Here is an idea for the next time you are stuck with an idea and can't fight your way out of a wet paper bag with it. Try the reframing matrix plan.
The Reframing Matrix is a formal technique used to look at problems from different perspectives. It helps to expand the number of options open to you for solving a problem.
You draw up a reframing matrix by posing a question in a box in the middle of a piece of paper. You then draw a grid around it. Each cell will contain approaches to the problem, seen from one perspective.
One way of using the technique is the '4 Ps' approach. This looks at the problem from the following viewpoints: Product, Planning, Potential and People. Another set of perspectives is to ask your self how different professionals would approach the problem. Useful professions to consider would be medical doctors, engineers, systems analysts, sales managers, etc.
I found this on a site called Mind Tools. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCT_05.htm
Consider applying the reframing matrix to your writing blocks or hold ups. What would your four perspectives or viewpoints be? Overall you could say: Story, Publisher, Reader, Characters. But it could be applied to sections of your fiction too. Look at the situation from the viewpoint of four different characters. If you are working on a non-fiction article look at it from the viewpoint of four possible readers- other writers, professionals, your siblings, a checkout cashier, etc.
It does help to give you fresh ideas and slants/ angles on the ideas you already have.
Inspiration and encouragement for writers, bloggers, zine and website builders. Writing prompts and occasional web publishing ideas.
Assignments for Home-Based Writers
From the book - How to Start a Home-Based Writing Business by Lucy V. Parker, these are sixty key assignments for home-based writers:
Advertising copy
Anniversary materials for corporations, organizations, institutions, municipalities
Annual reports
Articles for employee magazines
Articles for single-sponsor magazines
Articles for trade journals and small magazines
Brochures
Calendars
Capability brochures
Catalogues and product sheets
CD-ROM/ Interactive media writing
City and newcomer guides
Collateral materials
Conference and trade show materials
Consultation
Contributing editor assignments
Critical reviewing
Direct-mail packages
Directories
Editing
Employee benefit materials
Environmental materials
Family histories and genealogies
Flyers
Fund-raising materials
Ghost writing and collaboration
Greeting card writing
Indexing
Industry-specific writing
Instructional materials
Investor-relations materials.
Letter writing
Manuals
Menu writing
New product regulatory writing
Newsletters
Newspaper feature writing, reporting and stringing
Packaging design and copy
Policies and procedures writing
Political campaign writing
Press releases and press kits
Proofreading
Proposals
Public relations services and materials
Radio and TV ads and promotions
Researching
Restaurant reviewing and writing
Resume writing
Retail and mall promotions
Sales presentations
Scripts and storyboards
Speeches
Sports materials and services
Teaching writing
Technical writing
Telemarketing scripts
Transcripts and other forms of word processing
Translations
Travel writing
Website content providing
Go through the list and pick out which you like to do, could do more of, or could learn to do. It's a great list. Find a copy of the book for more information about any of the assignments above.
You can also look up information about being a virtual assistant. I know some writers/ web designers/ virtual assistants - people who are leaving their options open and learning a lot of new skills. The key is to find your niche, the area(s) where you can flourish and grow and really love what you're doing.
Advertising copy
Anniversary materials for corporations, organizations, institutions, municipalities
Annual reports
Articles for employee magazines
Articles for single-sponsor magazines
Articles for trade journals and small magazines
Brochures
Calendars
Capability brochures
Catalogues and product sheets
CD-ROM/ Interactive media writing
City and newcomer guides
Collateral materials
Conference and trade show materials
Consultation
Contributing editor assignments
Critical reviewing
Direct-mail packages
Directories
Editing
Employee benefit materials
Environmental materials
Family histories and genealogies
Flyers
Fund-raising materials
Ghost writing and collaboration
Greeting card writing
Indexing
Industry-specific writing
Instructional materials
Investor-relations materials.
Letter writing
Manuals
Menu writing
New product regulatory writing
Newsletters
Newspaper feature writing, reporting and stringing
Packaging design and copy
Policies and procedures writing
Political campaign writing
Press releases and press kits
Proofreading
Proposals
Public relations services and materials
Radio and TV ads and promotions
Researching
Restaurant reviewing and writing
Resume writing
Retail and mall promotions
Sales presentations
Scripts and storyboards
Speeches
Sports materials and services
Teaching writing
Technical writing
Telemarketing scripts
Transcripts and other forms of word processing
Translations
Travel writing
Website content providing
Go through the list and pick out which you like to do, could do more of, or could learn to do. It's a great list. Find a copy of the book for more information about any of the assignments above.
You can also look up information about being a virtual assistant. I know some writers/ web designers/ virtual assistants - people who are leaving their options open and learning a lot of new skills. The key is to find your niche, the area(s) where you can flourish and grow and really love what you're doing.
Take Action
Doing something makes you feel better. Think about the times you accomplished something and how much better that felt than leaving it for someone else, deciding it was beyond you or some other version of not doing. Even if the task is more than you are capable of, take a chunk out of it, or just try anyway. Find something you can do.
If you want to be a professional (paid) writer don't think about it, don't make elaborate plans and stop there. Do something. Take action. Start by cleaning all the junk files out of your computer, maybe a whole reformat if you don't feel too nervous about trying that. (It isn't really that complicated, it just looks intimidating). Don't get too deep into cleaning or organizing or planning anything though. Those are pools of stagnation and procrastination too. Start there but move on.
