By John Hewitt

Some writers know exactly what they want to say. They merely have to start typing and passion flows from them. This doesn’t necessarily mean they write well, but they don’t sit around wondering what to write about. Most writers, however, need a little prodding. Sometimes they have great ideas, and sometimes they stare at their computer screen waiting for something to come to them. If you fall into the second category, you can reduce your time spent staring at the screen by creating a log of your good ideas when they come to you. You can also spend those slow times looking at a few tried and true idea resources and seeing what ideas you can grow for the future.

What is an idea log?

Your idea log can be as simple or as fancy as you wish. Some people create file folders for their ideas. They fill them with notes, clippings, pictures and whatever else will assist them. When they pull out the folder, they have all they need to start work. This can be a great system, but it is a lot of work, especially if you never pursue that idea later.

Many people take advantage of their computers. They write quick notes, or even put them in the form of a query to an editor, and keep them in individual documents or add them to a database. This is an excellent system and one that can also get you going quickly once you decide to write because part of the document is already written. You just have to expand on it.

The third way that I propose is simpler and not as thorough. I use it myself, however, because of its ease and portability. I keep a stack of 3×5 cards in which I jot down my ideas. I put a title and description at the top then jot down the note below. I rarely fill up more than one side of one card. It isn’t as thorough as a file or as ready to roll as a computer note, but it keeps me from prattling on about what is just a single idea that I may or may not follow. Plus, when I have a stack of these cards, I can pull them out and thumb through them quickly, more quickly than going through a file folder or a computer database. I can also take these cards with me anywhere and jot down the ideas as they come. I am a big fan of computers, but for this task I really do prefer the simplicity of a 3×5 card.

What do you like? What do you hate?

A great place to start looking for ideas is to look at your likes and dislikes. What makes you happy and what makes you sad or angry. These are the things in your life that will provoke your most passionate writing. This can range from politics, entertainment, to a lump in your carpet that you’d like to get rid of. It all depends on what interests you enough to upset or please you.

Who do you know?

The people in your life can be one of your greatest sources of ideas. They have jobs, hobbies, interests and problems that make them experts hundreds of things. Your architect friend can now be interviewed about what makes for a good or bad home design. Your divorced friend with three kids probably has much to say about child support issues. With a little fictionalization, the annoying woman at work might make for a great short story. Look at the people around you. Evaluate them as article sources, interview topics and as story ideas.

Who would you like to know?

People often portray writing as a solitary task, but one of the great benefits of being a writer is that you can use it to meet people. Think about the respected or famous people you would like to talk to: writers you respect, experts in fields you are interested in, actors and politicians. Some of them will be difficult to meet, but many are easier than you think. While the ten most famous writers in the world may be hard to contact, most writers do not spend the majority of their time fending off interview requests. The same is true of experts in most areas. Politicians and actors are probably the hardest to get an interview with, but even then you might be surprised. Just remember that the top few in those fields are nearly impossible to interview without some clout behind you, but there are plenty of others in the field who would be happy to answer your questions.

Where have you been?

Travel is a great way to generate ideas. Look at the places you’ve gone and the things you’ve done there. Think also of the trips you would like to take. From travel guides to the settings for stories, your journeys can be a great source of ideas. Whenever you travel, it is a good idea to keep a journal and write down your thoughts and impressions. You never know where you might find your next idea.

What have you been doing?

Take a look at your areas of expertise. What jobs have you held? What hobbies have you had? What have you studied? These are your areas of knowledge. You may not be an expert, but in writing it is generally enough to be an intelligent amateur as long as you are willing to do the research for your story. Just as your friends are great sources of information, you are your greatest source. Not only do you know something about these things, but also you can rely on yourself, more than anyone else, to do the work required to find out more. Every job, from working in a warehouse to being a phone solicitor to managing a small office, has requirements and areas of interest. Think about how these things can become articles or stories.

What have you been reading?

If you are a writer, then chances are you are an avid reader, and it pays to keep a few notes while you read. The daily paper, magazines, the Internet and the books you read are great sources for ideas. My favorite example of this process is the movie The Player, in which a studio executive challenges anyone to read him a newspaper article and he’ll come up with a movie based on it. Over and over he turns the most mundane articles into feature film ideas. Ideas are everywhere.

What happened to you?

Beyond the jobs and hobbies you’ve had, there is plenty more to your life. There are hundreds of high points and low points in every person’s life: people found and lost, love shared and unrequited, accidents, plots, plans, choices and mistakes. Most of your memories are worthy of a story or article, because chances are you haven’t managed to remember the ordinary and mundane parts of your life, just the highs and the lows and the elements that contribute to who you are. Your life is an endless source of material if you have the talent to make it interesting to others.

