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Tips for Taking the Hard Labor Out of the Writing Process
The writing process can be as simple or as complicated for the writer as giving birth -- coming naturally for some, and demanding long hours of hard labor for others. Every writing project begins with an idea or a story the writer wishes to tell. Whether a teacher assigned you a topic or you chose the subject yourself, the writing process begins with you developing and expanding on the basic ideas you want to convey. Techniques known as "free writing" and "brainstorming" are a couple of excellent tools you can used to help you decide what you want to write.
Determine the type of readers you're writing for. Take care to narrow in on the points you wish to get across to those readers. Babbling on can be boring and distracting. Once you've zeroed in on your subject and determined the points you wish to convey, decide the basic purpose for which you're writing the project. The writing process takes many forms. Are you writing for technical support or as a source for technical information? Are you writing from a personal point of view or in the style of an autobiography? If you decide to write in these styles, you may need to do research to make sure you have verifiable facts.
While more difficult at times, the creative writing process can be the most inventive and interesting. Although the "sky's the limit" with creative writing, there are still some guidelines that the writer needs to follow. Keep your readers in mind and determine whether you need to write in a formal or informal style. Develop characters that your readers can identify with. Be descriptive and attempt to paint mental pictures, but be careful that you don't get so involved with your descriptions that you lose the attention of your readers. Write from personal experiences whenever possible.
Revising and editing your project is the final step in the writing process and is perhaps the most difficult and challenging of all. If you're an extremely critical writer, it may be helpful to have another person read your work and give suggestions. Resist the urge to pick your piece apart in an attempt to end up with a perfect project. Writing is not a perfect medium and what appeals to one person may not appeal to another. Remember that writing should be fun and whether your final product is the result of an easy birth or hard labor, you'll come up with the best work when you enjoy the writing process itself.
Copyright © Shery Arrieta-Russ
Download an excerpt of The Authentic Self: Journaling Your Joys, Griefs and Everything in Between below:
authenticself-sampler.zip OR authenticself-sampler.pdf
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Thank you for reading. Keep writing!
Best,
Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ
WriteSparks!™ creator
WriteSparks.com
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