Photo courtesy of Kaitlin M

By Peter Normandia of YinvsYang

“Thereʼs nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.”
-Walter Wellesley ʻRedʼ Smith

If you have a moment, Iʼd like to travel back in time to when you were bored out of your mind in history class, watching the clock move backwards as the teacher mumbled meaningless dates, documents, and names. Remember how hard it was to memorize all of that information?

Well that was my experience. I just didnʼt realize it would help me become a better writer some day. However, when I first began my personal development blog, I started out writing posts very much like my old history teachers gave lessons. I would…

• lay out the problem(s)
• tell my solution(s)
• follow up with supporting ideas/facts
• finish off with a conclusion

It was like reading a school essay, and that is no way to build traffic. Readers did not respond to it just like I did not respond to those history lessons.

Connecting with Readers

To get a response, I needed to give them something to identify with.

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Keep things simple.

By Leo Babauta

A good number of you are either published authors, or more likely people who want to be published authors. Well, I’m happy to say I’ve joined the ranks of those who are published!

My first book, The Power of Less, comes out tomorrow (Dec. 30, 2008), and I’ve created a site to give people more info to help promote the book. It’s super exciting! :)

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Photo courtesy of Sybren Stüvel

By Karl Staib of Work Happy Now!

Frustration can take all the joy out of writing. I know because it plagued my earlier writing career. I love to write and when the words are flowing, the moment feels magical. I never want to stop. This is a rare occurrence. Most days are filled with a stop and go rhythm. I’ve learned that this is a part my writing and blogging method.

Expectations

As a writer, you must remain aware of your expectations and emotions. When I used to hit a wall, the “old me” would stress out. I would get up from my chair and clench my fists or let out a loud grunt. I used to believe that this would help me release my frustrations, but when I look back on those days I realize that it only made me more upset. It wasn’t until I began to recognize these emotions as they bubbled to the surface (from many years of practice) that I was able to nip these feelings before they took over.

A writer creates frustration when they focus too much on their expectation of what they want to achieve instead of enjoying the words that are actually coming out. It all comes down to a simple emotional process. The gap between what we want and what we have is what really frustrates us.

Patterns

Following your reoccurring emotional reactions, and working with them to help you stay focused is the key to reducing your frustrations. I write about working happy, but I had fooled myself into believing that I was enjoying the writing process, when in reality I was frustrated 75% of the time. I pushed through these feelings because that’s what I thought I was supposed to do. It wasn’t until I began to notice these patterns that I used them to my advantage.

Let’s say I’m working on a book and the words aren’t coming out right. Instead of banging my big head (which my wife loves to poke fun at) against this project, I switch gears and write a blog post about dealing with this frustration (like this post) or a poem about my dog barking which scared the holy ‘you know what’ out of me. These enjoyable topics keep my brain writing, but with no expectations for trying to make a clear message. The positive emotions usually start to come back and I’ll give my book another try.

That’s why I can write when it feels like trudging through mud. I’ve watched my habits surface over and over. By noticing these feelings when they first occur I can direct my emotions in a more positive direction. There are almost always some positive thoughts that need to get out even if it doesn’t help me further my book.

If nothing seems to be working, which usually happens at least 1 day out of 7, I just throw in the white towel and go for a walk with my wife, play the Wii or do a little Yoga. I no longer get mad that the words won’t come out, because I know that tomorrow will most likely bring that little bit of magic that today just didn’t want to release.

Karl Staib writes about unlocking and kicking open the door to working happy at his own blog: Work Happy Now! If you enjoyed this article, you may like to  read one of his most popular articles, Tell Your Boss You Need Leisure Time.

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Don’t worry, be happy.

By Leo Babauta

If you’re a blogger or writer, now is the time to expand.

Yes, that’s right — in the middle of a tough economy, when everyone is downsizing and cutting back, you should be even more aggressive and look to expand your business.

As a blogger and book author, I’ve been giving this some thought. I’ve noticed major blog owners such as Nick Denton cutting back on his blogs as revenues decrease. I’ve heard other bloggers talk about decreasing revenues, and worry about whether blogging is dying.

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Photo courtesy of DeclanTM

By Maria Schneider of http://editorunleashed.com

The Web is abundant with free guides, resources and, of course, advice for writers. The fact is, there’s so much out there that it’s difficult to sift through the clutter to find what might actually be helpful.

So we’ve done the work for you. Here are the 10 essential online resources that you will bookmark and turn to again and again in your writing career. And the very best part—they’re all free.

1. U.S. Copyright Office

This is the spot to quench your copyright concerns and even register your work for a copyright.

2. Merriam-Webster

This is the most reliable online dictionary and it’s also the house standard for many magazines and publishers. There’s also a handy thesaurus so you can find just the right word.

3. ASJA

Timely information on writers’ rights, including the quickly changing landscape of electronic rights courtesy of the American Association of Journalists and Authors.

4. Purdue University Online Writing Lab

If you’re a little fuzzy on passive tense or your commas are out of control, check out the OWL brought to you by Purdue.

5. Folio Literary Management

Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting published, with explanations of every step along the way from writing a book to acceptance (not rejection—think positive!)

6. Agent Query

An indispensable free resource for finding a literary agent. They also offer a handy query tracker.

7. Duotrope’s digest

This site offers a searchable database of 2300 current poetry and fiction markets.

8. Shaw Guides

A comprehensive listing of writers conferences, searchable by location, date and genre.

9. Elements of Style

The classic writing style guide by William Strunk, Jr. is now freely available online. Even if you studied it in college, read it again, you’ll take away something new that will refresh your writing.

10. Poets & Writers

The website of the venerable writing journal provides the most comprehensive guide to writing contests and grants.

If you know about more great, free online resources, please share with your fellow writers here in the comments section.

Maria Schneider is the former editor of Writer’s Digest magazine. Find more of her tips and articles on writing and publishing at http://editorunleashed.com.

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