Ideas are all around you. If you go through the items above, you will have plenty of ideas to work with, but beyond that, you just need to keep your eyes open and your other senses ready to back them up. Ideas will come to you if you are paying attention. Just remember to have some system to keep track of them, even if it is just a notebook for you to jot things down in. Your ideas are fuel for your writing. Keep plenty of fuel handy.

This is a story about Klout and clout. Klout is a service that measures your social media influence. In other words, it measures how much clout you have on Twitter (and now Facebook). Klout measures your influence on a scale of 1 to 100 using a variety of factors. When I recently wrote about my disenchantment with Twitter, my Kclout score was a steady 24. It had been a 24 for weeks if not months. Over the past three weeks though it has jumped. At first it jumped to 39, then to 49 before an “Algorithm improvement” knocked me down to 41, where I seem to have leveled off. This is my thoughts on how that happened.

When I wrote about my problems with Twitter, my main complaint was that people get judged by the number of followers they have. I didn’t want to spend my time following people just because I wanted to be followed in return, and I didn’t want to spend all my time trying to come up with clever tweets that would bring in more people.

To make a long story short, I did not see myself ever having much influence over Twitter, so I abandoned all hope  for influence and went a different direction. I decided to give Twitter one last shot, with the goal of it being interesting to me rather than helping me gain social media juice or help my website in any way. To that end I did four things:

1. I unfollowed everybody who I didn’t feel a connection with. This included people who had followed me that I had returned the favor for, and people who I had followed that had never bothered to follow me. Following me wasn’t a prerequisite for me following them, but if they weren’t following me, they had to at least be interesting most of the time. My goal here was to only see tweets that had some interest to me.
2. I wrote more tweets. Most of my tweets weren’t things I would have talked about before because they seemed trivial, but they were random thoughts going through my head, so I shared them. Every once in a while, someone found them interesting enough to comment on, or even retweet, but most of them just went out into the ether without me ever knowing if anyone cared. This could be a little frustrating, especially when I asked a question and got no response, which frequently happened.
3. I responded to other people’s tweets. They say you have to give love to get love. I felt bad about not getting responses to my tweets and imagined that other’s probably felt the same way, so I responded to other people’s tweets whenever I felt I could contribute.
4. I began to follow more people again, but was very choosy about who I followed. My criterias were that they had to have interesting things to say (by far my biggest criteria) and tweet regularly but not excessively, and have a somewhat even follower to followed ratio. The last part was because I was looking for people who would follow me back. That wasn’t because I wanted the clout, but  because I wanted more responses to my own tweets or else I knew I would get bored and soon abandon Twitter again.

I did these things with no expectations of growing my clout (or Klout). In fact, I expected my Klout score to go down because I thought I would lose a lot of the people I had been reciprocally following before. I have lost some of them, usually two to three a day, but I’ve also added a few followers since I started being more active. Overall, my follower count has remained about even.

As I wrote in the first paragraph though, my Klout score has almost doubled from where it was just a few weeks ago. It isn’t sky high, but most of the people I see above me have thousands of followers, while I hover around 380.

So, that is how I accidentally raised my Klout score. Apparently Klout likes people who have more followers than followed. It sees it as a sign of influence when people will follow you even if you don’t follow them back. It also likes people who engage and who get retweeted. That only happens if you are out there making tweets yourself.

As for my long term future with Twitter, I’m still working that out. I’ve enjoyed it more over the past three weeks than I did before, but it still feels like a waste of energy when you put something out there and no one responds. I may have a higher Klout score than before, but I’m not sure if I have any more actual clout. We’ll see what the future holds.

My search for a good podcast about writing continues. I’ve mentioned before that I listen to a lot of podcasts, but I’ve had trouble finding any good regular podcasts about writing. Some of the podcasts I listen to relate to the creative process or to the business behind writing, but I have yet to find a good weekly blog in the writing space. Either I’m not looking hard enough, or there is a big void out there waiting to be filled. Here are a few podcasts I do listen to:

Marketing Over Coffee / The Beancast

These are two podcasts about marketing. Marketing Over Coffee focuses more on Internet marketing and sales strategies while The Beancast covers a much wider range of the industry. If you want to learn about promoting your site or about marketing in general, I suggest these podcasts.

The Nerdist

The Nerdist is a podcast by comedians who generally have comedians on the show. It can be a very funny show, but they also take the time to talk about the creative process, which makes it the best show about writing that I have found. Most of their guests have been working in the comedy field for years. Some are more famous than others, but all of them have a ton of stories to tell.

Freakonomics Radio

If you haven’t read the books Freakonomics (aff) and its follow-up Superfreakonomics (aff), you really should pick them up. The books focus on microeconomics, which is the study of people’s financial motives behind the things they do. The podcast continues along the same line, finding new topics as well as exploring topics from the books. It can be a great source for story inspiration.

