Creative Writing Triggers

Writers write. That may seem painfully obvious but it’s what we do. We can’t afford to be so undisciplined that the words don’t flow from the keyboard. Call it procrastination, laziness or something else (I don’t believe in writer’s block. See my post about that here).

In another post, I shared some writing exercises that one of my former college professors used in class. Here are a few of my own techniques that I’ve come up with over the years:

Write down some words at random and list as many synonyms as you can for each. Pull out the thesaurus if you have to. Seeing certain words in black and white can trigger ideas.

Copy the lyrics from a song you despise. Take those verses that make you wince from their supreme awfulness and rewrite them.

Make up a product or service that you need to sell. Create ad headlines that will grab people’s attention. Don’t filter yourself — let your imagination go wild.

Questions & Quandaries

Have writing/publishing/industry questions?

Then check out Brian A. Klems’ blog at Writer’s Digest, "Questions & Quandaries." From copyright and legal questions to grammatical and formatting dilemmas — and most everything in between — Brian’s blog is invaluable. I refer to it constantly.

Social Media for Business 101

Here’s an article I wrote for Connect magazine, a publication for business owners, on using social media. It’s basically a social media primer, laying out some simple ground rules.

Improve Your Writing

Are you a writer? A newbie, seasoned pro or maybe somewhere in between? Want to enrich your skills? I recommend reading 73 Ways to Become a Better Writer.

Clients Say the Darnedest Things

When I was a copywriter for an ad agency that specialized in audio marketing -- or on-hold phone messages (see my previous post) -- I wrote the scripts for my clients but had to get their approval before we recorded and produced the messages. Some clients, however, insisted on writing them themselves.

The following are actual excerpts from client scripts that must have seemed innocuous enough at first. But on a second read? Maybe not so much.

"Need more than just a good night's sleep?"

"Avoid organ meats..."

"Satisfy every guest, every time!"

"Come 'swing' with the best of 'em!"

"We're always open to your input..."

An Alternative to Query Letters

Freelance writers need to be businesspeople. No one will look out for you but you. And part of that includes marketing yourself. And part of the marketing process includes query letters -- or in my case, the lack thereof. A common obstacle freelancers face, and one I struggle with, is those dang query letters.

What if I have a dynamite idea for an article or feature and I know in which publications it would fit perfectly, but I'm not sure how to convince an editor to buy it? The answer? A query letter, of course. When I first started pursuing writing as a career, I was convinced that the only way to publication glory was to craft perfectly compelling and convincing query letters that sell my ideas. You know ... magic. Sort of like the brisk flourish of a pixie dust-laced scepter. For whatever reason, query letters don't flow from my keyboard like some writers who seem to get the highest paying assignments from the coolest publications by the simple fact that they can easily and quickly compose these publication magnets. For me, it’s usually about as effortless (and fun) as finding a marshmallow on Mt. Everest.

The problem? Publications or Web sites that I absolutely knew I could write for. The style, the tone, the length, everything was up my alley. But if I didn’t have a specific topic to pitch I was out of luck. It was frustrating to say the least. That is until one day I read an article telling me to break those chains of query letters -- I didn’t need them. Instead, the article suggested using an introduction, or marketing, letter or e-mail. It’s a short two- or three-paragraph letter that basically asks if they use freelancers and offers a snapshot of who I am and where I've published. That’s it. Simple brilliance that set me free! Article after article that I read previously repeated the mantra: the one and only way to get your piece published was the (cue the music) query letters. It’s one of those "rules" that I ended up breaking, and I continue to break.

I would venture to say that at least three-quarters of the paying assignments I’ve received over the past couple of years are a direct or indirect result of the intro letters I’ve sent out. I haven’t completely abandoned query letters yet; I do have some article ideas that I’m confident I can sell. I’m just trying to perfect those query letter-writing skills -- while still sending out those intro letters.

Writer’s Block? Patooey!

Writer’s block is the bane of scribes everywhere. Clever, insidious and destructive, it saps us of creativity, industriousness and time.

Well, I don’t believe in writer’s block. I'm sure many writers will disagree with me and consider it blasphemy, but I believe writer's block is a sham. There, I said it.

Let’s be honest. A more apt description for writer’s block is procrastination, aversion or laziness (I can personally attest to employing all three). Simply put, it’s an excuse to not put in the effort. Yes, we are creative. Yes, our profession requires more brains than brawn. Yes, yes, we all have special talents. And, no, writing isn’t easy. It takes dedication, resolve and a certain gift. But, unless you’re writing for yourself and strictly for fun, it is a profession, a career, a business, In other words, show me the money. And even if you are writing for yourself, "writer’s block" is the perfect bulletproof method to slip that poem, short story, essay, script or whatever into a drawer so you can "get back to it later."

Bottom line: We have assignments, projects, jobs -- and deadlines. Don’t rely on the crutch of writer’s block. Don’t sit around waiting for your muse to mystically ordain the computer screen. Per my previous post (Inspiration), writing = ass in chair. It’s as simple as that.