappy content, which is still a good thing to keep your creative juices flowing. When you force yourself to write large amounts, good or bad, you also have the freedom to make mistakes and learn along the way. This is where editing, rereading, and editing some more comes into play until you get a final copy that you are proud of.

Writer Forums

You can sign up for NaNoWriMo throughout the year by adding your name to the roster, and you can then become part of the forums to talk and receive advice from your fellow writers. To become an official winner of the program, you must write 500,000 words by midnight on November 30, where your novel will be verified electronically to confirm your submission. If you do happen to be worried about another jealous writer stealing your work, never fear because no one will read your final copy! You can electronically scramble your submission, and it will still be confirmed as complete based on the amount of words that you have written.

Oh, Yeah, It’s Free!

The whole process is absolutely free, but you, of course, have the chance to make a donation to contribute to this program for writers all over the nation. After you embark on the quest of writing your novel this month, you can continually update your word count via the website, and you can also post novel excerpts in the forum for other users to read and provide their feedback.

So what do you say, writers? All of your good excuses for procrastination are now over with this grand opportunity to churn out your novel before the end of the month!

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Hannah Conti.  Please read more about Hannah in the footer.

First, second, third person perspectives. The subjective personal pronoun. The narrative point of view.

Have your eyes glazed over yet? Are you suddenly back in school, sleepily doodling in your notebook as you try to ignore the English teacher droning on and on…?

Lucky for all of us (myself included!), we will not be diagramming sentences or discussing grammar.

Instead, let’s examine the topic of “point of view.” I am not speaking only of one’s positional range of vision, but also of the metaphorical mindset of an individual.

What’s is your point of view?

Goethe once said, “There is nothing insignificant in the world. It all depends on the point of view.” This is especially true from an artist’s standpoint. Through art, the writer or artist has the opportunity to depict another person’s point of view, allowing the viewer to see through the eyes of the artist – or someone else.

For example, look at the artwork on the above picture, entitled “Ballerinas” by Degas.

At first glance, it appears to be a pretty work of Impressionism. The colors of ballet dancers contrast subtly, conveying a delicate femininity and gracefulness.

Notice that all the dancers are not paying the slightest attention to the “viewer” (in this case, the painter Degas). This may have something to do with Degas’ notorious method of studying his models: he snuck into the dressing rooms of the ballerinas to be able to sketch the girls clandestinely. (Look here for more information on Degas.)

In this way, the male painter was able to depict the ballerinas casually stretching and preparing for their formal performance. This image captures a moment of unconscious movement. Degas is famous for painting, sketching, and sculpting women in casual, everyday positions. In this way, Degas elevated the ordinary to a level of beautiful art.

This painting by Degas could tell an innocent story about ballet dancers or it could also communicate a semi-creepy plot about the peeping tom artist. It depends on what knowledge or perspective the viewer brings to the piece.

A Writer Creates Perspective

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Hannah Conti.  Please read more about Hannah in the footer.

I have always felt a strong urge to create. Some of my earliest memories are of being happily covered in paint and then snuggling up with my mom to read a book. For me, the visual and written arts are somehow intrinsically intertwined in mind.

This is a list of creative tips that appear to be geared towards the traditional artist. However, I believe there is important creative inspiration available to writers that can be borrowed from the philosophies of artists.

The art of creating often takes similar forms. Thus, why not borrow from ideas from different crafts?

Enjoy!

1. Create an inspiration board or file box.

Cut out photos from magazines of a landscape you find particularly striking. Save that article you read last week about the local cat who enjoys painting. Inspiration can be found anywhere: postcards, fabric, words, images, photos, art websites, etc.

I have a tumblr account, vi.sualize (similar idea to an online inspiration board, but with a social media aspect), and a delicious tag specifically for saving web-based inspiration. Later, when I am away from my desk at home, I can come back to these websites for visual stimulation.

2. Create a Virtual Collage

I also enjoy making collages on Polyvore, an online free collaging website, when I do not feel like getting messy with glue. This website allows you “cut” images from anywhere on the web and use their primitive, but thoroughly addicting, image builder.

I keep a rotating display of items that strike my creative fancy. You can also create a specific file specifically for one project (such as a collage of character photos, word associations, etc. for you next short story).

3.   Make an outline your way.

Forget the “hamburger” essay your were taught in school or the numbered outline. Perhaps you are more inclined to create a mind map. Maybe your mind keeps jumping to one part of your project. Detail everything you can think of on that point; write without critiquing. Just document your stream of consciousness.

4. Sketch your subject.

Never mind your art skills; no one will see this drawing except for you. By visualizing your topic in such detail, you may strike on a new way to describe it using words.

5. Write a story based on a piece of art or photo.

Check out flickr or deviantArt for images created by modern artists. When I was in elementary school, my mom came up with the brilliant idea to write a series of short stories based on Celestial tea box art. As I a kid, I thought the tea boxes were magical. Since I already admired the art, my mom succeeded in finding a topic that inspired and interested me. Find your own “tea box” art.

6. Limit yourself.

Write as fast as you can for only 10 minutes. Do not worry about grammar or spelling. Turn off your inner critique. Or if you usually write on your computer, try out the old-fashioned pencil or even a typewriter. Write in circles. Write upside down (the paper or even you…?). The act of communicating in a new way will force your brain to create a new pathway or two. Also, the process of writing with a “handicap” will open you up to the possibilities of your craft. Be adventurous and spontaneous.

Note: all my links in this article are free to use, but give proper credit to artists!

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Michael Carter.  Please read more about Michael in the footer.

Many creative writers are unaware of the resources available to them on the Internet. Most of this software focuses on scripts because this format requires the most structured treatment. Anyone learning the do’s and don’ts of a screenplay know that the layout has a learning curve of its own.

My experience involved tinkering with tabulations, case sensitivity, and punctuation nearly as much as with the dialogue itself. In short, the frustration level involved in writing a script overwhelms the creative impulse.