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Considered one of the greatest writers of all time, the author of The Chronicles of Narnia was also fond of replying all his fan mails. These tips have been taken from letters C.S. Lewis wrote to different people over a period of time. Happy reading

Turn off the Radio. (More modern writers may say to turn off the television or the Internet!)

Read all the good books you can..

Always write with the ear, not the eye. You should hear every sentence you write as if it was being read aloud or spoken. If it does not sound nice, try again.

Write about what really interests you, whether it is real things or imaginary things, and nothing else.

When you give up a bit of work don’t throw it away. Put it in a drawer. It may come in useful later. Much of my best work, or what I think my best, is the rewriting of things begun and abandoned years earlier.

Don’t use a typewriter. The noise will destroy your sense of rhythm, which still needs years of training. (This would not apply to computers.)

Always try to use the language so as to make quite clear what you mean and make sure your sentence couldn’t mean anything else. Take great pains to be clear. Remember that though you start by knowing what you mean, the reader doesn’t, and a single ill-chosen word may lead him to a total misunderstanding. In a story it is terribly easy just to forget that you have not told the reader something that he wants to know – the whole picture is so clear in your own mind that you forget that it isn’t the same in his.

Always prefer the plain direct word to the long, vague one. Don’t ‘implement’ promises when you can ‘keep’ them.

Never use abstract nouns when concrete ones will do. If you mean “more people died” don’t say “mortality rose.”

Don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was “terrible,” describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was “delightful”: make us say “delightful” when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers “Please will you do my job for me.”

Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say “infinitely” when you mean “very”: otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.

Be sure you know the meaning (or meanings) of every word you use.

Do you – or your students – need some extra motivation when it comes to language learning? Even though most of us will agree that it pays to be bilingual, it can be difficult to remain optimistic when the journey to multilingualism feels like a never-ending road trip with countless dead ends.
The following quotes are a simple reminder that learning another language opens our minds and can lead to unforeseen opportunities.
Do you have another quote to add to this list? Share it with us in the comments section below!

❝If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.❞
‒Nelson Mandela

❝One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.❞
‒Frank Smith

❝The limits of my language are the limits of my world.❞
‒Ludwig Wittgenstein

❝Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can; there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did.❞
‒Sarah Caldwell

❝Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.❞
‒Chinese Proverb

❝You can never understand one language until you understand at least two.❞
‒Geoffrey Willans

❝To have another language is to possess a second soul.❞
‒Charlemagne

❝Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own.❞
‒Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

❝Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.❞
‒Rita Mae Brown

❝Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow.❞
‒Oliver Wendell Holmes

There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.

English muffins weren't invented in England or French Fries in France.

Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweets, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth?One goose, 2 geese.. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the uniqueness of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why when the stars are out they are visible but when the lights are out they are invisible.

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is 'UP'.

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report ?

We call UP our friends... And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car. At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UPexcuses. To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP! When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.

When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so, it is time to shut UP!

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Do you have more suggestions? Please share them with us.

#1 On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser

#2 Finding Your Writer’s Voice: A Guide to Creative Fiction by Frank & Wall

#3 Crafting The Personal Essay: A Guide for Writing and Publishing Creative Non-Fiction
by Dinty Moore

#4 On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King (Also memoir)

#5 Page after Page by Heather Sellers

#6 The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
by Steven Pressfield

#7Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg

#8 Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

#9 The Elements of Style (4th Edition) by William Strunk and E. B. White

#10 The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier: How to Solve the Mysteries of Weak Writing
by Bonnie Trenga

This list is culled from an article of the same title by Marya Jan. She is a freelance blogger and online copywriter.

What does it mean to use vivid language in your writing? Language that is vivid paints a picture for your readers, so that they can clearly envision what you are talking about. Vivid language is very important to descriptive writing.

Let’s look at the sentence:

I took a trip to the mountains.

Does this paint a picture for your reader? Assuming that the reader has ever seen a mountain, the reader is able to somewhat visualize what you meant. However, the picture the reader has may be very different from what you actually mean. After all, there are many different types of mountains.

Is this better?

