Writer's Block

For all the writers out there, have you ever sat down to write an article for a client or maybe to work on your manuscript and after an hour you still find yourself staring at a blank piece of paper, or maybe the doodle you drew, or the cursor blinking on your screen? Writers dread this, but this phenomenon is more commonly referred to as writer's block.

As a writer, you've probably encountered writer's block at one point or another. For those of you who aren't familiar, what is writer's block exactly? Some people may think it's a myth but in fact, writer's block has actually crippled and even ended some writers' and authors' careers. Whether you are a creative writer by hobby or by profession, writer's block can hit you at any point.

So what do you do about it? Unfortunately, there's no real way to prevent it, but there are some things you can do naturally to spark your creativity and get writing again. 

• Stream of consciousness - Basic yet effective. Sit down with a pen and paper or in front of your computer screen and just start writing. It doesn't have to be beautiful or even make sense, just do it. It can be as basic as "it is cold outside today", or "the grass is green", "my cat is asleep". Just write whatever comes to your mind.

• Practice free association - So maybe you look at that doodle you drew and write something about it. Write whatever comes to your mind. Write down random words that come to your mind and see if they form a sentence or think about how you can form a sentence from them. Or maybe you write down adjectives that describe your mood today. See if you can start a paragraph with those. 

• Take notes - Another great tactic writers often use is note-taking. You may be out shopping or in your car and something may hit you and you have that thought that comes to every writer's mind "oh, that's a great story to write about", "or I can implement XYZ into the characterization or story in my book." Either keep a notebook with you or use the "notes" app on your iPad or Smartphone and take random notes throughout the day, week, whatever. See if you can form those notes into a blog or article later on.

• Spark creativity -  Another thing you may want to do is discover what sparks your creativity or imagination. It may be listening to your favorite song, drinking a lot of coffee, doing yoga or another form of exercise, or maybe just relaxing. One of my favorite tactics is designing a creative board. What you can do is create your own poster board full of magazine clippings or descriptive words or whatever appeals to you and paste them on the board. Once you have completed your board, study it. Study it for about 15 to 20 minutes either before you go to bed at night or first thing when you get up in the morning. In fact, studies have shown that your mind continues to process what you have taken in prior to falling asleep. So when you wake up in the morning, you have a lot of fresh, creative ideas. You don't necessarily have to use a poster board. You could also create a Word document, a Powerpoint presentation, or even use Pinterest as your source of creativity. You could even share your work if you wish and get feedback from friends.
  
  Personally I have found that if I study music or sing before I go to bed, I will often times wake up with unique, original lyrics in the morning, so I write them down. I've also noticed that what really sparks my creativity is first thing in the morning when I'm sitting at my computer listening to music with a cup of coffee. This is the point of the day when I find I get a lot of great ideas for blogs, articles for clients, or even my own ideas for my business. All in all, find out what sparks your creativity and run with it.

• Just write - Easier said than done, right? Wrong. This is similar to the stream of consciousness point mentioned above. Just write whatever comes to your mind. Again, it doesn't have to be flowery language or even make sense. Just put words together and see what happens. Another thing, don't think of how many words you have to write or how long your blog has to be, or how many pages you have to write. If you focus on this, writing loses its creativity and fun and becomes work that you dread. Sure, every writer has those pieces or articles to write that no one looks forward to, but try not to focus on the length. First focus on writing a sentence, then a paragraph, then maybe another paragraph, and watch it grow from there. Worry about structure and grammar later.

So if you are or have ever suffered from writer's block, here are some great ways to get your creative flow back. Some may take more time than others, and some may even take some personal discovery to find out what jogs your creativity or what your brain responds to, but in the end, you will be able to help get out of your writer's block slump or maybe avoid it altogether.



BLUE BALLPOINT PENS
© David Coleman | Dreamstime.com

Written content: © 2010, 2011, 2012, J.H. Language Solutions

How to Improve Your English and Grammar

When writing you are always improving your grammar and writing skills. This will benefit you both personally and professionally. There are many different ways to improve your writing and grammar, but the simplest way is by adjusting your current writing habits.