Filmspotting

Filmspotting is my favorite movie review / discussion podcast. The hosts usually discuss one new movie in-depth, one classic movie in-depth, and then focus on a top five list that can vary widely in tone and topic. My recent favorite was the Top Five Manic Pixie Dreamgirls. Great if you are a film lover.

So please tell me what podcasts you are listening to, whether they are related to writing or not.

Here are poetry Prompts from four years worth of 30 Poems in 30 Days. This year’s event is happening at poetry.poewar.com.

Use the word Pattern in the first line and/or the last line of your poem.

Write a poem that begins with you waking up.

Write a poem that begins with a proclamation. If you need a phrase to get your juices going, try “I will”.

Write the final line to your poem first, and then write the poem to get to that ending. I am choosing to end my poem with “His hallucinations make him giggle” which others are welcome to use.

Pick three words that you absolutely love the sound of and set out to use them in your poem.

Use the same (or similar) words in both your first line and last line, but change the order or the meaning of the words from the first line to the last line.

Write a poem that involves an animal.

Write a list poem about things you have done in your life.

Use the word “secret” twice in your poem.

Use a letter count as a constraint for your poetry, either writing a brand new poem or rewriting an old poem to fit the new pattern. You can either count the spaces and punctuation between words as letters or count only the actual letters. Keep in mind that you don’t have to use the exact same number in every line, you can also develop at pattern such as 20-25-20-25.

Write or rewrite a greeting card poem so that is has meaning to you, or at least is funny.

A Ritual Poem takes a ritual (real or imagined) and brings a sense of meaning and reflection to the ritual it describes. Here are some steps to follow (a ritual poem ritual):

1. Pick an element of life that has or deserves a ritual
2. Decide the result you would want the ritual to produce
3. Think of the actions you would take to achieve the result
4. Turn the actions into steps or commands

Write a poem using Skeltonic Verse.

Write a poem about a specific but minor memory you have from more than five, but less than ten years ago.

Write a Tanka. Feel free to write more than one if you like.

Write a definition poem. A definition poem takes a word or a concept and attempts to define it, provide perspective, redefine it, or create a definitive example of it.

Write a poem that is set at or near where you live.

Write a poem in the form of a letter (epistle).

Write a poem that begins and ends with three single syllable words.

Write a poem that begins with a line of advice or instruction, such as don’t give up or take a left at the willow tree.

September 21st is the last day of summer in the northern hemisphere and the last day of winter in the southern hemisphere. With that in mind, write a poem in which the seasons play a role.

Write a poem in which a similar or identical phrase is repeated three or more times throughout the poem.

Write a poem using iambic pentameter. If you aren’t familiar with Iambic pentameter, it is discussed in full here.

Write a poem that begins with the word “I”.

Write a poem as that uses every letter of the alphabet at least once.

Write a poem about a natural event.

Use one of the lists of words above or pick your own morpheme and use it to add adnomination to your poetry.

Pick two or three words from your last poem use them as the first three words of this poem.

Write a poem that gets shorter with each line.

Write a poem about the end of something.

Write a poem about something you believe.

Write a poem that includes at least one description of an object that is six or more words long.

Write a poem that uses some sort of meter. If you want a challenge, attempt a meter you haven’t worked with before. For an extra added challenge, try to work in the word belly.

Write a Blues Sonnet:

1. Write 5 thematically similar heroic couplets of iambic pentameter.
2. In first four, repeat first line of each couplet, yielding the 14 lines of the sonnet.
3. Then, if desired, modify middle lines, of the stanzas without disturbing rhyme or rhythm to strengthen the stanza and give variety.
4. Get out a blues recording and have fun singing your blues song!

Write a poem about an event in your life that you have strong feelings about (it doesn’t have to be painful) without stating how you feel about the event. If you want an extra challenge, end every third line with the letter “R”.

Write a poetic parable. Feel free to play with the form. Sometimes it is more interesting when the lesson is just a bit absurd.

Write about something in your life that you do every day. If you want an added challenge, make the first and the last lines the same or similar.

Write a blank verse poem. Blank verse has meter, but no rhyme. The typical meter for blank verse is iambic pentameter, but you can try other meters as well. If you want an added challenge, include the word “line”.

Write a Pantoum. Feel free to experiment with the form until you write something to your own liking. If you enjoyed this, try a sestina or villanelle.
Write a poem that tells a story. For an added challenge, use a word count. Write four stanzas, each with 30 words.

Write a poem as if it were an entry in someone’s journal or diary or even their Twitter account. If you want an added challenge, limit your stanzas to 145 characters so they mirror the limitations of texting.

Go outdoors and get some fresh air. Find a comfortable spot and write a poem. If you want to try a tanka (or a few) go for it.

Write a poem in ten minutes. It should have at least 100 words. For an added challenge, work in the word “speed”.

