The importance of skillful writing has most certainly become more apparent nowadays. Well-written blog posts, speeches, advertisements, product copy, TV shows or instruction manuals can be invaluable to businesses. No matter what kind of writing you want to do, there’s a write—excuse me—right way to go about becoming a professional writer.

How To Become a Professional Writer

To start, writing is not for everyone. Just like anything else in the professional world, writing is a skill that has to be worked on and developed over time to really grow into something that can be marketed and turned into a full-time money-making career. Learning how to become a writer doesn’t happen overnight.

There are also many different types of writing out there that need to be approached in different ways. Technical writing, creative writing, scriptwriting, business writing, medical writing, legal writing and copywriting all have slightly different goals and utilize different skill sets/experience. On the one hand, it’s exciting to know all the different writing opportunities that are available to you as a freelance writer, but on the other hand, it’s important to make sure you’re developing the right writing skills in order to become the writer you hope to be some day.

While deciding what kind of writer you want to be doesn’t have to be done right away, there are some things you can start doing now to help get you on your way to becoming a writer. People commonly take these five steps to earn the title of professional writer:

1. Write, Write, Write

The first step you need to take to become a writer is … to write. Obvious, yes, but it’s more important than you may realize. Before you invest in classes, a degree or anything else, it’s best that you make sure you actually like writing. If you don’t, you’re wasting time and money you could invest in pursuits you actually enjoy. Take out time to write, blog or journal, and ask yourself if you could do this day in and day out for a living. Here are some other writing exercises you can do to gauge your actual level of interest in becoming a writing professional:

• Start a personal blog
• Do some creative writing (short stories)
• Journal (either online or in private)
• Join a writing workshop
• Write letters/emails to friends or family

Whether in public or private, start putting some words on paper. The joy of writing comes in the doing. You’ll quickly realize that good writing takes into account more than just words when you factor in spelling/grammar, flow, outlines, reader intent, tone and style. It’s a form of art to be able to get it all to flow together in a way that someone finds value in it—whether that be in the form of entertainment, information, emotion or otherwise.

The first step in learning how to become a writer is ultimately to find the desire within to write.

2. Earn a Degree

To get the most out of your professional writing career, you’ll likely need a degree. What degree should you get to become a writer? While there is no “one” degree that is a must-have, there are many degrees that will give you a well-rounded approach to writing in a professional atmosphere.

For instance, an undergraduate degree in communications, English, journalism, technical writing, fine arts, creative writing or professional writing is sure to open more doors and offer you more opportunities than not having a degree related to writing. Also, your school might offer job placement to help you get started or writing resources you can put to good use. You might look for internships or online content writing companies that will allow an unseasoned writer to start gaining experience while working through a degree.

In many cases, developing your writing through internships and freelance writing can open doors to be a professional writer even without a degree. Being a writer without a degree has its benefits in that you can start working right away, but your earning potential may also be limited depending on the niche of writing you are pursuing.

When learning how to become a writer, considering the educational avenues you want to go down to help build your portfolio and harness your skills is a worthy venture.

3. Build Your Writing Portfolio

Any school writing projects you complete or work you have published should be added to your professional writing portfolio. Your portfolio shows potential employers the kind of work and results you produce, and it could be just the thing they need to make a decision regarding hiring you. If possible, add a variety of content types to your portfolio to show that you’re a well-rounded, experienced writer.

Some other ideas of how you can add “published” content to your writing portfolio include:

• A personal, online blog
• Guest posts on online publications
• Product copy on an Etsy site
• A press release on a free PR platform

The internet is your best friend when it comes to developing your writing portfolio to help you become a professional writer. Expand your network and try to get blogs/articles on other people’s sites. Usually, if you pitch them on providing the content for free in exchange for a byline with your name and a link back to your website, you can get author credit to help boost that writing portfolio. This is one of the best avenues to pursue when wondering how to start a writing career.

4. Decide What Kind of Professional Writer You Want To Be

One of the absolute best things about being a professional writer is that there are so many avenues to explore. It’s a good idea to seek out as many of those avenues as possible to see what’s out there. Doing so will help you decide if there’s a specific area of writing in which you’d like to specialize.