The best way to hit the ground running is to research an adult grammar workbook. This will give you basic guidelines to help you construct your grammar skills. You may advance the workbooks based on your level of experience in writing. You will also be able to quiz yourself, and gauge how you are progressing. You can find any writing and grammar book online or at a local bookstore.

Write, write, and write. Practice makes perfect, right? This is a guaranteed way to work on and improve your skills. Like exercise, the more you write, the stronger you will become. Many people become dependent on automatic spell check. In order to master spelling and grammar on your own, try writing by hand.

Outlining will help you write your best essay. Outlining will help you organize your thoughts and arguments. It will also give your final draft structure and flow. The order of the outline should be the order of the paragraphs that you want to write. Review your outline before you start.

A writing class is also a good idea to strengthen your writing and grammar skills. You will be able to find classes at most colleges that take place at many different hours which can be convenient for you and your schedule. You will have the benefit of being able to discuss writing with a trained professor and as well as in a group.

All in all, taking the time to improve your writing skills as well as grammar will only be a benefit to you. It can improve several areas of your life and you will no longer feel self conscious about your writing ability. You will also begin to produce some of the best essays.








*This blog was written for a client of mine. Although the content was written by J.H. Language Solutions, we do not own the content nor claim it as ours. We are merely posting it as a part of the contracted agreement.

Three Things You Should Know Before Publishing a Book

Publishing a book. Whether you sign with a professional publishing agent, or publish a book by doing business with an individual self-publisher, or maybe you even format your own eBook and sell it on Amazon. Regardless of which publication method you choose, how do you know if you are really ready for publishing a book or eBook?

If you are reading this thinking, "what's to be ready for?" Hang up the phone, do your research, and come back when you REALLY know what you are in for. Publishing a book or any finished product does not take a few weeks; it doesn't even take a few months. Writing a manuscript, having it edited, rewriting, re-editing, re-structuring, and rewriting again can take years. Seriously, years; especially if it's your first book. The same goes for novels.

What do I know? Well, I've only been in the publishing industry for about five years. In those five years, I've also started my own media, translation, and editorial services business. While working in publishing, I've edited, managed, and developed a number of K-12 products as well as higher ed custom products. Although I don't have a TON of experience compared to some, I have enough experience to know that you can't put together a first draft manuscript and expect it to become on the Bestseller's list in a few months. It just doesn't work that way.

If you are looking to find an agent and sign with a large and well-known publisher, be ready for the long haul and what could be months and months of rejections. This isn't to say that your manuscript isn't worth it or doesn't have quality content, it's just that the publishing industry is very competitive. Think of it like the music industry. It takes a lot for musicians and artists to sign with record labels. It works the same way. You have to keep writing letters and sending copies of your manuscript to agents and publishers the same way musicians have to send copies of the demos, until it falls in the right hands.

So where do you start?

1.) First and foremost, draft a manuscript. It doesn't matter what type of book you are interested in publishing, you aren't going anywhere without at least a draft. You've got to have a starting point.

2.) Find a quality editor. Hire an editor or some time of consultant that will help you through writing your first book. He or she will know the ins and outs of the publishing industry, or should, and can guide you in the areas needed. There are plenty of editors that work on a consulting or independent/freelance basis that would love to and are willing to help out.

3.) Copyright = no joke. It amazes me how people think they can "borrow" images or content and not bother to credit sources. Seriously. Copyright is a huge deal today, especially with electronic content. Just because you can find something online, doesn't make it free. I've already lectured on copyright before, so I won't do it again. I just advise that if you are writing a book, or even something as innocent as a blog, write your own content, use your own images, and source where necessary. Don't call anything your own if it's not your own.

4.) Do your research. You might think you have a great story, and maybe you do. But how do you really know for sure? Do your market research. Start a blog or forum or even post something on your Facebook or Twitter pages about your idea for a book. See what kind of response you get or what your followers say. This is a great way to see what your book's earning potential is as well as what your target audience is. You can even format your current manuscript into a real eBook and sell it on Amazon. You may need to hire a freelance who can format your eBook so that it can be downloaded to a Kindle or iPad. If it sells well, you can present that to a publisher or agent. It will also be impressive to them that you've done a form or your own marketing as well as market research.

