I don't feel like writing cause my bra strap is too tight. I don't feel like writing cause I'm not in the mood. I don't feel like writing cause I'm too tired. I don't feel like writing cause I don't have anything really brilliant to say today. I don't feel like writing cause my typing is worse than my penmanship tonight. I don't feel like writing cause my asthma is bugging me. I don't feel like writing, I just don't feel like writing. Can't I just not feel like writing?
I can always come up with reasons why I don't feel like writing, some of them are real reasons. But, in the end, later I'll still be trying to catch up on everything I didn't write the night before. Time keeps passing, you can't politely ask everything to stop for you.
What do you do to get back on track when you don't feel like writing? Sometimes I have a shower. Going for a drive or a walk also works, weather and gas money permitting. Even just taking yourself away for the time it takes to make a fresh coffee is now and then enough to get yourself back into a writing frame of mind.
If not, maybe you need to make a list instead. Lists are a short form of writing. You don't have to obey rules of punctuation, grammar or spelling. You just make notes for yourself. List your plot developments for fiction you're working on. List possible spin off articles if you're writing non-fiction. Make a list of ideas you could work on if you felt like writing.
In the process of making a list I usually find I suddenly really feel like writing again. In fact, I often start writing right on the back of my list.
Free Content
I've used contributed and/ or free content before. But, it brings it's own set of difficulties. Before you jump into this, thinking how much easier your life will be consider the following:
1) Unless you want content geared to website promotion, you may be out of luck. The main topic of free content is about site promotion, one way or another. This is changing, slowly. As you find articles to use the well will run dry. Eventually you may find you are spending more time looking for fresh content than it would have taken to write it yourself. If you do find a good writer this way, keep in contact and ask if they have other articles you could use.
2) People who post to free content sites don't always read the rules. I've had authors demand I stop using their content. Some claimed it had expiry dates, some claimed the full article was never meant to be used, just a teaser with a link back to their own site. One expected me to change the format of my pages to suit her article. Before you use a free content site, read the rules, be aware of them. Before using any free content send an email to the writer. Give them an outline of how the content will be used, keep it short and simple.
3) Formatting is hell. Do I need to elaborate? If you have ever cut and pasted a large body of text to a site you are familiar with the backspace and up and down keys on your keyboard. The most aggravating part of using content which you cut and paste from another site is making it fit into your own site's layout. Yes, this is a small thing but over time it is seriously aggravating. Ask if all contributed content can be sent to you in plain text files. You can at least hope.
4) Grammar, punctuation and spelling. I'm not a dictionary myself but I try to learn from my mistakes, I proofread and I run spellcheck. I don't understand why everyone who writes can't do the same. But, you may find yourself editing a lot of contributed content.
I'm not against using free or contributed content but it's not the perfect answer to filling up your zine with greatness. On the plus side, you won't be the only one talking. It is good to have more than your own voice, ideas and experiences. It's great to have something you can rely on when you're pressed for time, out of ideas or just don't want to write. Making contacts and networking is another plus. But, it's not all free and easy. Be aware of the pitfalls.
1) Unless you want content geared to website promotion, you may be out of luck. The main topic of free content is about site promotion, one way or another. This is changing, slowly. As you find articles to use the well will run dry. Eventually you may find you are spending more time looking for fresh content than it would have taken to write it yourself. If you do find a good writer this way, keep in contact and ask if they have other articles you could use.
2) People who post to free content sites don't always read the rules. I've had authors demand I stop using their content. Some claimed it had expiry dates, some claimed the full article was never meant to be used, just a teaser with a link back to their own site. One expected me to change the format of my pages to suit her article. Before you use a free content site, read the rules, be aware of them. Before using any free content send an email to the writer. Give them an outline of how the content will be used, keep it short and simple.
3) Formatting is hell. Do I need to elaborate? If you have ever cut and pasted a large body of text to a site you are familiar with the backspace and up and down keys on your keyboard. The most aggravating part of using content which you cut and paste from another site is making it fit into your own site's layout. Yes, this is a small thing but over time it is seriously aggravating. Ask if all contributed content can be sent to you in plain text files. You can at least hope.
4) Grammar, punctuation and spelling. I'm not a dictionary myself but I try to learn from my mistakes, I proofread and I run spellcheck. I don't understand why everyone who writes can't do the same. But, you may find yourself editing a lot of contributed content.