For instance, do you have a knack for composing marketing or advertising material? Do you feel that you’re better suited to technical writing? Or maybe you like writing essays, product descriptions and articles for magazines and online sites. Decide on your focus area, and always remember that there are likely a few writing stones you have yet to upturn. In other words, always be on the lookout for new writing opportunities. Here are a few more professional writing opportunities you might explore:

• Medical writer
• Legal writer
• Technical writer
• Proposal writer
• Copywriter
• Business blog writer
• Video script writer
• Grant writer
• Content writer
• Freelance writer
• Resume writer
• Novelist
• TV writer

This isn’t a comprehensive list of the types of writing professions out there, but I think you’ll start to get the point. There’s always a need for good writing! Try your hand at a few different types of writing to start narrowing down your strengths and preferences of writing. Once you do, you’ll be much closer to your ultimate goal of becoming a writer.

5. Look for Writing Work

There are plenty of online resources available for finding writing work, and knowing the type of writer you want to be can help you know which resources to use and how to use them. If there’s a magazine you’d like to contribute to, check its website to see if they accept work from freelance writers. Explore job boards to see if you’re interested in any companies that might be in need of a writer of your caliber and with your expertise. If you’re looking for jobs where you can write from home, you can even apply to be a writer here with us at BKA Content.

If you really want to learn how to become a writer, you have to be persistent in looking for writing work. At the beginning of your writing career, your options may be slim. But as you add to your portfolio and gain experience through different writing projects, more doors will open to you, and the idea of becoming a writer full-time will look much more doable than it did in the beginning.

You Can Learn How To Become a Writer!

While there’s a lot of hard work involved with becoming a professional writer, it’s most certainly worth it in the end. The key is to not skip the developmental writing steps. Your writing will become better the more you practice, and your writing portfolio will get more robust over time if you keep at it. If you have any additional tips or steps to becoming a writer that you’d like to share, leave them in the comments below!

When I tell people I’m a freelance writer, they sometimes feel the need to tell me that it’s not a real job or suggest that making a living as a writer is impossible. I guess that means I’m paying my real bills and making a real living with imaginary money.

If you desire to become a professional writer but are hesitant about ending up working as a barista, know that it’s entirely possible to be your own boss, set your own hours and make good money while writing articles for a living.

How To Make a Living as a Writer

The truth is that there are thousands of freelance content writers out there writing articles for a living and loving it, too. If earning a living as a writer is something you’ve always dreamed of, then it’s time to go for it! So, without further ado, here are some tips for how to make a living as a writer:

1. Start Writing As a Side Gig

The first thing to know about making a living as a writer is that doing so takes time. So before you quit your current job (if that’s what you’re thinking of doing), it’s best to treat writing as a side gig and build up a foundation before cutting the traditional job cord. You’ve got to pay your dues, which may take longer than you might like. Cultivate patience and stay hungry to start writing for a living full time.

2. Create a Writing Portfolio

Making a living writing fuels off of past work you’ve done. Start creating a writing portfolio of work you’ve done, or create original work for the sole purpose of keeping it in an online portfolio. Of course, if you have work you’ve done for real clients, then you’ll want to prioritize showing that off. But you’ll need permission in many cases, especially if you were a ghostwriter for a client or content writing service.

3. Write Articles

One of the absolute best ways to start making a living as a writer is to craft articles for blogs, journals and magazines. Most SEO companies are consistently looking for new writers, and many professional publications accept content from freelancers. Note that some publications may pay you in exposure rather than actual money, which could pay off if your material is seen by the right people.

There’s also the fact that even if you do work for free, you can still add it to your professional portfolio, which can net you paying clients.

4. Find Your Niche

To truly make a living as a writer, you’ve got to enjoy the material you’re writing. No matter your interest area, there are bound to be more than a few publications in need of quality content; you’ve just got to dig deep enough and know where to look. Readers are sure to feel your passion in your words, and the same is true of editors. It’s that passion that will get you consistent gigs, meaning you spend more time writing (and getting paid) and less time looking for work.