Create your own found poem. If you are looking for inspiration, use Google News to find an article to your liking.

Write a poem that uses exactly the same number of characters on every line. You can pick the length, but once you start you have to stick to it. For an extra challenge, try writing about an event that has happened in the past 24 hour.

Write a poem that ends with the word “quiet”.

Either use a set of hyponyms as the structure for your poem or write a poem around the phrase, “He was blue, she was a rabbit.”

Write a poem that uses something other than traditional end rhyme.

Create a poem that uses one of the following word combinations (they don’t have to be in the same line):

• boot, tune, fool
• but, feet, knot
• kit, tap, pock
• seize, fourth, thighs

Write about something you can see from the window of your home.

Write a poem about a place you have been or a journey you have taken.

Call an old friend and write a poem after the conversation

Find an original way to describe a chair and make that the first line of your poem.

Write about the first time you did something.

Write a poem that demonstrates strong emotion without ever stating what that emotion is.

Write a poem about a contest, a win, or a loss.

Write a poem as if it were a letter to a friend.

Include the word right or rights in your poem.

Start your poem with a piece of advice.

Write a poem about your childhood. Explore an actual event that had some emotional significance to you. Avoid using any description of how you felt about the event then or how you feel about it now. Instead, try to make the emotion of the event come through in your descriptions of what happened. Feel free to post your poem in the comments or on your own site with a link back to here. This will give other people the opportunity to read your poem.

Write about an event in your life that happened within the past week. Take some time to think about the week and look for event that has some emotional meaning for you, but not so much that it would be painful for you to write about. Sometimes smaller moments have more meaning. Feel free to post your poem in the comments or on your own site with a link back to here. This will give other people the opportunity to read your poem.

Find a news or opinion article that was published on the web this week. I recommend using Google News because it can take you just about anywhere. Look for a story that has some emotional or philosophical impact on you and use that story as the basis for your poem. If you post your poem here, be sure to post a link to the original article so we can see the inspiration!

Get out of the house and write in a new place. Write about the place you choose to go to. Don’t just rely on what you see. Describe the smells, the tastes and the sounds if you can. Try to give your readers a full picture of the place you choose.

Write a persona poem that incorporates one of the past two concepts. It should either address a social issue or it should provide a strong sense of place. One great way to do the latter is to write a poem in a public place, and to observe the people around you until you find someone interesting that you can imagine a back-story for.
Take at least five minutes to meditate in a quiet room free of outside influences before you write today’s poem. Try to clear your head of stray thoughts. Once you feel like you are clear and calm, write your poem. Let the topic be about whatever comes to mind after your meditation. If you have never meditated before, simply sit in a chair with your eyes closed and try to relax.

Write a list poem that uses a single line for each item on the list. Feel free to choose one of the topics above, or use anything else that comes to mind. As always, post the poem in the comments section if you would like to share it.

Write an elegy about a person or event that is meaningful to you. You don’t necessarily have to approach the most tragic event in your life. Don’t try to take on an event that is still too difficult for you to deal with. Look for something that you can handle.

Write a poem using a specific meter. The meter can be of your own choosing or even your own making, as long as you put a pattern into place. As always, feel free to post your poem in the comment section of this post.

Write a three or more stanza poem that uses a metered style for the first two stanzas and a non-metered format for the remaining stanzas. As always, feel free to post your poem in the comments section for others to see.

Read a poet you don’t like. Try to figure out what they do that upsets you and determine whether or not this assessment is fair. Try to think of ways that you would approach the same subject matter using your style. Write a poem that addresses some of the same subject / style / tone of the poet you dislike but do it in your own style.

Write a poem using syllabic verse. You can assign length ether by line or stanza. If you are stuck for a way to begin, start with this two-word ten-syllable line: Incompatible Participation
Read a poet you don’t like. Try to figure out what they do that upsets you and determine whether or not this assessment is fair. Try to think of ways that you would approach the same subject matter using your style. Write a poem that addresses some of the same subject / style / tone of the poet you dislike but do it in your own style.

Today is a two-part assignment. The first part is to think about your method of writing poetry. The second part is to shake up your process. If you have a lot of structure, try loosening up. If you write very loosely, try adding some structure to the process. Find a new place to write or use a different tool. The change doesn’t have to be major, but if you post your poem, please tell us what you changed.

Write a poem that uses at least two different forms of repetition. Try to embrace at least one form of repetition that you don’t ordinarily use.

Write a poem that follows the three rules of the imagists.

1. Direct treatment of the “thing”, whether subjective or objective.
2. To use absolutely no word that does not contribute to the presentation.
3. As regarding rhythm: to compose in sequence of the musical phrase, not in sequence of the metronome.

Revisit a previous poem, perhaps one you especially liked or one you had trouble with, and write another poem following those same parameters.