My last trip was to the quaint mountain village of Helen, Georgia located in the foothills of the evergreen Appalachian mountain range.

Does this paint a clearer picture for the reader?

How about this?

I visited the snow-capped peaks of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, where I stayed at a skiing resort.

Does this paint a clear picture? Is it different from the image evoked from the first example?

There are many different types of mountains. Just saying that you took a trip to the mountains is not sufficient to paint a clear picture of your experience to the reader. Vivid language consists of the descriptive adjectives that bring your experience to life for the reader.

Look at what you have written and see if the words are sufficient to put your reader in the moment with you, as if he or she could see what you saw during your experience.

Courtesy: Daily Writing Tips

Do you ever think about giving up writing?
You’ve been working on a novel, but you’re afraid it’s never going to be good enough. Your short stories never win competitions. Your poetry hasn’t been published.
Even your blog only has a handful of readers.
It’s easy to feel disheartened – especially if you don’t have much support from friends or family. Perhaps your partner just doesn’t get writing, or your friends tease you about it.
Don’t give up.
Your writing does matter. Even if you’ve never shown a piece of your work to anyone, even if you know that publication is a distant dream, it’s still worth writing.
Here’s why.

#1: It’s Not Just a Hobby

Non-writers often think that writing is some casual hobby – and not a very productive one at that. After all, you might sweat for days on a story, and it still might not get published. If you took up knitting instead, you’d at least have a lumpy scarf or a pair of socks to show for your effort.

Writing isn’t just a hobby, though. It’s a calling. Writers don’t pick up the pen (or turn to the keyboard) because they’re bored – they do it because they feel compelled to put their thoughts down on the page.

Your writing is part of who you are, and it’s not something to take lightly.

If you want to make sure your writing is more than just a hobby, read 7 Habits of Serious Writers.

#2: Your Writing Can Outlive You

We’re all going to die one day. Of course, memories live on – but eventually, there’ll be no-one alive who ever knew you.

Your writing may well outlive you. Perhaps you’ve not got an audience for your memoir right now … but it could be an incredible treasure for your great-great-grandchildren. And if you’re a poet, playwright or novelist, you might find that your work lives on long after your death. Just think of Chaucer, Shakespeare and Dickens.

Your name could be one that every school child knows in three hundred years’ time.

Want to write your life story and get it published? Start with Are You Writing a Memoir?

#3: You Can Change Lives

Most of us have a pretty small circle of influence: family, friends, colleagues, our local community. Writing, though, lets us reach across the world. If you have a blog – even a blog with ten readers – you’re touching other people’s lives.

It always makes my day when I get an email or comment telling me how much one of my blog posts meant to someone. Often, I’ll hear “this came at just the right time for me”.

Your writing could change someone’s life, by opening up new possibilities for them, by teaching them something new, or simply by giving them an experience that they wouldn’t otherwise have had.

If you want to start reaching more people, read Aren’t You Blogging Yet?

Writers, especially beginning writers, are often cautioned against using passive voice in their writing because its use slows down the pace.
Another construction that can make your writing plod is the dummy subject.
When we use the words it and there to begin a sentence without a referent (a noun the pronoun is referring to), we’re using a dummy subject.
In this pair of sentences:

I went to see Fantastic Four 2 over the weekend. It was fun, but mostly forgettable.
“It” refers to the movie Fantastic Four 2. The pronoun has a referent.

In this sentence, however:
It is apparent that oil reserves will be exhausted by 2050.
“It” has no referent, and is therefore a dummy subject.

The same thing happens frequently with there:
There are several ways in which you could begin.
There are five stages of grief.

Dummy subjects are just one of many problems that weaken your writing by making it vague, fuzzy, and indefinite. The sentences above can be reconstructed with stronger, more definite subjects:

Some experts warn that our oil reserves will be exhausted by 2050.

You could begin in one of the following ways: (followed by a list).

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross identified five stages of grief in her book On Death and Dying.

In general, unless you don’t know who is performing an action, or you want to emphasize the action of the sentence for some reason, you should avoid dummy subjects.