5. Self-Publish

Between writing articles, you can work on a book if you’d like to expand your writing reach. Amazon has made it easy for writers to start a self-publishing career. Even better is the fact that you don’t have to write a full-length novel to take advantage of the trend; you can publish shorter content, such as articles you’ve written in the past on a single subject, or even a series of tweets that received a high amount of traffic.

The possibilities of writing for a living are endless if you’re willing to get creative and put in the work required to produce a high-quality product.

Making a Living As a Writer Is Possible!

This is just the beginning of making a living as a writer. If you like, you can also double up and become a professional editor or proofreader and put your skills as a grammar snob to use where they’ll actually be appreciated, but that’s a GrammarSpot blog for another time.

If you’ve got additional ideas, tips and resources you’d like to share about how to make a living as a writer, by all means, scribble them down in the comments section below.

One of the things I love most about the show Hannibal is how it subtly uses visual exaggeration as a tool for character and story development. By adding touches of the fantastic to the canvas of reality, the viewer is slowly pulled under the show’s visceral spell. While this approach works perfectly for a work of fiction, an unnecessarily exaggerated writing style may chip away at your credibility and cause you to end up on Dr. Hannibal’s menu.

What Does the Word Exaggerate Mean?

Before we get into how an exaggerated writing style can hurt or help your credibility, let’s first go over what the word exaggerate means. To exaggerate is to represent something as being bigger, grander or less than it really is. Many people exaggerate in conversation quite often to try to emphasize a specific point or dramatize the story.

Since it’s actually harder to think about how to spell exaggerate than it is to actually use it in conversation, it’s important to be aware of what makes up an exaggerated writing style and how to avoid it.

How To Avoid an Exaggerated Writing Style

Sometimes just being aware of the common, subliminal ways we exaggerate is enough to recognize it in your own writing. Consider the following tips when trying to decrease exaggeration and improve credibility in writing.

Make Sure Your Facts Are Factual

Before you substitute many for three, know that you might unintentionally overstate the facts to your readers in an attempt to avoid writing that puts readers to sleep. In this instance, it’s best to use few rather than many. No matter your audience, industry or intent with your writing, you owe it to yourself and your readers to be as accurate and factual as possible.

It’s easier than ever to access information, and sites like Snopes are dedicated to disproving rumors and false information. Should you become known as someone who plays fast and loose with factual information and exaggerates the truth, you’ll likely find that your blog, social media profile, business website and whatever else you use to connect to your audience starts to gather digital tumbleweeds.

The Use of “Literally”

Ah, the word literally. It’s one of my most abhorred words and probably will be until I stop reading or hearing it every 10 minutes, and that’s barely an exaggeration. If you have a tendency to pepper your writing with this oft-used misnomer, you may be accused of having an exaggerated writing style.

Before using literally, think about whether what you’re about to say is easily believable. If you say you were just about to call me, I find that easy to believe. There’s no need to say you were literally just about to call me, or that you were literally just five minutes late to work. If you were five minutes late because you got into a fight with breakdancing zombie ninjas, you would be 100 percent justified in using literally … and hopefully showing me pictures. For semantic scrutinizers like myself, the use of literally trips my mind up and makes me wonder if you’re being sincere with your words or just stretching the truth to exaggerate the situation.

Steer Clear of Generalities as Well as Overblown and Conclusory Statements

As you’re proofreading your writing, be sure to ask yourself if your words of wisdom contain generalities, inflated statements or statements that aren’t supported by the necessary evidence (such as pics of those breakdancing zombie ninjas). These three writing sins may give readers the impression that you’re a lazy writer. You’re better off with a straightforward writing style that doesn’t season the truth and exaggerate to make it read better.

When It’s Okay to Exaggerate Your Writing

Before you vow to never exaggerate your writing, know that there are times where a little embellishment is perfectly okay. For instance, tall tales are based on exaggeration, which is what makes them so entertaining and enthralling. Another situation in which you are free to let slip the dogs of exaggeration is when you’re being humorous or proving a point, as I did with the zombie ninjas.

