As an essay writer, and a student of essay writing, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about what makes personal essays and memoirs work. Why are they so popular? What is it about them that people are drawn to? How can a very personal and seemingly unique experience speak to the lives of others?

While I regularly read essays, particularly those by Anne Lamott and David Sedaris, I’m discovering that, until recently, I wasn’t reading them from the perspective of a writer. Instead, I was enjoying them only as a reader, failing to ask myself the questions that would help me write powerful essays of my own. So, in the hope of becoming a better writer, I spent several hours this weekend at the bookstore poring over the essay section and dissecting what I found there. I picked up collections from Nora Ephron, Marion Winik, Anna Quindlen and Sarah Vowell, to name a few, took over a table in the cafe and got to reading. Read the rest of this entry »

Do you ever feel like fear is holding you back? Fear can be a powerful force in keeping us from reaching our goals. Believe me, fear has had it’s hold over me before and I’m sure it will come along again. Any time we take steps toward doing something new or unknown, it’s likely that fear will show up. How we react to that fear is what will determine our success.

This week’s Creativity Corner prompt takes us out of that fear and into the realm of fearlessness. Take some time to contemplate your fears, then write to the following prompt:

Fearless

What would your life look like if you were fearless. What would you do, say or be if there was nothing holding you back? What goals would you set if fear wasn’t a factor?

Imagine what fearlessness might produce in your life and write about what your fearless dreams look like.

When you’re finished, please feel free to share a paragraph or two of your writing in the comments or post the exercise on your own blog and leave a comment here with a link to your writing. Remember, these are exercises. The results don’t have to be perfect. But to benefit from them, you actually have to do the work. Now head to your corners and come out writing!

I’ve lost my voice. Not the voice I speak with, but the one I use to tell my stories.

I only recently discovered my difficulties with voice when I got a few comments from the members of my critique group and the instructor of the essay writing course I’m taking that pointed out something was missing in my pieces. Because I’ve always thought I had a strong voice, I didn’t think much about it. It turns out, though, that I’ve given up my voice and replaced it with my need to sound like an expert. My essays are becoming no more than a factual recounting of events in my life, with little reflection or humor or with too much pushing and preaching. And so I’ve gone in search of that voice I once loved so much.

About a week ago, I read a post at Writer Unboxed on giving voice to characters that reminded me of what voice can do for a story. In the post, Allison Winn Scotch discusses how voice can be the thing that really brings a character to life and allows the character to better resonate with readers. While her post refers to fiction specifically, I think what she says can easily be applied whether you write novels, memoirs or essays.

In nonfiction, having a clear voice that is consistent throughout a work (and in some cases across works) allows readers to connect with you and understand you at a deeper level. The voice you use in your writing can also contribute to the tone of a piece. For example, if you generally have a humorous voice, your pieces will likely come off as less formal than pieces by someone who has a serious tone.
Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s Write Out Loud interview features Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen. Laurie is a freelance writer and blogger living in British Columbia, Canada.

Write Out Loud: Thanks so much for being willing to answer some questions for me (and my readers). I really appreciate it. You write a series of “Quips and Tips” blogs on various topics. Can you tell us about these blogs and how/why you started them?

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen: All four blogs – Quips and Tips for Successful Writers, Quips and Tips for Achieving Your Goals, Quips and Tips for Couples Coping With Infertility, and Quips and Tips for Spiritual Seekers – are tips-based, which means that they’re not “just” blogs about my life or opinions (no offense to people who blog about their lives! It’s just not me). All my articles feature a book and a quip directly related to the tips. I started Quips and Tips because I love writing, I love interacting with readers, and I love earning money!

WOL: You also write the blog See Jane Soar and are writing a book by the same name. Could you tell us more about those projects as well?

LPK: See Jane Soar offers life lessons based on quotations from inspirational women in history. Today, for instance, I wrote 6 Practical Ways to Believe in Yourself – Zora Neale Hurston. I love learning from strong, successful women – and so every article on that Web site reveals a little about what we can learn from those who have gone ahead.

WOL: Besides these projects, what other types of freelance writing and/or editing do you do?

Read the rest of this entry »

Now that we’re well into January, and we’ve all had plenty of time to evaluate 2009 and look forward to 2010, I thought it might be the perfect opportunity to provide a writing prompt related to resolutions. They’re easy to make, but not always easy to keep. They provide us with a challenge, but are often so unrealistic, vague or irrelevant to our lives that we fail to stick to them. The concept of making resolutions is wrought with contradictions and often prompts feelings of self-judgment and ineptitude. (Or is that just me?)

No matter how you feel about resolutions, they provide a ripe topic for exploring emotions and experiences through your writing. And if you’ve resolved to write more in 2010, why not start by spending some time on this week’s Creativity Corner prompt.

Resolution

Write a paragraph or page describing a resolution that you (or a character) made in the past and what the consequences of that resolution were. Did you reach your goal with time to spare? Did you find that the resolution was too lofty and if so, in what ways? What did you learn about yourself as you tried to accomplish what you set out to do? Why did you choose that resolution and how did you set out to accomplish it?

Resolutions are better known for our failure to keep them than for their accomplishment. Don’t be afraid to write about your weaknesses and dig deep into the experience, whether it was positive or negative. If you are honest about your experience (or that of your character), you will likely find insights into personal (or character) motivation that will help to move your stories in new directions.

