Journaling Made a Writer of Me

My first writing journal was a tiny diary that I received as a birthday present when I was a little girl. I regarded it as a log and wrote a few entries chronicling my daily life. It was boring, and I left most of the good stuff out for fear that someone in my family would find it and read my innermost thoughts. Soon, I gave up on it entirely.

Then, in junior high, which is really when the writer in me sprouted, I was required by my English teacher to keep a daily writing journal. We had about ten or fifteen minutes at the start of each class session to write in our journals. Sometimes we were given topics, or a question to answer pertaining to the literature we were reading (Flowers for Algernon, I remember well). Usually, we had free reign and could write whatever we wanted.

I really liked this particular teacher, who happened to be a student teacher, and I opened up a lot in that journal. I talked about my family, friends, boys, and the general goings-on in my life. Sometimes he would comment on my entries and he was always thoughtful and respectful of everything I had to say. Most days, I would prefer to spend the entire class writing in that journal. I could go on and on and on…

Keeping a Writing Journal

That was eighth grade, and during the following summer, I continued to keep my journal. The practice had stuck and I found that I couldn’t stop. I used a half-sized spiral notebook and it doubled as a repository for my poetry and an outlet for the teen angst I was experiencing on an hourly basis.

Later, in high school, another teacher had our class keep journals, almost always using topics and questions. Sometimes the questions were very general (What should happen to drunk drivers?), and other times they were very specific (Is MacBeth good or evil?) But about once a week we had “free topics” and I always reverted back to writing about my life. This teacher was the opposite of my eighth grade teacher - she was rude and confrontational. I remember once she actually insulted my boyfriend… in MY journal. But I secretly liked her too, because the insult was spot-on.

Journaling continued to pop up as I made my way though college. I kept literary journals, chronicling the many books, stories, and poems that I read as well as my reactions to the works. There were idea journals, dream journals, art journals, and eventually I drifted away from personal diary-type journaling. My need to use writing for expressing the frustrations of my teen years pretty much dried up, and I found a host of other things to journal about. I wrote about my thoughts on culture, politics, religion, and ideas for everything under the sun: books, films, websites, and more.

A Place to Write

I’ve gone through many writing journals since that first one, and I always have notebooks tucked away in every nook and cranny - they remind me that I always have a place to write, somewhere I can jot down my thoughts, flesh out my feelings, or work out the details of a story, poem, or blog post.

Writing poetry at a young age planted within me a love for wordplay, but journaling harnessed that passion and triggered a lifelong need to flesh out my thoughts on the page (or on the screen, as the case may be). Whenever I reflect on my many writing journals, I smile when I remember that student teacher from eighth grade, and send him thoughts of gratitude for being second only to my mother in making a writer of me.

Do you keep a writing journal?

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Three Poetry Prompts for Winter

Poetry prompts and writing exercises are a great way to get a little creative writing done when creativity is elusive. They’re also perfect for challenging yourself as a writer to incorporate new ideas and themes into your work.

You can use these on a day when you’re not feeling especially inspired or as a way to work on something a little different from your usual writing fare. Write a long poem, a short poem, a haiku, or a pantoum. As long as you get the creative writing flowing and have fun with it, you’re doing it right!

These poetry prompts can be used for other types of writing too. Try using them in a short story, a blog post, or a bit of creative prose.

If you decide to tackle these poetry prompts, feel free to post yours in the comments.

Poetry Prompts

Write a poem that contains all of the words in each list, including the title word. That’s it! Pretty simple, right?

Winter’s

burnt

spacious

metropolis

pacing

Snowy

green

loudly

tub

swims

Season

hilarious

elegantly

hips

twisting

Create Poetry Prompts

You can also create your own poetry prompts by flipping through the dictionary and selecting words at random. For the poetry prompt exercises on Writing Forward, I usually try to find words that have nothing to do with each other and I try to include a range of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs to make the poetry writing just a little more challenging.

Have fun with these and let me know if you give any of them a try.

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January News and Announcements

It’s a brand new year and change is in the air, especially here at Writing Forward. I’ve been working behind the scenes and making some changes. You know, a little annual housecleaning.

This blog has always been about writing and it’s always been for writers. That won’t change but now the focus will be on creative writing - fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction will be central themes mixed in with posts that address mechanics like grammar, proofreading, and revising.

It all starts immediately in January with a focus on proofreading - and there will be posts about creative writing as well - a perfect way to follow up “Creative Writing Tips from Around the Blogosphere.”