To avoid an exaggerated writing style when creating SEO content, it’s best to take the reporter approach and give the reader the who, what, where, why, when and how. Feel free to share examples of grossly overinflated writing in the comments below.

I’ve been freelance writing for several years now, and one of the most essential things I’ve learned is the importance of switching voice and tone to fit the subject matter. Writing blog posts for GrammarSpot allows me to let loose and break away from the pomp and “black tie affair” professional writing rules.

That being said, when I do change back into my formal writing tux, I have to make sure I leave all my relaxed and casual writing rules behind and become aware of informal words to avoid.

Informal Words To Avoid in Professional Writing

Wearing sneakers with a suit might be acceptable in the modern fashion industry, but the same can’t be said when it comes to professional writing. Here are a few informal words, accessories, garments and jewels to cast off before you strut down the writing red carpet.

Very

If you’re familiar with Dead Poets Society, then you already know the sin of the informal word very. Much like adverbs weigh your writing down, the use of very prevents it from truly taking off on the page (or screen).

If an adverb like very is necessary, consider using genuinely, profoundly, undoubtedly or exceedingly instead. These words might sound a bit highfalutin, but you have to remember you’re writing to a professional audience; seeing these professional words will likely be like music to your audience’s eyes. There might even be tears.

Don’t

This represents all contractions, even though I must admit I throw in contractions with most of my writing, formal or not. This is because it may come across as a bit foreign and somewhat clipped to separate words into their individual forms. For professional writing, your audience might feel as if you’re–excuse me, you are being lazy by using contractions. You do not want your use of contractions to be misconstrued as being potentially disrespectful to your formal audience.

What it comes down to is your audience. If your writing style is meant to be personal or conversational, then using contractions is acceptable in a formal setting. Otherwise, you should remove informal words with contractions from your writing.

A Lot

While I always appreciate seeing a lot written as two words rather than one, there’s a lot of risk involved with using this informal word in professional writing. The reason for this is a lot isn’t a precise quantity. There’s also the fact that your definition of a lot and your audience’s definition might be two different things. Snatch out this particular word pair and replace it with the exact amount or number. Vagueness will do you no favors in professional writing.

Kind Of/Sort Of

The use of kind of and sort of are quite sneaky, mainly because their use has become so ingrained in our speech and writing patterns that we might not notice just how informal they truly are. Thankfully, dressing these phrases in their Sunday best is easy. Just use type of or in the category of instead.

Folks/Guys/Girls

When referring to a group of people or individuals, it’s best to refer to them as just that, people and individuals rather than folks, girls or guys. With mixed company, it’s best to use either people or individuals, men with a group of males, and women with a group of females. Girls, folks and guys is a bit too carefree, and it might even come across as insulting for some. Cut your losses and keep it strictly professional rather than try and use these informal words.

A Time and Place for Informal Words

While there definitely is a time and place for using informal words, writing in a professional setting just isn’t it. Do you have any informal words to avoid and leave off the guest list to a professional writing soiree? RSVP in the comments below.

Before the days of cell phones, people had to either remember phone numbers or flip their way through the alphabet to track down a number in the phonebook. To this day, I still remember my parents’ cell phone numbers…but that’s about it. Mnemonic devices are not only great ways to remember numbers for those emergency situations where you don’t have access to your phone but also useful when it comes to learning and writing the fundamentals of grammar.

What Is a Mnemonic Device?

In short, a mnemonic device is a learning technique used to help someone retain or remember information. Mnemonic devices are memory hacks to help you encode and recall information you deem important. These memory shortcuts are typically created by associating the thing you want to remember with a word, phrase or picture.

What Are Common Ways Mnemonic Devices Are Used?