Wikipedia’s Random Button is a great and magical thing. Click it and write about whatever subject comes up.

Include the words “formal” and “casual” at some point in your poem.

Write a poem that has a variable line length rather than a set meter. Use either enjammed or endstopped lines.

Write a poem that begins with a negative image or statement and ends with a positive image or statement.

Write a three stanza poem that shows a progression with each stanza. The three stanzas should serve as a beginning, middle and end respectively. It might help to picture the poem as a three act play.

Try something that scares you (just a little) and then write a poem about it.

Write a poem that discusses a real moment in your life without discussing its larger meaning or attempting to lead the reader to a conclusion.

Include a verb in every line of your poem.

Write a poem that begins and ends with the same word.

Write the first draft of your poem in paragraph form and then change it into a free verse poem. Don’t be surprised if you have to change lines, words and phrases. That is a part of the process.

Look at some old photographs and write about a memory or a thought that they give you.

Write a poem that either uses no words longer than five letters or no words shorter than five letters.

Write the final line of your poem first, then figure out a way to get there.

I feel like ending with something technical but random. Don’t include any word with a single “A” in it, but do include at least one word with two “A”s in it.

Write a poem that takes place inside a vehicle (car, truck, train, plane, boat, etc.)

Write a poem in which you use three different words for the same or a similar color.

Write a poem that uses two or more different settings / locations.

Write a poem that includes at least three different flavors and two odors.

Write a poem in which each line has six words and makes a statement or at least expresses a complete thought.

Write a poem in which every stanza either begins with a question or ends with a question.

Write a poem in the form of a joke.

Write a poem that takes place at a public gathering such as a meeting, a carnival, a sporting event or a concert.

Write a poem about building or creating something by hand.

Write a poem that involves cutting, chopping or dividing something.

Write a poem about having to defend yourself or someone else.

Write a poem in which you discuss three things that you or your persona wants.

Write a poem that repeatedly uses numbers.

Write a poem that involves a plan.

Write a poem that take place at a specific time of the day.

Write a poem that involves consequences.

Write a poem that takes place in or otherwise involves a classroom.

Write a poem about waiting for a specific event.

Write a poem about getting lost or losing something.

Write a poem about getting or sending a message (postcard, letter, phone call, email)

Write a poem that includes something that malfunctions or breaks down.

Write a poem about training for something or working towards a distant goal.

Write a poem about a person or a place that has several different names (it’s actually quite common).

Write a poem in which something gets opened or closed.

Write a poem in which something gets faked or simulated.

Write a poem about a rivalry.

Write a poem about a place that has changed considerably over time (construction, destruction, renovation, disrepair, etc.)

Write a poem that involves flirtation.

Write a poem that includes a path, a trail, or a map.

Write a poem that involves a long-term relationship (love, friendship, family, group, etc.)

Because you enjoy writing

The reason I write is because I love to write. I don’t always love to write. There are times when I don’t enjoy it at all. Usually, when that happens, i just stop writing for a while. Sooner or later the love comes back. I enjoy putting words together. I enjoy the feeling of being creative. Writing is my creative outlet and it makes me happy.

Because you want to create something

Some people write because they want the result. They may not love the act of writing, but they love the act of creating something and writing is how they do it. It feels good when you finish a piece of writing and are proud of it.

Because there is a story that you want to tell

For some people there are stories that they want to tell, or even need to tell. They experienced something, or saw something, and they are driven to share that story. It may be the story of their life, the story of someone else’s life or even an idea that just popped into their head. Whatever the case, that story stays with them and they want to share it. They have something that they want to say.

Because you want to improve as a writer

Writing is a skill, and developing that skill is a good reason to write fiction and poetry. People who can organize their thoughts and express them effectively gain an advantage in life that many people lack. Writing well is a skill to be treasured.

You’ll notice that money is not listed among the reasons to write fiction and poetry. Writing fiction and poetry is a hard way to make a living. Yes, there are some rich novelists out there. Yes, it is possible that you could be one of them. This is a terrible reason to write though, and your chances of getting rich or even making a living as a novelist are slim. There’s a just enough chance to make it worth your while, if you are writing for good reasons. If you just want to make money though, try copywriting, technical writing or public relations writing. Those are the writing fields that can support you.

