Finding Your Writing Path

Happy Wednesday to all of my Peeps!  LOL  I have no idea where the peep thing came from; I’m just winging it here, friends.

Are you ready for today’s topic?  How about finding your path as a writer?

This one took me awhile.  When I first joined HubPages I had already been doing SEO work for companies for a year, and although it was nice to pay the bills with that tedious writing I found no joy in it.

Then I came to HubPages, a writer’s community where I was free to write about subjects that interested me.

The next step was to find my writer’s voice, and that took about a month.  One day I wrote an article titled “A Letter To My Birth Mother Who I Never Knew” and everything just clicked for me.  I knew then the type of writing I wanted to do.  I wanted my words to inspire….I wanted my words to stun my readers and force them to laugh and cry and go ooh and aaah!

The only problem with that path is that it was going to be tough to make money doing it, but alas, I found quite a few magazines that actually like personal essays, so it turned out it was possible after all to make money doing what I loved doing.

But it has not been easy, and I’m nowhere near where I want to be….so I keep walking the path and improving my writing skills.

And that is what I want for you; I want you to find that writing path that allows you to feel joy with each word that you write.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.”
Bruce Lee

How many writing sites can you visit where you will find a quote by Bruce Lee?  LOL  But the message is an important one.  Be yourself as a writer.  Find your own voice and copy no one else.  Have faith in your abilities and trust in your talent…and then work to be better.

TIP OF THE DAY

I found an article that has some useful tips on how to develop your writer’s voice.  You can find them here.

If I were going to give my own tip it would be to write from your heart and write in a natural way that mirrors the way you speak and the person that you are.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

I borrowed this from a site called Web Design Relief and thought you might like it:

Before you set out a plan for the best way to move forward, you’ve got to get clear on

• ·         Where you are now
• ·         Where you want to go

Only then can you know the best, most cost-effective way to move ahead.

Start by Googling yourself. Go ahead. We’ll wait!

It’s a fun exercise (and a good habit to get into in this day and age). Take a look at what comes up.

Do your results indicate that you are a “serious” writer?

If you were a literary agent, editor, or potential fan eyeballing the search results, would you be interested in yourself as a writer, based on what search engines return about you?

The ideal search results

Ideally, you want Google to return search results that show a “complete” picture of you as a writer, even before anyone clicks on a link.

A well-branded writer with a strong reputation might show:

• ·         An official author homepage (usually this will show up first if your site is properly optimized)
• ·         Your blog (because Google likes to prioritize “fresh” content, like blog posts)
• ·         Websites for any individual book projects (using your name as a URL)
• ·         A couple favorite social networks (your Facebook page, your LinkedIn profile)
• ·         Some literary journals, magazines, or newspapers that include your name (in an author bio, an interview, or a byline)
• ·         Your Amazon or BN pages (if you have any books to sell)

Even before a person clicks on a single link from a search engine, he/she can get a strong sense of how active (or inactive) you are as a writer.

WORKSHOP OF THE DAY

American Academy in Rome offers six and eleven month residencies in the lovely city of Rome, complete with stipends that can cover the entire expense.  What a cool adventure that would be.  You can read all about it here.

OPPORTUNITY OF THE DAY

I have shared this one before but I wonder how many of you checked it out.  Chicken Soup For The Soul is taking applications for several upcoming books.  You can find a list of topics they are interested in here, and if you are chosen your story will be published in their very popular book complete with byline…what a shot in the arm that would be for your writing career.

PROMPT OF THE DAY

Does it do anything for you?  Hopefully you will find a touch of inspiration from this picture.

SEE YOU TOMORROW

So much to cover and so little time.  Sorry this is so short but I need to go submit a story to Chicken Soup, and then there are a couple more magazines that are in need of my articles. They just don’t know it yet. J

Have a great day!

Bill

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”

Tags: writing tips