The history of mnemonic devices goes back centuries, but nearly everyone uses them in some way, shape or form. Some of the most popular mnemonic devices out there include:

Acronyms

Acronyms are words created from the first letters of words in a phrase or name. For instance, NBA stands for “National Basketball Association”. Acronyms are typically used as mnemonic devices to help remember a number of words in a certain order. We’ll give examples of these later.

Imagery

People will use imagery as a mnemonic device by associating an image with the thing they are trying to remember. For instance, if you first meet someone and learn their last name is “Stump”, you may picture a cut down tree to help you remember the name.

Rhymes

Using rhymes as a mnemonic device is a great way to remember important information because it’s acoustically encoded in our brains. If you’re thinking to yourself about what year Christopher Columbus sailed to America while simultaneously imagining the color of the ocean, then you already know what I mean.

Mnemonic Devices vs. Pneumonic Devices

Before we break ground on the site of your brain’s memory palace, I’d like to head confusion off at the pass. In addition to mnemonic devices, you may also have heard of something called pneumonic devices. The latter is a type of medical equipment used to treat the lungs. You can actually use a mnemonic device to quickly differentiate between the two. The m in mnemonic refers to memory while the p in pneumonic refers to pneumonia, a lung infection. Got it? Great, onward!   

Mnemonic Devices for Homophones

Any grammar aficionado who spends just five minutes scrolling through social media feeds can easily see how many people are in need of the light of clarity to bring them out of the darkness surrounding homophones. As a refresher, homophones are the commonly confused words that sound the same but are spelled differently. Examples include:

• Weather/whether
• Their/there/they’re
• Compliment/complement

Confusing enough? Cue the light of clarity. Weather has the letters ea next to each other, and so does the word eat. The weather often determines if you eat something hot or something cold. As whether refers to the unknown, it’s not specifically here nor there.

With the next three, the easiest to start with is the contraction they’re, which can be broken down to they are. You can refer to the whether example above to remember how to use there, which refers to a specific place. And finally, their contains the word heir. Their is a possessive pronoun that means to own, and an heir is an individual who will one day own something. To untangle compliment vs. complement, remember that a compliment is praise, and when something complements, it enhances.

Mnemonic Devices for Spelling

If it’s commonly misspelled words you hope to remedy, here are some of the most popular mnemonic devices you can use when using spell check isn’t an option:

1. Never believe a lie.
2. Emma faced a dilemma.
3. It’s hard to embarrass really righteous and serious s
4. An island is land surrounded by water.
5. It’s necessary to remember the cesspool in the middle.
6. Rhythm helps your two hips m
7. I alone felt Eli‘s loneliness

Don’t Forget About Coordinating Conjunctions

Before we end our tour of mnemonic devices, let’s swing by the coordinating conjunction community, shall we? The seven coordinating conjunctions that occupy this area of Grammarville are for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Their job is to link phrases, words and clauses. To remember coordinating conjunctions, simply think of the acronym FANBOYS, which includes the first letter of all seven conjunctions.

What Ways Have You Used Mnemonic Devices?

One of the many great things about mnemonic devices is that they can be used for more than just spelling and grammar. What are some ways you like to use these magnificent mind melders? Feel free to share with us in the comments.

I consider myself pretty well-versed in the latest goings-on in the writing world, so it came as quite a revelation to hear of a new (to me, at least) punctuation mark call the interrobang. This particular mark blends the question mark and exclamation point (‽) into an amalgamation of questioning surprise, a seasoning of shock sprinkled over the lilt you hear in a person’s voice when a question is asked. Your Galaxy Note 20 did what?!

No matter if this is your first time hearing about this blended punctuation mark or if you’ve been hip to the interro-slang for a while, learn why using the interrobang can drag your writing through the mud.

What is an Interrobang? 

Before slapping you on the hand for using the interrobang, let’s hit the rewind button to see when this particular punctuation seed was first planted. It was in 1962 that advertising agency head Martin K. Speckter devised a way for ad copywriters to utilize a single mark for their bewildered rhetorical questions. Like many parents, Speckter had a difficult time coming up with a name for his hybrid baby, with options ranging from “exclarotive” and “exclamaquest” to “QuizDig.” The ad head had a “eureka!” moment when interrobang staked its claim.