I thought I would spend the next few posts discussing a type of writing that doesn’t get much mention here, even though I am a great fan. The comic strip is the essence of tight writing. Most days you have anywhere from one to four panels to tell a little story, even if that story just leads to a bad pun or some ineffectual navel gazing (I’m looking at you Funky Winkerbean!).
There’s actually a lot of variety in the comic strip world. Some comics are soap operas (Mary Worth, Apartment 3G) some are hero fantasies (Spiderman, Dick Tracy) some focus on humor (Dilbert, Garfield) and some are just strange (Zippy the Pinhead, Ballard Street).
Before I jump too heavily into the topic, I want to give my vast audience a few links so that they can follow along with some of the comics and web sites I will be discussing or at least know some of my favorite reads.
For the newspaper comics, the Houston Chronicle is the best place I know to read your weekday comics. For the Sunday comics I usually swing by the two Seattle newspapers, The Seattle Times and the Seattle Post Intelligencer.
There are also a lot of web-based comics. In fact, there are literally hundreds of these, but I only follow a few:

• Basic Instructions
• Medium Large
• XKCD
• Garfield Minus Garfield

I also enjoy Debbie Ridpath Ohi’s blog Inkygirl, which includes her writing/freelancing related comics.
When it comes to discussing the comics, The Comics Curmudgeon is the hands-down best place to go. His comments on the comics are often funnier and more interesting than the comics themselves.
Another good site for fun commentary is Comics I Don’t Understand.
That’s enough to look at for now. Do some homework over the weekend so you’ll be up to speed when I discuss comic strips in more detail next week.

This post would look awfully silly without a comic strip in it, so here is one from Medium Large, which spends most of its time mocking (paying homage?) to other comics.

Every important thing I know about being a writer came from this movie. Well, this and Robocop.

People wonder what it is like to be a freelance writer. I thought I would help out with a quick guide to our lifestyle. It’s pretty awesome, as you know from movies and television. Here are some more things you can look forward to:

Romance

As everyone who watches romantic comedies knows, the best profession to have if you want to fall in love is writer. Whether you are writing about how to lose a guy in a little over a week, using a detective to find out more about a sad widower on a radio show, flirting with the editor (who happens to be your best friend’s fiancé) of your book about the last time you fell in love, or ingratiating yourself to a woman who runs away from weddings, sooner or later you are going to fall in love and you are going to write about it. Be careful though. Your eventual article (or book) will almost certainly piss off your love interest and you will have to make a grand gesture to get them back. I suggest running out on a baseball field in front of a packed crowd. That always seems to work.

Ghostwriting Books (On Spec)

If there is one thing a freelance writer loves, it’s telling someone else’s story. The only thing they love more is working on spec. When you are a freelance writer, you are constantly going to be approached with fantastic ideas. It turns out, everyone in the world has a story, and every one of those stories will make a great book. More importantly, you should be the one to write that book. Even more importantly, you should do it because the book is going to be a bestseller. This is crucial because only at this point will you get paid. The person with a story is kindly offering to split the royalties once the book is bought by a major publisher, which it most certainly will be. All you have to do is tell their story for them, find an agent and get published. For those easy tasks you are entitled to a portion of the profits. Some people seem to think this is too good to be true. These, much more reasonable people, will only ask you to write their screenplay.

Agonizing over the First Sentence

As a freelance writer, it is important to agonize over the first sentence you write. As any good freelance writer knows, you can’t go back and change it later. You have to get it right the first time. Your entire piece hinges on that first sentence. This is why we spend so much time at Starbucks, staring off into space as we sip our lattes. We are working on that very first sentence. The best sentence ever! Sometimes weeks pass before we get it right. Luckily, as soon as you get that first sentence right, the rest of your work just flows and you are finished in a matter of moments. That is why the first sentence makes such a difference.

Twist Endings

Writers know that nothing is better than a twist ending. The most important thing about a twist ending is frog.

Writers are learners. When you write for a living, you need to constantly be learning or else you will simply run out of things to write about. Most writers embrace the learning lifestyle. They want to discover new things. Some writers explore one or two areas in depth while others hop from subject to subject, learning a little and then moving on. There is no right or wrong when it comes to learning a little about a lot or a lot about a little. The choice is up to the writer.

If you do want to explore a new area in depth, there are ways to do this that will make approaching a new subject easier. There are many ways to start. Some people learn by reading. Some people learn by listening and watching. Some people learn by actively doing the thing they want to learn about. While any of these approaches can work when you want to learn a little about a subject, you will need to embrace all three if you want to develop a deep understanding of a subject.

Write as you learn

The important thing to do, as a writer, is to write about your learning process. Take notes about what you read and what you do. Record your story or book ideas. Express your thoughts as you go through the learning process. Doing so will put you ahead of the game when you start to try to make a living writing about the new area. Preparation always pays off in the end.

The reading approach

The quick and cheap way to start is with the web. Find blogs and other web sites that discuss the subject and read what they have to say. After that, you should invest in one or two well-regarded books on the subject. An introductory textbook is always useful, and they can often be found used through sites such as Amazon.com. See if the subject has any dedicated magazines, and subscribe to the most useful ones.

