Writing Tips for Everybody
Whether you’re writing articles, blog posts, a book, or cre
ating social media content, at some point, you’re going to write. Writing is something we’ve all been doing since grade school. Some of us love the process and other see it as a necessary evil. I’m one of the people who loves to write mostly because it helps me organize my thoughts and communicate them to my tribe.
Sometimes, when I have a problem to resolve, I write for my eyes only. I take a few deep breaths, put pen to paper, and let the words flow without regard to grammar, syntax, or structure. This is how I tap into my subconscious to see what’s really going on. I’m often surprised at what shows up. If you try this, start by asking a question. The subconscious loves to answer questions. For example, the topic of this blog post is Writing. But, the question I asked before I started writing was, “What writing tips can I share with LinkedIn readers?”
I offer offer a course designed to help people bring their book to life (Bring Your Book to Life). Last night I attended an eWomen Network meeting where I was sharing information about the writing course and I realized that the process I share over a weekend works for more than books. The list of chapters and the bullet points to be covered work for more than books. Articles, blog posts, social media content–even speeches–can be the focus. One women shared that her first book was actually a collection of blog posts.
Getting back to the purpose of this post: Here are three tips that will help you write anything.
- Think about your audience and what you want to tell them. It is much easier to think than it is to write. I’m a huge fan of mind maps, but traditional outlines and bullet points also work. I also use 3×5 cards to capture thoughts because they are easy to organize. What does your audience need to know? What is the simplest way to give them that information?
- Turn your bulleted points or outline into questions and then answer them. The subconscious mind loves to answer questions. It’s the quickest way I know to crank out content.
- Use language that speaks to your tribe. The words you choose to communicate with engineers will be different than the language you use to write an article about dating for teenage girls.
If you have questions about writing anything, please book a call. I can help you get whatever is in your head on the page where it can do some good!
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Jan Fishler is the author of Searching for Jane, Finding Myself (an adoption memoir), Don’t Stop Now: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life, Flex Your Writing Muscle (365 Writing Prompts), and PTSD: Lessons From Vietnam. She is a motivational speaker who also teaches writing classes online. More about Jan at www.JanFishler.net.
My word for 2022 is completion. I generally spend a portion of new year’s eve thinking about the past year and picking a word to represent how I hope the following year unfolds. Last year my word was action. The year before it was truth. I chose completion because at this point in my career–and in my life, I have accomplished a lot, but I have some unfinished projects that I want to complete. At the top of my list is offering writing classes that I’ve developed and tested but never really marketed consistently. I get very excited about creating content, but getting the word out about my offering is where I drop the ball.
If there is one thing we all need to overcome it’s resistance. I’m NOT talking about ohms– the opposition to current flow in an electrical circuit. The type of resistance I’m talking about is the one we suffer from when we procrastinate or put off tasks that are essential to our creative or personal growth. Of course, what we resist persists–unless we do something to change the status quo. There is always a reason for our hesitancy or reluctance. The challenge is getting to the source of our discomfort to see what we can do to calm the beast that’s preventing us from moving forward. Sometimes, there is a good reason we refuse to change, but most of the time, it comes down to fear of the unknown and false expectations about what we perceive the future holds.
Writing a memoir takes courage. It often means taking a deep dive into the past and sharing secrets with strangers, family and friends. Judgment of your work and of your life looms large–another reason why you have to be courageous. This past month I’ve been teaching thirteen brave women how to write a memoir. For most of the women, the topics they have chosen to write about requires delving deep into and making sense of childhood memories. Three of the women are writing about growing up with mothers who were mentally ill. They are on a rough road that will ultimately lead to healing. Processing memories and feelings that come up is not easy but it is possible.
The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to keep learning and expanding my areas of interest. I could easily retire, but then what? Retirement–whatever that means–never seemed like a viable option. When I was a kid, my grandparents retired and moved from Ohio to Florida. My grandfather left his noodle company to my father and dedicated his retirement years to fishing. Every morning he would take his rod and reel, walk down to the public peer and wait for the fish to bite. My grandmother was the opposite. She spent her retirement years at the pool, playing cards and shopping. My parents weren’t much different. My father retired to play golf and cards and my mother followed suit. As I approached retirement years, none of these options made sense to me.
Writing and being a writer is what I do. It’s what I’ve always done. Articles, blog posts, books, corporate scripts, courses, press releases, sales collateral, speeches and training manuals. You name it, I’ve written it. As a freelance writer, that’s what you do. You write and rewrite until you get it right and right is when the client is satisfied. A few years ago, I shifted my focus to teaching online writing classes.
Judgment is a topic that is currently at the forefront of my mind. Why? I started my 
Memoir, “a version of events as the author remembers them.” That means there is a lot of wiggle room when it comes to writing a memoir. That’s why I like the genre so much. Written in the first person, a good memoir reads like fiction. It’s an opportunity to write a story with the added the luxury of hindsight provided by your older and hopefully wiser self.