When you’re finished, please feel free to share a paragraph or two of your writing in the comments or post the exercise on your own blog and leave a comment here with a link to your writing. Remember, these are exercises. The results don’t have to be perfect. But to benefit from them, you actually have to do the work. Now head to your corners and come out writing!

It’s a new year and, as new years always seem to prompt efforts at self-improvement, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I can be a better business woman and writer. That’s why, when Christina Katz, author of The Writer Mama, asked the question How do you rate your self-respect? in her monthly newsletter, it really hit home with me this week. More specifically, Christina asked:

Can you say no? Do you say yes to yield to social pressure and supposed-tos and then suffer for it? Are you catering to too many other people’s needs but burning out in the process? Do you listen to and trust your instincts about what is and isn’t the best way to proceed?

Let’s just say that my honest answers to these questions aren’t the ones I’d like to give.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m the type of person who loves to learn new things. When I finished graduate school, I was happy to be done with classes and assignments, but it wasn’t long before I missed the classroom. To deal with my itch to learn, I regularly sign up for free teleclasses, read books and websites on topics that interest me, and ask a lot of questions. It’s just part of who I am. And I think it benefits my writing to not only learn more about the craft of writing, but to learn about issues and topics that I can use in my stories.

The problem with learning new things is that there’s only so much time for classes and assignments when I’m working full time and freelancing in the evenings and on weekends. Keeping that in mind, about a month ago, I signed up for an essay writing class through The Renegade Writer Blog. I really enjoy writing essays, but I’ve had some trouble figuring out how and where to get them published. Since one of my goals for 2010 is to send out and publish more articles and essays, I thought taking a class on essay writing and publication would be a great investment of both time and money. It would be a challenge to fit the assignments into my schedule, but I was willing and ready to make whatever sacrifices I needed to make for the six weeks I’d be taking the class.

Read the rest of this entry »

For Creativity Corner this week, I thought we’d try something a little different. It’s more of an exercise than a prompt, but I think you’ll find it useful.

One of my main goals for 2010 is to improve as a writer. The only way to do this, in my opinion, is to write. But I can’t just keep writing the same old things and tackling the same topics over and over again. I need to stretch myself in what I write and how I write it. I need to practice telling a story. I need to live life and pay attention to the details–so I can use the experiences and observations later.

Which brings me to this week’s prompt.

Choose an activity that you normally do mindlessly (e.g., washing the dishes, taking a shower, making the bed, folding laundry, you get the idea). The next time you do that activity, pay close attention to every detail of the experience. When you have finished, sit down and write out the details you remember. You don’t have to write in complete sentences, and you don’t have to describe the activity in chronological order. Just make note of the details and see what you discover.

Once you’ve written out all the details you remember, write out a scene using you, a character you already “know” or someone new as the protagonist. Add conflict, if you’d like, or introduce dialog and additional characters. But be sure to build the scene using those details and notice how vivid it becomes.

Good stories include the perfect level of detail in all the right places. Practice using details in your writing to bring it alive.

When you’ve come up with a short scene, please feel free to share it in the comments or post it on your own blog and leave a comment here with a link to your writing. Remember, these are exercises. They don’t have to be perfect.

Today’s Write Out Loud interview features Yolander Prinzel. Yolander is a financial writer as well as a series 7, 66 and 2-15 licensed representative. During her decade of financial industry experience she has been an insurance agency director of marketing and director of operations, a life insurance underwriter, and a trading service specialist for Raymond James Financial Services. She was a featured speaker at the 2006 Hartford National Sales Conference and the 2006 Brookstreet Securities Annual Conference.

You may also know Yolander from her no-unpublished blog, Freelance Writerville, where she was a straight-shooter and brutally honest encourager of freelance writers everywhere. Yolander shut down her freelance writing blog in favor of the Ning community by the same name, a currently quite, but helpful and friendly community where freelance writers can interact, blog about their experiences and learn from one another.

Write Out Loud: Hi, Yolander. Thank you for taking time to share with us about your freelance writing experience. What type of writing and editing do you do? What types of clients do you take on?

Yolander Prinzel: I am a financial writer and I take on clients who need financial writing—insurance agents and agencies, financial advisors, insurance companies, financial publications and others.

WOL: I read and reviewed your ebook, “You’ve Found Your Specialty, Now What??”. In it you help readers figure out how and where to find clients. What would you say is the most successful strategy for snagging clients?

YP: Focus on one group of prospects and specialize in satisfying their needs.

WOL: Can you elaborate on that a bit? Why do you think it’s important that a freelancer finds a specialty and focuses on that niche?

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been a great year here at Write Out Loud. I am working diligently to build my own writing business, have discovered some wonderful new writing blogs, and have been sharing much of what I’m learning with you here.

Since 2009 is quickly coming to a close, I thought I’d take some time to pull together a Year in Review of sorts. If you’re new around here, consider this an introduction to Write Out Loud. If you’re a regular reader, I hope you don’t mind this indulgence. You may want to take some time to check out posts that passed under your radar or re-read a few of your favorites.

For Inspiration

• 7 Places to Find New Story Ideas and 7 More Places to Find New Story Ideas – Here are 14 suggestions for places that will inspire more stories than you’ll know what to do with.
• {Creativity Corner} – A series of weekly writing prompts that I recently started, you can use {Creativity Corner} prompts to develop stories you’re already working, flesh out characters, start something new or prime the pump for a day of writing. You can also share the results by leaving an excerpt or link in the comments for each post.

Read the rest of this entry »