I'm not against using free or contributed content but it's not the perfect answer to filling up your zine with greatness. On the plus side, you won't be the only one talking. It is good to have more than your own voice, ideas and experiences. It's great to have something you can rely on when you're pressed for time, out of ideas or just don't want to write. Making contacts and networking is another plus. But, it's not all free and easy. Be aware of the pitfalls.
Website Tinkering and Tampering
Someone told me that the front page of my personal site is just a webring page. I was really peeved! I've worked hard to make that a nice entrance way. It still seems kind of unprofessional and "needs improvement" but it's so much better than my first few versions. I'm getting the hang of tables. Sometimes I even understand why they suddenly warp and flop around like fish out of water. Only sometimes.
Anyway, I took a few dozen second looks at my site and I realized that she may have ignored all my graphics and the bit of introduction and just decided that my front page was for webrings and an index to the rest of the site. I guess graphics aren't enough. They are pretty pictures but they are also discounted as far as meaty content.
So, I am trying to think of something more to do with some of that front page real estate. I don't want to do any of the standard home page things like an introduction or a biography. Why put site visitors to sleep before they have even begun to look around? Once you read a few biographies they all start sounding the same.
I need something unique and startlingly new. Something that will have people talking about my amazing feats of front page technique for as long as the Internet still clicks. The problem is, I have no ideas, so far.
Isn't it interesting how much time we put into catching people's attention? Is it entertainment or information? That is the first thing I need to decide. I'm leaning away from entertainment. But, once I get that figured out all the other decisions will be much easier.
I'll let you know how it goes. Keep in mind, all my website tampering takes place over months, not weeks. In other words, don't hold your breath, it could be hazardous to your health.
Anyway, I took a few dozen second looks at my site and I realized that she may have ignored all my graphics and the bit of introduction and just decided that my front page was for webrings and an index to the rest of the site. I guess graphics aren't enough. They are pretty pictures but they are also discounted as far as meaty content.
So, I am trying to think of something more to do with some of that front page real estate. I don't want to do any of the standard home page things like an introduction or a biography. Why put site visitors to sleep before they have even begun to look around? Once you read a few biographies they all start sounding the same.
I need something unique and startlingly new. Something that will have people talking about my amazing feats of front page technique for as long as the Internet still clicks. The problem is, I have no ideas, so far.
Isn't it interesting how much time we put into catching people's attention? Is it entertainment or information? That is the first thing I need to decide. I'm leaning away from entertainment. But, once I get that figured out all the other decisions will be much easier.
I'll let you know how it goes. Keep in mind, all my website tampering takes place over months, not weeks. In other words, don't hold your breath, it could be hazardous to your health.
Debating Yourself
Could you argue in favour of something you disagreed with? Could you take the side, against your personal beliefs, and come up with a great debate? Debating is a skill. It's not easy to come up with strong, winning points when you don't agree with the overall ideas. But, as a writer, that is what you have to do, sometimes.
If someone pays you to write, speech write or ghostwrite something for them, you have to do it to the best of your abilities. Once you take on a job you need to do your best with it. Your personal opinions can be useful as you will already know the reasoning behind the opposite point of view.
I think one challenge would be keeping your focus and not letting your own point of view creep in to influence the writing/ debate. It would be so easy to slip in a subtle zinger. So easy to not try to really come up with the best points and just settle for your first ideas. But, you'd be selling yourself short that way.
As a writing exercise debating against yourself is a great way to get your brain working. Could you apply this to writing fiction too? If you were stuck at a point of choice for a character, would it help to write a scene where they do the opposite to what you feel they should be doing? By writing what you don't want them to do could you not find what you want them to do, think or feel?
If someone pays you to write, speech write or ghostwrite something for them, you have to do it to the best of your abilities. Once you take on a job you need to do your best with it. Your personal opinions can be useful as you will already know the reasoning behind the opposite point of view.
I think one challenge would be keeping your focus and not letting your own point of view creep in to influence the writing/ debate. It would be so easy to slip in a subtle zinger. So easy to not try to really come up with the best points and just settle for your first ideas. But, you'd be selling yourself short that way.
As a writing exercise debating against yourself is a great way to get your brain working. Could you apply this to writing fiction too? If you were stuck at a point of choice for a character, would it help to write a scene where they do the opposite to what you feel they should be doing? By writing what you don't want them to do could you not find what you want them to do, think or feel?
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