So what does interrobang mean? To get specific, “interrobang” is a portmanteau of the Latin word interrogatio, which means either “cross-examination” or “rhetorical question,” and bang, which is used in the printing profession as another word for the exclamation mark. Sounds almost like a spell Harry Potter would sling, right?

Interro-Bang Bang, You Shot Yourself Down

Like with some grammar myths, the interrobang comes in a couple of different forms. There’s the classic yet rarely used spliced version, ‽, as well as the more common and informal version in which the punctuation marks stand side-by-side, ?! In either case, both should be avoided to make your writing robust and easily understood.

One of the biggest risks with using the interrobang is that it might make your reader think even you aren’t sure what you’re trying to say. Rather than shroud your writing in a thick haze of shocked confusion, use an alternative. Next, we’ll look at a few examples of using the interrobang and how to reshuffle the deck to improve your writing luck.

Suitable Interrobang Substitutes

Much like how it’s best to use synonyms in your writing, the same is true of using punctuation marks other than the interrobang. One option is to decide which emotion you want to convey the most, confusion or amazement, and punctuate your sentence accordingly. Trust that the reader is smart enough to hear the anger or shock in your question, such as when you ask who ate the last piece of sweet potato pie that you’ve been hankering for since breakfast.

No: Who ate the last piece of sweet potato pie?!

Yes: Who ate the last piece of sweet potato pie?

If it’s not readily apparent that you’re exclaiming a question, add an extra sentence that makes it clear.

Who ate the last piece of sweet potato pie? I’ve been waiting to eat some since I finished breakfast!

Here’s another example of unspooling your sentence into two and deciding which emotion you want to convey with the exclamation mark.

No: Did you forget to pay the rent again?!

Yes: Did you forget to pay the rent? That’s the third month in a row!

The Interrobang Discussion Continues

Have you used the interrobang in your writing? Maybe you have additional substitutions to add. Either way, let’s see what you’ve got in the comment section below.

Any type of gap, be it one in your teeth, a pothole in the road or a stretch of silence in the middle of a sentence, is often seen as an unwelcome and uncomfortable interruption in an otherwise seamless display. When it comes to both speaking and writing, we seek to fill a chasm of silence with something, anything, to keep the ball rolling. My high school speech teacher, Mrs. Hollis, did a great job of getting me into the habit of avoiding saying um while speaking. This is a perfect example of a crutch word.

If you’ve uttered um while speaking or used crutch words in writing, it’s time to heal your scribbled wounds and cast off the crutches.

The Definition of, Like, a Crutch Word

A crutch word is essentially a placeholder, something we say or sometimes even write when we can’t think of the right word to accurately describe what we want to convey. Crutch words are also used to draw in focus on our meaning, such as the use of really or literally. You might also use a crutch word not because you can’t think of what to say or because you want to draw attention to what you’re saying, but just because it’s become a habitual speech or writing pattern, like overusing that.

Crutch Words Examples:

• Actually: Much like literally, the use of actually is often unnecessary. “I’ve actually been to Tibet.” As opposed to figuratively going?
• Basically: Instead of throwing in basically at the end of a paragraph or speech, get to the core of the matter in the beginning.
• Definitely: See above regarding actually.
• Totally: Even without a Valley Girl accent and an abundance of hair flipping, the use of totally yanks me back to the 90s and the movie Clueless.
• Seriously: For this one, think of a series of question marks in spoken form.
• Honestly: This one might make people think you’re only being truthful when you offer up this single-word disclaimer.
• Like: See above regarding the use of totally.

While there are also crutch words common in speaking, such as um, ah and er, we’ll stick to those common in writing.

Crutch Words That Hinder Rather Than Help

If you’ve already noticed that any of the above crutch words examples are common in your writing, or if there are any other words or phrases that appear more often than others, you’re well on your way to remedying the situation. To start the healing and recovery process, ask yourself what you’re trying to say when you use these words and if there are stronger substitutes that might help. For words like actually, definitely and seriously, you can drop them entirely.