This will be a fun change for this site. We might mix business writing with creative writing every now and then, but I intend to kick up the creativity around here about five notches.

Creative Writing Services

Most of you know that as a freelancer, I specialize in web content writing. Now that my business writing has its own, separate website, I’ve launched a few services here at Writing Forward that are specifically for creative writers:

• Proofreading Services
• Editing Services
• Critiques

If you’re getting ready to send your work off for publication and need someone to review it for you, then you know who to email. Eventually, I’ll be adding another service, so stay tuned for an announcement about that in the near future.

Yummy Writer Treats

Lately, I’ve been receiving writing-related press releases, contest announcements, and even an offer to receive an advance copy of a novel that is being published early next year along with an offer for an interview or guest post from the author.

Hopefully, in 2009, I’ll be able to bring you news items and announcements of interest to writers. If you have an announcement to share with the creative writing community, please feel free to send it and if it’s relevant, I’d be happy to publish it and share it with readers.

To get started, I have one announcement about a writing contest and another about writing work. Take a look…

Like Quickies? Here’s a Writing Contest for You

The Next Big Writer is sponsoring a droubble/drabble writing contest and will be awarding two $100 prizes. One for the best Droubble and the other for the best Drabble. What’s a drabble? A short story that’s exactly 100 words in length - and a droubble is double that - 200 words exactly. Enter by January 15.

Writing Gigs - Press Release

The “Warm Press Pass” Program at Suite101.com Provides Immediate Writing Work for Laid-Off Journalists - December 15, 2008 (Vancouver, BC, Canada)

Online magazine is hiring recently unemployed journalists for immediate writing jobs in response to broad editorial layoffs in North American newsrooms.

Suite101.com, the online magazine with over 12 million monthly readers, is opening its doors to laid-off writers in response to recent cutbacks to editorial positions and freelance budgets in North American newsrooms.

Suite101 is bucking the trend in editorial layoffs by hiring up to 100 freelance writers a week. “We invite experienced news writers, editors, reporters and journalists to “jump the queue” and be hired immediately as a Suite101 writer,” explains Peter Berger, CEO of Suite101.com Media. “We’re making it easy for professional newsroom staff with three years experience to keep writing—and keep getting paid—throughout the changes in the news media.”

The Suite101.com Warm Press Pass program is open until January 31st, 2009. To apply writers must:

• Apply online at: http://www.suite101.com/freelance_writers?presspass
• Present two recent writing samples
• Indicate at least three recent years of professional news writing experience
• Mention they are applying under the “Warm Press Pass” program

Current writers cite the benefits of writing for Suite101 as including monthly payment by PayPal, editorial feedback, freedom to write on chosen topics, education on writing for the web, respect for their copyright, and the increased profile that comes from having their work published in a highly visible online portfolio that is noticed by assignment editors, agents, publishers and media.

About Suite101.com
Suite101.com is an online magazine published by a network of over 2,000 freelance writers. As a company, we’re committed to creating opportunities for writers at each stage of their career. Visitors to Suite101.com find answers to pressing questions in the 150,000+ articles published on our site, covering over 400 topics. Suite101.com has emerged over the past decade as a trusted site visited by over 12 million readers each month. Suite101.com Media Inc. is a Canadian company based in Vancouver BC with offices in Berlin. Visit www.suite101.com and  www.suite101.de.

Happy New Year

Finally, I want to wish everyone a happy new year. If you do nothing else in 2009, keep on writing!

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Writing Forward: Year in Review 2008

Robert Hruzek of Middle Zone Musings is having a little party in January and only the first 100 people who accept his invitation get to come. The shindig even has a name - Blogapalooza - and it’s going to be a blast.

All you have to do is go through all your posts from 2008, and select a favorite from each month. Sounds easy, right? Maybe you want to come to the party with me?

Looking Back on 2008

If 2007 was a year of transformation (it was), then 2008 has been a year for manifestation. For the first time, I set clear goals and met the most important ones. I wrote a novel, launched a new site for my website copywriting services, and kept Writing Forward going.

I can’t imagine what next year will bring. Before I start daydreaming about the future, I’d like to take a walk down memory lane - a quick trip through some of my best posts of 2008.

Best Blog Moments of 2008

Back in January I asked what’s more important in writing - skill or talent? The answer might surprise you. No matter how skilled or talented you are, your writing will greatly improve if you open yourself to receiving a writing critique, but will you be able to handle it? It isn’t easy to get negative feedback but if you want your writing to be great, you should learn how to accept a critique graciously. Not everyone strives toward greatness, which is why I felt it was necessary to point out that great writing does, in fact, matter online.