Those are the top three informational items one who should know prior to publishing a book. Here are three key mind frames one should focus on:

1.) Be open-minded. It's understandable that after putting a lot of time, effort, and maybe even money into your manuscript that it becomes your baby. However, if you want to see your book beautifully bound and on a bookshelf in a bookstore some day, be open-minded to an agent's or editor's suggestions. Some authors and writers are dead set on a particular story or characters, and it's a great attitude to be so attached to the characters or story you have created, however, an editor will know what areas to improve and what approach is best.

2.) Be patient. It's great to have goals and a timeline set in mind. After all, publishing is all about deadlines. However, if it is your goal to have your book written, edited, and published within a year, it may be realistic to have a back up time frame in mind. Like any great work, it takes time and effort, and sometimes even more time and effort to get it just write. A literary work is no different. Sometimes things need tweaking, or last minute adjustments need to be made in production schedules; it is all possible. Again, while it's great to have goals, be prepared to be delayed or encounter challenges or set backs.

3.) Be positive. While there's been a lot of information that I've thrown out in this blog, and many of it may seem negative, that's not the idea. It's just factual and real information. The publishing industry is no picnic. It's rigorous and it's competitive. Just be prepared. All in all, it's possible that you will receive rejections, setbacks, or even challenges along the way. Don't get discouraged. Any feedback that you receive shouldn't be taken personally. Think of it as areas where you can improve. Areas where you can improve your writing as well as where you can improve creatively and professionally. Writing your first book is definitely a learning experience.

All in all, you've got your word cut out for you. Publishing a book is a lot of work. Consider these points of advice mentioned above prior to seeking out an agent or even a self-publisher. Signing with a publisher or even working with a self-publisher has its pros and cons. Obviously working with a real, well-known publisher will have more of a long term impact on you as a writer, however, writers often lose money due to royalty contracts. Self-publishers are usually quicker as well as more cost effective. It all depends on what works best for you.

© Anna Lurye | Dreamstime.com

The “Art” of Publishing

While most view publishing or journalism as a communications or writing industry, which takes a certain skill set. Now while this is true, it is also an industry that is combined with art. How? Graphic design.

Graphic design is needed in many areas of publishing. Graphic design is also one of the fastest growing careers in the country. It is a an artistic and creative career that is also rewarding. Many publishers or publishing houses or vendors need graphic artists to do their Production work, create boilerplates, and even design covers and custom covers. There are many possibilities available.

So how do you become a graphic designer? It is relatively simple. A four year degree is most common, but of course you can pursue a higher level of education as well. Your courses are mainly in technology. You should enjoy and be able to do the bulk of your work and projects on a computer. Interestingly enough, there is also some legal knowledge that is involved, such as copyright laws and how to avoid them in your designs.

Luckily, if you choose to become a graphic designer for a publisher, publishers typically have their own Rights/ Permissions and Licensing departments that will research images, existing designs, and other art for you or to make sure that there is no infringement on any cover designs or products. However, knowledge of these situations is pertinent for all potential graphic artists entering any industry.

Getting your foot in the door for any magazine, publisher, or marketing firm is easy...especially with the huge growth in media today. Most companies or firms require  a six-month to a year long internship, in order for you to learn the industry, company, and test your skills. Once you gain this experience, you can write your own ticket. It is also smart to create a portfolio to show off to any potential job or internship opportunities, so they see where your strengths lie.

Another important strength a well-rounded and good graphic designer must possess is the ability to use their artistic strengths in order to reach a company or firm’s target audience in appropriate and unique ways. While this may require some background or experience in marketing, there is a lot of room for creativity.

Despite popular belief, there is a lot of potential for art in the publishing industry. There is a lot of room for creativity and unique ideas to design books, magazine covers, page layouts, as well as other artistic ways to reach the target audience.