If you've made a list of possible clients to write for, begin contacting them. Write your query letters and send them. Write a book proposal and deliver on it. You will feel so much better: accomplished, capable and far ahead of where you were when everything was just plans and stuff you'd like to be doing.
Also, you can find time for the things you really want to do. If you get stuck in the planning then you need to push yourself into the action. If you think you don't have enough time take a look at what you are doing, where your time is being spent. Is all that really necessary or are there times when you're just spinning your wheels?
If you want to be a professional (paid) writer don't think about it, don't make elaborate plans and stop there. Do something. Take action. Start by cleaning all the junk files out of your computer, maybe a whole reformat if you don't feel too nervous about trying that. (It isn't really that complicated, it just looks intimidating). Don't get too deep into cleaning or organizing or planning anything though. Those are pools of stagnation and procrastination too. Start there but move on.
If you've made a list of possible clients to write for, begin contacting them. Write your query letters and send them. Write a book proposal and deliver on it. You will feel so much better: accomplished, capable and far ahead of where you were when everything was just plans and stuff you'd like to be doing.
Also, you can find time for the things you really want to do. If you get stuck in the planning then you need to push yourself into the action. If you think you don't have enough time take a look at what you are doing, where your time is being spent. Is all that really necessary or are there times when you're just spinning your wheels?
Cranking It Out
Here's something I found among a list of jobs for writers:
We are looking for writers to work on the following project:
- Author many short (100-200) word articles on a variety of keywords (keyword list will be provided).
- Author site map for your work.
- Ensure the content achieves an 8-12% keyword density rating.
- Ability to crank out at least 50 such articles a week
Qualifications:
- Use Dreamweaver or Frontpage
- Know how to FTP content to a site
- Previous web writing experience (send URLs)
Compensation:
- Paid on a per article basis.
Is this the job for you? You can find it on Craigslist.org if you want to. It sounds like they want someone to write spam, to me. I guess I still have a bit too much pride in my writing to consider it something I'd "crank out".
I'm not being stuffy, just thinking of the work and creativity and craft involved in creating a readable article and then comparing that to something you'd crank out 50 times a week.
Could you do it? Even if you would take the job, could you write 50 short articles about random topics each week? I guess if it really didn't matter how interesting or unique they were, you could. Of course, you have to consider how dense the keywords are. That seems to be the only content that matters.
Kind of sad if web writing comes to this, cranking out keywords for search engines to latch onto.
The funny thing is that search engines don't all use spiders any more. Some have real people who aren't impressed with a lot of half assed articles full of keywords. Even if those sites get listed and show up at the top of the search that's no guarantee of getting clicks. Not real clicks that stick around and actually look at the site. After all, getting clicks isn't enough. If people come to the site, find nothing and leave. You're not ahead of the game.
So, it's paying work for some writer. Not me though. Not that I couldn't use the money. I just don't want to be known for cranking out articles when I could be creating something unique, with real value.
We are looking for writers to work on the following project:
- Author many short (100-200) word articles on a variety of keywords (keyword list will be provided).
- Author site map for your work.
- Ensure the content achieves an 8-12% keyword density rating.
- Ability to crank out at least 50 such articles a week
Qualifications:
- Use Dreamweaver or Frontpage
- Know how to FTP content to a site
- Previous web writing experience (send URLs)
Compensation:
- Paid on a per article basis.
Is this the job for you? You can find it on Craigslist.org if you want to. It sounds like they want someone to write spam, to me. I guess I still have a bit too much pride in my writing to consider it something I'd "crank out".
I'm not being stuffy, just thinking of the work and creativity and craft involved in creating a readable article and then comparing that to something you'd crank out 50 times a week.
Could you do it? Even if you would take the job, could you write 50 short articles about random topics each week? I guess if it really didn't matter how interesting or unique they were, you could. Of course, you have to consider how dense the keywords are. That seems to be the only content that matters.
Kind of sad if web writing comes to this, cranking out keywords for search engines to latch onto.
The funny thing is that search engines don't all use spiders any more. Some have real people who aren't impressed with a lot of half assed articles full of keywords. Even if those sites get listed and show up at the top of the search that's no guarantee of getting clicks. Not real clicks that stick around and actually look at the site. After all, getting clicks isn't enough. If people come to the site, find nothing and leave. You're not ahead of the game.
So, it's paying work for some writer. Not me though. Not that I couldn't use the money. I just don't want to be known for cranking out articles when I could be creating something unique, with real value.
A Little Song of Life
A Little Song of Life
Lizette Woodworth Reese
Glad that I live am I,
That the sky is blue;
Glad for the country lanes,
And the fall of dew.
After the sun the rain,
After the rain the sun;
This is the way of life,
Till the work be done.
All that we need to do,
Be we low or high,
Is to see that we grow,
Nearer the sky.
Use this as an example to write your own Little Song of Life. Keep it simple, how would you write about life?
Lizette Woodworth Reese
Glad that I live am I,
That the sky is blue;
Glad for the country lanes,
And the fall of dew.
After the sun the rain,
After the rain the sun;
This is the way of life,
Till the work be done.
All that we need to do,
Be we low or high,
Is to see that we grow,
Nearer the sky.
Use this as an example to write your own Little Song of Life. Keep it simple, how would you write about life?