Speaking of online writing, did you know the most effective web writing is more like briefs than boxers? Web writing works best when it’s concise and easy to scan. Some of the best writing on the web can be found in the blogosphere, which is why I wrote a little story (much like this one) and peppered it with links to some of my friends who are writing community bloggers.

Poetry is about one half of creative writing (the other half is fiction). A good way to get your feet wet with poetry is by reading it. There’s a lot out there, so I shared my three favorite women poets, and let me warn you - all of them are still smoking hot, decades after their deaths.

It’s important for writers to stay creative, and one way to do that is to keep writing journals in which you can record your thoughts, ideas, and things that inspire you. But don’t get caught in the creative loop - try to master the writing process so you actually finish your projects (like that novel that’s sitting in a bottom drawer somewhere).

In addition to staying creative, writers need to stay in shape by working those writing muscles. Collect writing tips and resources, read trade magazines, and listen to interviews. Soon, you’ll have a heavy duty arsenal that will help you stay fit for wordcraft.

This past fall brought the election season and an economic downturn. I asked readers whether it was appropriate for writers, and bloggers in particular, to share their personal views and beliefs online, and I questioned what kind impact writing for change could have on one’s career.

By the time the election was over, I was busy learning how to write a novel. What I found out was that basically, you sit down and write the darn thing.

Now that the year is coming to a close, I look back on the posts with fond memories, although I’m a bit mystefied as to why a post that I wrote in 2007 about the best writing tips is still the most visited and highest rated page on this whole site. I wrote that post in about fifteen minutes. At least it’s aging gracefully!

Writing Forward into 2009

In just a few hours, the year will truly be over and we’ll embark on a new calendar. It’s time to set our annual goals, gather our financials for the taxman, and say goodbye to the year that was 2008. I wish you all a safe and happy New Year’s Eve and will see you next year!

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Creative Writing Tips from Around the Blogosphere

In the spirit of celebrating the writing community, I thought it would be fun to collect creative writing tips from some of the most talented, inspiring, and skillful writers in the blogosphere.

I wasn’t surprised that almost everyone I invited to participate in this collective post agreed - many people sent two or more tips so that I had some wiggle room in choosing which creative writing tips to include.

Each writer brought his or her unique voice to the project and generously gave their most writerly advice. I hope you enjoy these insights and find use for them in your own writing efforts. If you have any writing tips to add, please feel free to post them in the comments.

18 Creative Writing Tips from 18 Excellent Writers

Bill Womack of Words for Writers

I practice descriptions constantly. On walks around the neighborhood, I’ll make up sentences to describe what I see–the bark on a tree, or the way car tires sound as they crunch over icy slush. It’s all about keeping the writing muscles toned.

BJ Keltz from Enriched by Words

Try all the writing exercises you can find.  You will learn a lot about your voice and your process, and find a few that suit you well enough to work them into your daily writing routine.  Feel free to discard those that don’t work.

Bobby Revell

My most useful writing tip has nothing to do with writing at all. To retain and perpetuate inspiration, you must rid yourself of all ego. When you overly look up to writing luminaries you admire, compare yourself to other writers or see yourself as better or more talented than someone else–you cripple your own ability to be honest, open and creative. Your own ego is your worst enemy as a writer.

Brad Vertrees of Brad’s Reader

My writing really began to mature once I learned that creativity is more about perspiration than inspiration. This means that even when I’m not feeling particularly inspired, I still sit down to write. Once the words are on paper (or computer screen), then the editing process is where the magic (and work) begins - when a rough draft turns into a beautifully written short story. My point is that if you want to be a writer, then sit down and write, whether or not you feel inspired. Hard work is the name of the game!

Brett Legree of 6 Weeks

When you write, write from your gut, your heart, your soul.  Don’t worry too much about polishing it, because like a good conversation, if it is too polished, it will sound rehearsed.  It will not sound like “you”, it will not be “your voice”.  If you write from your very core, you will share the best you have to offer with the world.  And isn’t that what it is all about?

Deb Adams at G’s Cottage

Personalize the piece. My most memorable comments have come when the reader has not only gotten a glimpse of me as a full-spectrum individual but senses that I see them as a full-spectrum individual. To accomplish this requires a blend of honesty, openness and transparency. However, it is different from wearing one’s heart on the sleeve. Instead it makes room for imperfection and second-chances; and everybody has wished for a second chance at least once in their life.