The watching and listening approach

Some people prefer to learn by watching and listening to others. People who like to learn this way should consider taking classes or purchasing video and audio guides such as documentaries and lectures. Apple’s iTunes store has a section called iTunes U which is filled with college level lectures on hundreds of topics. You can watch and listen to podcasts that are, for the most part, free. Another option available to writers is the interview. Find knowledgeable people in the area you want to learn about and interview them. This is a way to write and sell articles while you are still learning about the subject and will allow you to make valuable contacts in the area.

The action approach

The action approach is simple and direct. You learn by doing the thing you want to learn about. In many cases, this is the only way to truly get a feel for a subject. If you have never snowboarded, then all the reading, listening and watching in the world won’t make you a snowboarder. You have to actually go out and do it. If you want to write about something, you shouldn’t just do it. You should join groups of other people who do the same thing. Make connections within the community of people with similar interests. Embrace the activity.

Put them all together

To move beyond the basics, you need to use all of these approaches. Read about the subject. Interview people. Take classes. Listen to lectures. Join groups. Go out and get active. Just remember to write about it as you go.

Capturing a publication’s attention can be a difficult task. You are competing against a variety of other people, causes and events. To win this competition you must do two things. First, you must gain their interest. Second, you must present your story in a professional manner that will make it easy for them to give you the coverage you desire. Here are some tips to help you send effective press releases.

Know Your Target

Find out who the publication’s editor / reporter / blogger is for the section you want your press release to appear in. Include that person’s name on the press release, not just on the envelope or in the email address.

Pick One Person Per Publication

Once you’ve chosen the appropriate person, stick with them. If the article needs to be passed off to another reporter, the publication will make that decision. If you send your press release to more than one person, any problems that develop from duplicate coverage and effort will be blamed on you.

Don’t Just Send, Call

To increase your chances of getting coverage, call the intended recipient before you send the press release and call a few days later to make sure they received it. Making first contact by phone will also help you find the appropriate person to send your press release to.

Give it Time

Don’t email a press release the day before an event and expect your event to receive coverage. Give the maximum possible amount of time for the publication to decide how they want to cover the story. If you feel the event is so far in the distance that they might forget about it, then simply send another release as the time for the event draws nearer.

Know Your Deadlines

Magazines, even weekly ones, are planned months in advance. Seasonal events such as Christmas and Thanksgiving are great examples of this. Holiday issues are frequently developed in the heat of summer. For calendar items, know when the publication’s submission deadline is. Do your research.

Keep it Short and Informative

Reporters and editors are notoriously busy. Most press releases should be kept to a single page. Two pages is acceptable but not optimal. If the publications want more information, they’ll ask.

Write it in a News Style

Put the primary information (who, where, what, and when) into the lead (first paragraph), and avoid a heavy sales pitch. No exclamation points!!! Use short words and sentences. Make sure what you’re saying is very clear. Many publications will directly reprint a press release, as long as it is written in a professional news style. Buy either the AP Stylebook or the Chicago Manual of Style, and learn the general guidelines for abbreviating words, writing numbers and capitalizing names.

Use Postal Mail or Email

You should check with each publication to find out their preferred system for receiving press releases. In general, email is acceptable and postal mail is fine. Faxes are hard to read or to include photos with, so avoid faxing.

Help keep it Together

For printed press releases, always include, at the top corner of every page, a two or three word description of the story, the name and contact information of key contact people (no more than two), the page number (if there is more than one page) and the release date (usually “for immediate release” or “please hold until ??/??/??”). For emails, include this information at the beginning of the email. Be aware that most people will hit the reply button to respond to an email, so send your press release from an email address that you will be able to follow up from.

Show and Tell

If you have good photos, send them or include the words “photos available upon request” with your information at the top of the first page. Only send high quality photos, however, and only when they add to your story. Place photos between cardboard when mailing. Don’t tape or paper clip the photos or you risk damaging them.

Make it Easy on the Eyes

Use standard 8 1/2″x 11″ paper typed on one side only. Never break a paragraph across two pages. Leave wide margins for editors to write notes in. A 1 1/2″ or 2″ margin on each side is fine. Also, use a standard font; fancy text may look nice, but it is hard to read.

Dress for Success

Don’t fold your press release like a letter. You should fold it so that the headline and date will be the first thing the editor or reporter sees upon opening the envelope.

All Good Press Releases Must Come to an End

End a press release with either “###” or ” -30-” typed across the center of the page, three lines below the end of your text. If a release has greater than one page, type “-more-”, centered at the bottom of the pages preceding the final page.

Some writers know exactly what they want to say. They merely have to start typing and passion flows from them. This doesn’t necessarily mean they write well, but they don’t sit around wondering what to write about. Most writers, however, need a little prodding. Sometimes they have great ideas, and sometimes they stare at their computer screen waiting for something to come to them. If you fall into the second category, you can reduce your time spent staring at the screen by creating a log of your good article ideas when they come to you. You can also spend those slow times looking at a few tried and true idea resources and seeing what ideas you can grow for the future.

