Grow Through the Writing Life
December 3rd 2009 01:08
Great Advice for the Writing Life
Today's Quote of the Day is "Don't go through life; grow through life." What a simple yet eloquent statement! It's so easy to just coast along, accepting life as it comes, following the same old boring routine day after day, and never even giving a thought to the rich lessons life has to teach us and the deep areas of personal growth that can result from living life with intention.
Today might just be a great day to pause for a few moments and ponder the significance of these words of wisdom. Perhaps a few questions would help prompt us to apply this great advice to our lives, helping us discover exactly what it means to us as writers to "grow through life."
Growth in the Writing Craft
What would be the next practical growth step for you in developing your skill as a writer?
Would it help you become more mature in the art if you were to
1. Take a writing course (online or at your local community college)?
2. Work with a writing coach or mentor?
3. Research a writing technique or style on the Internet?
4. Join a nearby writer's critique group?
5. Use writing prompts to simply exercise your writing muscle more?
6. Read more excellent writing and learn through osmosis?
7. Blog more (or start a blog)?
8. Do more free-writing, untethering your imagination and allowing it to draw inspiration from deep within while giving your internal editor the day off?
Perhaps you have even better ideas than these -- ideas that are more in tune with where you are in your own personal development as a writer. I would encourage you to give a little thought to some of the ways you might seek to grow in your craft. Doing so will make you a better, more competent writer, which will bring you real personal satisfaction. Whatever kind of writing you do, you'll find many valuable (and often free) resources, both online and off, that can help you grow.
Growth in Your Writing Business
What would the next practical growth step be in your advancement as a writing professional?
Would it help advance your writing career and bring you closer to your professional goals if you were to
1. Start a blog in your niche (or in a new niche that you'd like to break into) to establish yourself as an expert?
2. Write an e-book?
3. Develop your own website to sell your writing services?
4. Prepare an online portfolio of your work?
5. Start a link collection of the work you've had published online and use it in e-mailed job inquiries or on your website as part of your portfolio?
6. Make a list of your satisfied clients and ask them for written recommendations of your work?
7. Prepare various e-mail templates to use when inquiring about writing jobs, rather than reinventing the wheel each time you respond to a job ad?
8. Surf the Internet with an entrepreneurial spirit, seeking websites that might be able to use your writing/editing/web design or other expertise to improve their sites and contacting them to offer your services?
9. Offer editing or other website help to clients who have purchased your work (making your own content look more attractive on their sites and therefore better for use as writing samples for other clients, while improving their sites' appearance and earning a little extra money, as well)?
Many of these ideas are nothing new. Yet they are important techniques for moving forward in the writing profession. No doubt you can think of many more ideas if you use your imagination.
Now, It's Your Turn
The main purpose of the above questions has been to stimulate thought by giving you a few ideas that you can use as a launching pad for a few innovative ideas of your own.
Every writer is different -- Isn't that great news? -- and every writer's situation, goals, and desires are unique to him/her. That's why only you can personalize these ideas and adapt them to your own needs.
Only you can decide what it will take for you to "grow through" the writing life!
Best wishes for your successful growth!!
Jeanne
What ideas do you have for stimulating your own growth as a writer and/or writing professional? Or, which of the above ideas do you think would be helpful for you to implement or adapt to your situation at this point in your growth process? What exactly would it take for you to advance to the next level in either area?
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