Courtesy: Daily Writing Tips

If you’ve never read George Orwell’s 1946 essay “Politics and the English Language,” treat yourself.
Written more than half a century ago, it remains as timely in 2014 as it was when he wrote it.
Unfortunately, in this essay Orwell discusses the political use of language to manipulate and obscure:

Orwell drew on Communist rhetoric for many of his illustrations, but our own times have generated the political euphemism ethnic cleansing to cloak the heinous reality of dislocation, rape, and murder.

However, every word of the essay will reward your reading, but the section that I keep going back to is the one in which Orwell formulates six rules for clean, honest writing:

1) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
Observing this rule will not only eliminate cliché in your writing, it will preserve you from disseminating the pre-digested thoughts of others.

2) Never use a long word where a short one will do.
Many Latinate words in a row have the effect of softening and obscuring meaning. Be especially careful with strings of nouns ending in -tion.

3) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
We can all benefit by going back over our work looking for such unnecessary words as just, almost, apparently, and a great many other superfluous adverbs.

4) Never use the passive where you can use the active.
Not only does the passive voice have the effect of slowing down writing, it enables the political writer to avoid placing responsibility. Compare:
The Indians were forced from their homes.
The government of Georgia forced the Indians from their homes.

5) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
For all that we should be free to use the word “niggardly” if we wish, we can usually get our point across with the more familiar and less controversial stingy.

6) Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
While we needn’t write billets doux for love letters, we’d be up a creek if we had to come up with “an everyday English equivalent” for such assimilated foreign expressions as laissez-faire, détente, and cliché.

TIP: Good writing is honest writing. Begin with a clear idea of what it is you want to say. Be prepared to write and rewrite until the words you’ve poured out on paper come as close as possible to the idea you wish to convey. Don’t use big words to impress, but don’t underestimate the intelligence of your reader.

And go back to Orwell from time to time.

Wordplay is a fertile field for study in English. Although the following forms of humor should be used sparingly if at all, writers should be familiar with them and their possibilities.

1. Malapropism
A malapropism, the substitution of a word with a similar-sounding but incongruous word, may be uttered accidentally or, for humorous effect, may be deliberate. The name derives from that of Mrs. Malaprop, a character in an eighteenth-century play who often uttered such misstatements; one of her comments, for example, is “she’s as headstrong as an allegory,” when she meant to say “alligator.” (The word ultimately derives from the French phrase mal à propos, meaning “poorly placed.”) Numerous characters are assigned this amusing attribute; the Shakespearean character Dogberry’s name inspired an alternate label.

2. Spoonerism
Spoonerisms are similar to malapropisms; the distinction is that a spoonerism is a case of metathesis, in which parts of two words are exchanged, rather than one word substituted for another. This figure of speech was named after a nineteenth-century Oxford academician who appears to have been credited with various misstatements he did not make; one of the many apocryphal examples is “a well-boiled icicle” (in lieu of “a well-oiled bicycle”).

3. Paraprosdokian
The word for this type of wordplay, from Greek (meaning “against expectation”) but coined only a few decades ago, refers to a sentence with a humorously abrupt shift in intent, such as “I don’t belong to an organized political party — I’m a Democrat,” from twentieth-century American humorist Will Rogers, or Winston’s Churchill’s summation of a colleague, “A modest man, who has much to be modest about.”

4. Tom Swifty
This name for an adverb, used in an attribution for dialogue, that punningly applies to the words spoken (for example, “‘We just struck oil!’ Tom gushed”) was inspired by the writing style in a series of children’s novels featuring the character Tom Swift, written continuously since the early twentieth century. Although no such puns appear in these stories, such examples are suggestive of the overwrought adverbs that are a distinctive feature. (Originally, such a pun was called a Tom Swiftly.)

5. Wellerism
A Wellerism, named after a Dickensian character, is a statement that includes a humorous contradiction or a quirky lapse in logic, such as “‘So I see,’ said the blind carpenter as he picked up his hammer and saw,” or a prosaic similar construction whose humor derives from a pun, as in “‘We’ll have to rehearse that,’ said the undertaker as the coffin fell out of the car” (which plays on the prefix re- in association with the noun hearse).