What is an idea log?

An idea log is a way of cataloging your ideas for articles, posts, fiction, poems, essays and stories. Your idea log can be as simple or as fancy as you wish. Some people create file folders for their ideas. They fill them with notes, clippings, pictures and whatever else will assist them. When they pull out the folder, they have all they need to start work. This can be a great system, but it is a lot of work, especially if you never pursue that idea later.

Many people take advantage of their computers. They write quick notes, or even put them in the form of a query to an editor, and keep them in individual documents or add them to a database. This is an excellent system and one that can also get you going quickly once you decide to write because part of the document is already written. You just have to expand on it.

The third way that I propose is simpler and not as thorough. I use it myself, however, because of its ease and portability. I keep a stack of 3×5 index cards in which I jot down my ideas. I put a title and description at the top then jot down the note below. I rarely fill up more than one side of one card. It isn’t as thorough as a file or as ready to roll as a computer note, but it keeps me from prattling on about what is just a single idea that I may or may not follow. Plus, when I have a stack of these cards, I can pull them out and thumb through them quickly, more quickly than going through a file folder or a computer database. I can also take these cards with me anywhere and jot down the ideas as they come. I am a big fan of computers, but for this task I really do prefer the simplicity of a 3×5 index card.

What do you like? What do you hate?

A great place to start looking for ideas is to look at your likes and dislikes. What makes you happy and what makes you sad or angry. These are the things in your life that will provoke your most passionate writing. This can range from politics, entertainment, to a lump in your carpet that you’d like to get rid of. It all depends on what interests you enough to upset or please you.

Who do you know?

The people in your life can be one of your greatest sources of ideas. They have jobs, hobbies, interests and problems that make them experts hundreds of things. Your architect friend can now be interviewed about what makes for a good or bad home design. Your divorced friend with three kids probably has much to say about child support issues. With a little fictionalization, the annoying woman at work might make for a great short story. Look at the people around you. Evaluate them as article sources, interview topics and as story ideas.

Who would you like to know?

People often portray writing as a solitary task, but one of the great benefits of being a writer is that you can use it to meet people. Think about the respected or famous people you would like to talk to: writers you respect, experts in fields you are interested in, actors and politicians. Some of them will be difficult to meet, but many are easier than you think. While the ten most famous writers in the world may be hard to contact, most writers do not spend the majority of their time fending off interview requests. The same is true of experts in most areas. Politicians and actors are probably the hardest to get an interview with, but even then you might be surprised. Just remember that the top few in those fields are nearly impossible to interview without some clout behind you, but there are plenty of others in the field who would be happy to answer your questions.

Where have you been?

Travel is a great way to generate ideas. Look at the places you’ve gone and the things you’ve done there. Think also of the trips you would like to take. From travel guides to the settings for stories, your journeys can be a great source of ideas. Whenever you travel, it is a good idea to keep a journal and write down your thoughts and impressions. You never know where you might find your next idea.

What have you been doing?

Take a look at your areas of expertise. What jobs have you held? What hobbies have you had? What have you studied? These are your areas of knowledge. You may not be an expert, but in writing it is generally enough to be an intelligent amateur as long as you are willing to do the research for your story. Just as your friends are great sources of information, you are your greatest source. Not only do you know something about these things, but also you can rely on yourself, more than anyone else, to do the work required to find out more. Every job, from working in a warehouse to being a phone solicitor to managing a small office, has requirements and areas of interest. Think about how these things can become articles or stories.

What have you been reading?

If you are a writer, then chances are you are an avid reader, and it pays to keep a few notes while you read. The daily paper, magazines, the Internet and the books you read are great sources for ideas. My favorite example of this process is the movie The Player, in which a studio executive challenges anyone to read him a newspaper article and he’ll come up with a movie based on it. Over and over he turns the most mundane articles into feature film ideas. Ideas are everywhere.

What happened to you?

Beyond the jobs and hobbies you’ve had, there is plenty more to your life. There are hundreds of high points and low points in every person’s life: people found and lost, love shared and unrequited, accidents, plots, plans, choices and mistakes. Most of your memories are worthy of a story or article, because chances are you haven’t managed to remember the ordinary and mundane parts of your life, just the highs and the lows and the elements that contribute to who you are. Your life is an endless source of material if you have the talent to make it interesting to others.

Ideas are all around you. If you go through the items above, you will have plenty of ideas to work with, but beyond that, you just need to keep your eyes open and your other senses ready to back them up. Ideas will come to you if you are paying attention. Just remember to have some system to keep track of them, even if it is just a notebook for you to jot things down in. Your ideas are fuel for your writing. Keep plenty of fuel handy.