Deb Boyken from Punctuality Rules

Be yourself. No matter how new you are to writing, nobody else can see things, or say things exactly as you can. By being yourself and letting that show through your writing, you will offer a totally unique product. But if you try to write like you think you’re supposed to write–instead of like YOU? Then you’re not offering anything special, so why bother? Only by being yourself are you truly unique, so … be yourself!

The Deep Friar

Forget the fancy grammar and spelling, and just write like you’re talking to your buddy over a few beers at the local pub. If you want your audience to open up and relate to you, it’s important to just be yourself. Don’t try to be someone you’re not, because people can sense when you’re not being genuine.

Jaden at Screenwriting for Hollywood

Continue to educate yourself throughout your career, be an expert in your field, and never give up.

James Chartrand from Men with Pens

There’s an analogy in everything, and drawing analogies between concepts can unlock the box to your creativity. If I said, “Write about writing,” for example, you’d rack your brains. But say I suggest, “Write about the similarities between water and writing…” Well, the words just begin to flow.

Karen Swim from Words for Hire

My inner critic loves to hover over my shoulder pointing out that I am a hack. She incessantly questions every word, comma and semicolon on the page. Unable to drown her out with music, or ignore her and press on I came up with a sure fire solution. I banish her from my presence by physically kicking her out of the room and locking the door. I have found that acknowledging her presence and ordering her to leave is as effective as it would be on a “real” person. She is only allowed back in when I have written the first draft, and then and only then she gets to have her say.

Kate at Live Out of the Box

Hop on a bus or train.

Whenever I’m stuck in a storyline or would just like to do a whole lotta brainstorming, I take a bus or a train and could sit next to the window for hours in absolute silence. At that moment, it’s just me and my world that’s taking shape before my eyes. The fast moving scenery is enough to open the floodgates of words and images and I’m often amazed at the ideas that jump out, smacking me in the face. Just be sure you get off at the right stop and not find yourself in a whole different country.

Marelisa Fabrega of Abundance Blog at Marelisa Online

My best advice for creative writing is to create a swipe file—filled with images, quotes, poems, passages from books, possible names for characters, and anything else that catches your fancy.  Your swipe file can act as a creativity trigger, or as a playground in which you mix-and-match ideas until you’ve created something fantastic you can call your own.

Matthew Dryden

Every word you publish must have a pulse behind it. You must write with conviction. It doesn’t matter if you treat your pen like a razor and bleed words across the page, if your words don’t pump your passion through the veins of your readers, then you will not hear back.

Milena from The Leaping Thought

Let something you have written age. You’d be surprised how different your words can look and sound with a couple of hours worth of distance. Often, I let whatever I write sit overnight before hitting the publish button on my blog posts. This practice has helped me to notice mistakes in spelling, syntax as well as effect improvements in the melody of whatever I write.

Sean Platt, aka Writer Dad

Always be yourself.  If you’re not sure who that is, then just start writing.  No one can answer the deepest questions of who you are than you, and there’s no quicker route than the pen.  What keeps people from writing is the fear that they have nothing to say.  Yet that is an impossible thought.  We all have something to say, we just don’t all take the time to say it.  Just write.  Do it with the door closed if you need to, but write past the awkward and the truth will be waiting.

t. sterling watson of indoob, ’tis the workforce

Don’t tell me, show me.  You say there’s a dog across the street.  So what?  You show me it’s a snarling 5 foot beast with too many razor sharp teeth that always barks and never sleeps with way too long of a leash, and then I’ll believe why you never leave.

Zoë Westhof of Essential Prose

Make your readers feel what you are writing by using corporeal language. Words that are tangible, especially ones related to our bodies, evoke strong images and physical response.

Ex: “The howl sliced through her flesh, thrusting a wave of hot blood into her chest” is more gripping than “The piercing howl fueled intense fear as she imagined what was coming.”

Be Yourself

Of all the creative writing tips people shared only one seemed to repeat itself, and I think it’s so appropriate that it bears repeating: be yourself. You can say it a million different ways - be true to yourself, do you, listen to your heart - and this is true not just in writing, but in life. The most successful, wealthy, and happy people on the planet are those that follow their own path, that march to the ticking of their own hearts, and who dare to believe in their own dreams. If you do nothing else in life, do that, and you (and your writing) will be fine.

Thanks to all the writers who so generously shared their creative writing tips, and for being part of the writing community that has come to mean so much to me. This was a fun project and I’m grateful that you all decided to participate.

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