Do you have a bunch of first chapters tucked away in a drawer – for seven different novels? Is there a folder full of abandoned short stories on your computer? Have you left a trail of abandoned blogs around the internet? Did your ebook fizzle out after a few pages? Most writers have been there … again, and again, and again. When I began writing, I spent plenty of time starting stories. The problem was, I pretty much never finished them.
Maybe it’s the same for you. You’ve got plenty of great ideas, and you just can’t resist throwing yourself into them. Unfortunately, your motivation seems to vanish … and you’re left with a bunch of notes, outlines and first drafts that aren’t going anywhere.
No-one’s going to buy a half-written novel. No-one’s going to read a blog post that stops short after two paragraphs. So whether your writing aspirations involve hitting the New York Times bestseller list or living from the passive income from your ebooks, you need to finish what you start.
Here’s how:
Step #1: Stop Starting New Projects
Believe me, I know how tempting it is to grab that new idea and run with it. But now’s the time to stop. Resist the urge to begin anything new – however cool it sounds right now. After a few days or weeks, that shiny new project is going to lose its appeal and end up in the unfinished heap along with everything else.
Do it:
Decide, right now, that you won’t start anything new until you’ve finished something off. Find a notebook, or create a document on your computer, to store any awesome ideas that crop up – you can always come back to them in the future.

Step #2: Assess Your Current Projects
Take a long, hard look at all your current works-in-progress. If your writing life looks anything like mine, you might well need to grab a sheet of paper and make a list – you may even want to hunt through your desk drawers or your computer’s folders.
Is there anything that’s just not worth completing? Maybe the novel you started ten years ago isn’t the one you want to write now. Maybe that blog post draft was never going to go anywhere. Rather than keeping old projects hanging around, ditch any that have died on you:
As with all dead things, holding onto it won’t keep it alive or change the fact that it’s useful time has come and gone. Hanging onto dead stuff has a higher psychic cost than most of us realize; in time, dead stuff does what trash and dead things do – it stinks. ~ Charlie Gilkey
Do it:
Make three lists:

Active projects that still excite you and have a purpose
Dead projects that you’re ready to let go (even if you feel a little bit reluctant)
Dormant projects that you might come back to in the future

Step #3: Choose One Project to Focus On
Now it’s time to pick one project. Just one. Because, when it comes to down to it, something has to be your priority. This doesn’t mean that you can’t work on anything else. It just means that this particular project – whether it’s a blog or an ebook or a newsletter or a novel or a poetry collection – is the one that’s going to win out if you’re short on time and energy.
So what should you choose? You might like to start with: Your smallest project: aim to finish that 2,000 word short story, not that 100,000 word novel.
The project that you’ve put the most time into: it’s probably getting close to finished.
The project that will have the biggest impact for you: if selling an ebook means you can cut down your hours at your day job, that might be a higher priority than getting a brand-new blog off the ground.
Do it:
Choose a single project as your priority – one thing that you’re going to see through to finished. (And tell us about it in the comments.)

Step #4: Decide What “Finished” Will Look Like
How will you know when your project is done? This might seem like a rather stupid question – but it’s worth thinking about. Many writing projects don’t have a totally clear end point. If you’re working on an ebook, for instance, “finished” might mean that you’re ready to launch after:
You’ve written an ebook that has a start, middle and end
You’ve written an ebook that’s 50 pages long, and you’ve proof-read it
You’ve got feedback on your ebook and revised it
Without a clear definition of “finished”, you risk your project dragging on … and on … and on …

Do it:
Write down, clearly, what needs to happen in order for you to check off your project as “finished”. Feel free to share this with us in the comments.

Step #5: Set Some Milestones (And Start Hitting Them)
Some small writing projects don’t need milestones: write a blog post, for instance, is something that you could realistically accomplish during one or two writing sessions.
Most projects, though – especially ones that have been hanging around unfinished for ages – are more complex. You won’t be able to finish them in a day, in a weekend, or even in a week. You’ll want to set some milestones to keep you on track.
Good milestones could be:
Completing a major section of a novel
Completing the first draft of a short story
Getting the outline for your ebook finished off
Writing a certain number of posts before your blog launch
I’d suggest having between two and ten milestones for your project (though you can break these down further if you want). It’s often useful to set a deadline for the nearest milestone, too, and hold yourself accountable.

