3 Things to Know… Before You Start Writing

Almost every writer does a little pondering before putting their fingers on the keyboard. Brainstorms, outlines, and research are all part of the planning and preparation steps that many writers work through before they sit down to actually string words together. But there are three important questions that every writer must ask before creating that first draft.

1. Who is your audience?
2. Where will this piece be published?
3. What impact will it have?

It doesn’t matter what kind of writer you are, or what kind of project you’re working on. These three points are critical details that will inform and guide you in the writing process.

The Audience

You’re not going to use the same voice writing for children as you will for post-graduates. A fiction piece will have an altogether different tone than a well-researched article. The language you choose, and the style in which you write are largely directed by your target readership. If you don’t know who they are, how can you speak to them effectively?

Publication

Few pieces of writing are publishable across different formats. Sure, you can download and read the classics on your computer, but that’s pretty hard on the eyes. This is exactly why web content is so short, while print material tends to be more involved. You may not always know exactly where a piece will be published. Who knows which publishing house will buy your novel, or which magazine editor will finally give in and send you an acceptance letter? But you should at least have a general idea of the final format; especially be aware of whether your piece is headed for print versus electronic publication.

Impact

Some folks write to make people laugh. Others want to make readers cry. But almost every writer wants to make readers feel something. What do you want your readers to feel? Hope? Anger? Joy? Is your novel going to be a contender for the banned books list? Is your article on humanitarian efforts going to make people rise up? Writing informs, entertains, and sells. It intrigues, educates, and inspires. It’s imperative to know what impact your work will have on readers. Otherwise, it may end up having no impact at all.

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What Kind of Writer Are You?

If you tell someone you’re a writer, chances are, they’ll assume you write novels or possibly magazine articles. Even though writing is everywhere, as a profession it’s mostly associated with fiction and journalism. What about the people who write greeting cards? Cereal boxes? User guides? Do they write fiction too?

Even though I dabble in just about every type of writing under the moon, I’m always caught off guard when someone assumes that I’m this or that kind of writer. The funny thing is that writers make this leap even more than non-writers.

Speaking of non-writers — some of them write too. Have you ever discovered after years of knowing someone that they keep a notebook in which they write poetry? They don’t really seem to consider this writing; it’s just something they do, because the thoughts come to them and they feel like recording them. Tell them they’re a writer, and they insist they’re not. Ever meet someone like that?

I imagine if we made a list of all the kinds of writers there are, it would be pretty long. Here are just a few off the top of my head:

• Copywriters (press releases, packaging, marketing, reports)
• Technical Writers
• Journalists (magazine, news)
• Business Writers
• Web Content Writers (site copy, articles, blogs)
• Fiction and all its many, many genres
• Poetry
• Screenwriters and Playwrights
• Bloggers
• Non-fiction (memoirs, articles, essays)

If you put all these writers together, that’s an awful lot of people.

Me, I’m a freelancer, an entrepreneur of sorts. I do lots of proofreading and editing, and web site copy and content. In my business, I’m open to many different types of writing. The diversity of the projects I get keeps me fresh minded. Although web writing is my focus, I also do technical, business, and creative writing projects as well.

I’ve also been known to write loads of poetry. I have a few sci-fi, fantasy, and adventure novels in the works, though all of them are in the very early stages of development. I like to write non-fiction pieces too, and obviously, I’m a blogger!

Now it’s your turn. What kind of writer are you? Do you mostly write in one specific area, or do you explore many different writing avenues? Do you or have you ever been paid for your writing? What’s your biggest writing dream or goal? I want to hear every detail! So, don’t be shy!

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How to Stop Procrastination: Seven Tips for Getting Things Done

We writers are suckers for procrastination. Then again, who isn’t? There are so many distractions in this circus of a world, how can anyone resist all those temptations that are constantly luring us away from the things we should be doing?

Like writer’s block, procrastination prevents us from taking care of business. And just like writer’s block, procrastination can be beaten down, overcome, and brought to a dead halt.

The tips you are about to read are brought to you at the request of Rebecca of the Writers’ Round-About. She’s the one who started all this crazy talk about procrastination with her post, “WRA’s Seven Procrastination Busters.” That’s right, if you suddenly find yourself on task, you can blame it all on her! She tagged me for this challenge, and I have to admit — I’ve put it off long enough. So, without further ado, I give you seven tips to help put an end to your meandering ways.

1. Use Brute Force

Don’t you have any self-control? If not, get some, and make yourself do what has to be done. Yes, it’s that simple. The rest of these tips, and any other tips you read about beating procrastination are just fluff and nonsense. Tie yourself to your desk, superglue your fingers to the keyboard, use torture if you must. Force yourself and get it done.

2. Do The Shuffle

Make a decision to do what you have to do… eventually. By juggling your schedule just a little bit, you can bump the nasty task to later in the day, or later in the week, later in the year, or, you can…

3. Just Forget About It!

I mean really, is this something that you absolutely have to do? Let’s face it, sometimes we assign ourselves meaningless and unnecessary chores. If you’ve been putting it off for over a month and your life hasn’t fallen apart yet, maybe it doesn’t need doing.

4. Talk Yourself Into It

So let’s say it’s something you really do need to do. Like paying your bills. You can’t exactly postpone that indefinitely, unless you’re planning on declaring bankruptcy. Sit down and have a chat with yourself. Say to yourself, “Self, this really needs to get done, and here’s why…” You may end up having a big long argument. We all know how insistent Self can be, so make sure you really dig your heels in. If your Self is anything like mine, there will be plenty of sweet talk. Be prepared.

5. Get Someone Else to Do It

Now here’s one method that sounds extremely tantalizing, don’t you think? Say it with me: get someone else to do it. You don’t have to do everything all by yourself. A little assistance might be just the thing you need. Get out that little black book, dust it off, and call in the troops.

6. Treat Yourself Like the Child You Are

Not all of us can handle responsibility like mature adults. If all else fails, tempt yourself with a reward. Yes, just like you would do with a child, or an animal. Doesn’t a piece of chocolate cake sound mouth-watering? An hour on the Playstation? A professional massage… Well you can have all of these things and many more if you just… Finish. Your. Task.

7. Give Yourself Twenty Minutes

If you have to resort to this method, you’ve basically failed. However, failure can be temporary. Decide that no, you’re not going to do it right this minute, and do something else instead. But at least make it something beneficial. Work on another task, exercise, meditate, fold the laundry. Twenty minutes, tops! Then snap your bootstraps and do the damn thing!

Why are you still reading? Don’t you have something you’re supposed to be doing? No? Ah, well then, I have a task for you, and you can take as much time as you want. Yes, you’re tagged, so run along and write seven procrastination tips of your own. I dare you!

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