Do it:
Write down several milestones that will get you from where you are currently to the finished project. Give yourself a deadline for your next milestone – e.g. “Finish first draft of ebook within the next three weeks.”

Nothing is more important than creativity when it comes to writing. The following selection of tips will boost your creativity.

1. Make notes of your (fleeting) brilliant ideas.
2. Keep a journal to keep the writing juices flowing.
3. Use a journal to sort out your thoughts and feelings.
4. Watch people.
5. Do a ’stream of consciousness’ piece and see where it leads you.
6. Allow your mind to wander.
7. Meditate regularly to steady the mind.
8. Mow the lawn, take a walk, go for a run…anything that requires the conscious mind to focus so the subconscious is free to create.
9. Record random thoughts, story ideas, quotes on your phone when you’re out and about.
10. Study nature for simile possibilities.
11. Keep the flow going. If it’s clicking for you, keep writing.
12. Write using a pencil instead of a laptop for more creativity.
13. Get to know someone different from you and reflect on the experience.
14. Try new ideas or hobbies – the more variety you have in your life, the more likely you are to keep on generating good ideas on the page.
15. Take time to muse.
16. Write at the scene. If you want to write about a beach, get a picnic rug and go write by the sea.
17. Collect words.
18. Write everything down. Don’t trust your memory when you have a good idea, especially at night.
19. Trying to convey a certain emotion but not sure how? Listen to music that conveys a certain emotion in you while writing.
20. Cure for Writer’s Block: Read a great article from a favourite author or publication.
21. Write on paper with the opposite hand. The awkwardness and level of difficulty create time for more thoughts to enter your head.
22. When you feel blocked, do something mindless, like ironing or going for a quiet walk.
23. Write outside.
24. Write when it comes to you.
25. Don’t wait for ideas. Find them everywhere.

Courtesy: Write to Done

If you wonder how to be a writer, a key piece is to develop habits that help you improve as a writer. Note: nobody’s saying you have to follow ALL the tips listed here before you can be a great writer. These nuggets will just guide you into developing unique habits to bring out the writer in you:

1. Stretch or exercise in between writing.
2. Map out a writing schedule for your project and stick to it.
3. Make a note of ideas for further development before you leave a piece for tomorrow.
4. Steal time for writing wherever and whenever you can find it.
5. Keep a journal specially for work, for analyzing your progress and doing writing practice.
6. Write when you’re tired.
7. Rewrite from memory a good story you’ve read and then compare the two. Evaluate and learn from the differences.
8. Practice condensing. Write a synopsis and then condense that. Précis the condensed synopsis. It helps to get to the bare bones of a story and reveal what it’s really about.
9. Make writing a priority in your life. If you say it’s important to you, then show it in how you spend your time.
10. Write when you’re uninspired.
11. Force yourself to disconnect for a while each day – turn off cell phone, Blackberry, iPod, music, email, Twitter, conversation with others.
12. Set a time limit on each writing session, along with a goal for what you will finish in that time.
13. Don’t be afraid to bust out the thesaurus to find a word that fits better in a sentence than the one currently there.
14. Buy a small notebook and pen to take with you.
15. Set a timer and force yourself (even if it’s not your best work) to write a story within a designated amount of time.
16. Read great writing.
17. Write at the crack of dawn.
18. Engage strangers in conversation. Then write about it from memory, describing the person, setting, and conversation.
19. Always ask the question…”What if…”
20. Dialogue with your characters.
21. Take up story challenges.
22. Write 15 minutes a day. Every day.
23. Drink water to avoid fatigue.
24. Use some opera as background music or any kind of music with a story.
25. Start your writing ahead of time – not hours before a deadline.

Courtesy: Write to Done

How to Develop Professionally as a Writer
Professional development is important in whatever field you want to find success. The following tips will show you how to think about professional development as a writer.

1. Become a blogger.

2. Write for publication, even if it’s only for the local newsletter or a small blog.

3. Study criteria-based writing.

4. Comment on your favourite blogs.

5. Read Zinsser’s “On Writing Well” at least once a year.

6. Read Stephen King’s “On Writing”

7. Take a writing course.

8. Join a writing group. If you can’t find one, form one.

9. Study story architecture.

10. Socialize with other writers.

11. Write for different media.

12. Enter writing competitions.

13. Check out Richard Lanham’s ‘Parademic Method’

14. Work with a mentor.

Courtesy: Write to Done

Finding the ideal working habits that will allow me to write as consistently as possible is always something I’m exploring as a writer.
As I’ve said before, I try to make it a habit to write first thing in the morning. It helps me to focus and ensure that I’m getting my writing done.

I love reading about my favorite writers and what writing habits led to their success. Below, I share with you some of my favorite writers’ work habits … and it’s obvious that there’s no single way to success. Some like to write a certain number of words or pages every day, others were happy to write a page or a sentence. Some liked to write long-hand, others did it on index cards. Some wrote standing up, others lying down.

There’s no one way that works. Do what works for you (and share it in the comments!). But maybe you’ll get some inspiration from these greats, as I have.

1. Stephen King. In his book On Writing, King says that he writes 10 pages a day without fail, even on holidays. That’s a lot of writing each day, and it has led to some incredible results: King is one of the most prolific writers of our time.

2. Ernest Hemingway. By contrast with King, “Papa” Hemingway wrote 500 words a day. That’s not bad, though. Hemingway, like me, woke early to write to avoid the heat and to write in peace and quiet. Interestingly, though Hemingway is famous for his alcoholism, he said he never wrote while drunk.

3. Vladimir Nabokov. The author of such great novels as Lolita, Pale Fire and Ada did his writing standing up, and all on index cards. This allowed him to write scenes non-sequentially, as he could re-arrange the cards as he wished. His novel Ada took up more than 2,000 cards.

ORGANIZING INFORMATION
If you’ve been collecting and recycling information and stockpiling contacts, then the next step is to organize everything so you can find it when you need it. Decide what you’re going to keep and where you’re going to keep it—and remember to make the filing system part of your professional life so you don’t recreate the research wheel every time you need a pithy piece of insight.
Here are four tips for turning vast stockpiles of otherwise latent research and data into user-friendly, actionable and powerful snippets for your stories or leads for future pieces.
• INDEX YOUR PAST WORK. If you specialize in a certain area, create an index of past articles so they can be reused, or at least accessed, for information. This way, you’ll have all your work—by topic, date, subject, etc.—at your fingertips. Just open a Word document or Excel file and start to log your work. Include the date the article was created, the file name, a brief note about the story, and whom it was written for. Archiving must be done regularly or it will become daunting to go back and enter months of articles—and a potentially powerful tool will become useless.

• DEVELOP A ‘‘TOPICAL’’ TIPS FILE. When editors come calling for story ideas to take into their editorial meetings, grab the hanging file you should have filled with potential leads and clips, and type up some ideas from it. Central to being an expert scribe on a topic is knowing what the trends are and having plenty of story ideas to pursue. This is especially important if you write a recurring feature or column and have to think up stories with regularity.

• REVISIT YOUR FILE CABINET. It’s great to have a powerful, insightful and deep research archive—but only if you actually use it. Every few months, browse through your folders, whether they’re on your computer or in the file cabinet, as well as your Internet bookmarks. This will refresh your memory about the data you’ve amassed—and the variety of topics at your fingertips to cover for a new market or from a different angle.

• CULL YOUR FILES.
It’s important to have a filing system that fits your personal information needs, but it’s more important to live that system. Stay up to date with your data, files and categories. You may find that one category should be broken down into several more to aid in retrieval of useful information.

Researching is an essential part of writing, but it doesn’t have to be tedious or difficult. Planning ahead and staying organized can make any daunting research task much easier. Take the time you need, and enjoy the research phase of your writing—just don’t get so caught up in it that you postpone the actual writing part of
the process.

Courtesy: Writers’ Digest