As you can see, several crutch words are adverbs, meaning they end in -ly. Adverbs weaken writing in heavy doses, and you can see why. Substitute more powerful words that mean the same thing as crutch words and watch your staggered writing take off in a Usain Bolt sprint to victory.

What Crutch Words Do You Use?

Do you have any crutch words you’d like to contribute? Give us a dose of good medicine in the comment section below to heal our writing bruises.

Few things are worse to a writer than being taunted by a blank screen or page. You wrack your brain trying to dislodge a solid idea, only to find your muse has gone on sabbatical without telling you. I’ve found myself in this scenario more than a few times, and I’m sure you have too. I’ve found a few ways to overcome writer’s block when it comes knocking at my skull.

How To Overcome Writer’s Block

Overcoming writer’s block is easy when you use these four tips:

1. Be Original

One of my biggest writing issues when engaging in creative writing is coming up with original ideas that aren’t dragged down by clichés. If you share in my pain, try making clichés work in your favor by combining them and coming up with something new. Maybe your story’s “chosen one” is actually the villain rather than the hero or savior. If you know your story has a cliché, have the characters remark on it, much like the reader might. This adds a bit of humor and an interesting twist on your story.

When it comes to writing professionally for business, originality still comes into play as a great way to overcome writer’s block. Instead of rehashing the same old guide for how to do something related to your products/services (that everyone else is doing, too), try taking a more original approach. What does your product or service NOT do, and how can you turn that into a positive story for your reader? What are things your readers should STOP doing to help them save money, improve their business, etc.  For more ideas on headlines that help draw someone’s attention, check out this clickbait titles article.

2. Find Fresh Ideas

It’s hard to have a cliché in your story if you don’t even have a story for the cliché to inhabit. When your idea well has run dry, take a step back and look around you. Think about the experiences you’ve had in your life (or that people you know have had in their lives) that might make for a good story. You can also turn on the news or check out news sites to see if anything sparks ideas. You can also go out for a walk in a public place or sit down in a coffee shop and make up stories for the people you see. What do their clothes, movements, gestures and general moods say about them?

In a professional setting, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel over and over again. If you’ve come across someone else’s idea that you like, you can use that as a jump-off point for how to overcome writer’s block. What are aspects of that idea that the original author didn’t cover? What related issues could your consumers and potential customers benefit from? Write about that.

3. Look for Writing Inspiration

When you feel a story is fighting back against you when you plunge into it, it can be like getting the keys to your dream home only to find that someone has changed the locks. When this happens, go back to your notes to remind yourself of why you wanted to write the story in the first place and use that as a compass. You can also write a short story set in the same universe and setting as a longer work to see if that will knock some ideas loose.

In business writing, it’s easy to get lost in the many details that surround an industry. Typically, simpler is better. Instead of trying to impress your readers with every data statistic known to man, focus on a relatable subject and talk personably to your reader. Of course you’ll want to show authority through using statistics, but you can do so with overloading your readers and talking down to them. In order to overcome writer’s block, seek the inspiration of simplicity.

4. Be Motivated by Rejection

If you’re trying to have your work picked up by a magazine, agent or publishing house and you’re getting nothing but rejection letters, use them as a source of fuel rather than a source of frustration. If you’ve received more than a form rejection letter, pay close attention to the comments you received and the reason your material was rejected. You’ll have a better idea of what you need to do to improve your craft and become a better writer. Something else to think about is the fact that rejection is a part of being a writer, so you’re really only paying your dues by being rejected.

Sometimes, if you’ve picked up a freelance or contracted job, you may not be paid at all until the client is happy with your work. While this may be a version of writer’s block that you feel inhibits your creativity, it also is an opportunity to learn more about that client’s style and what they’re looking for in their content writing. If you can learn to master this quickly, you can not only focus your attention more pointedly on topics the client will be happy with but also begin to master the voice the content needs to be written in.

Using rejection as a way to overcome writer’s block in this way helps you to improve the approval rate of your content and increase your long-term earnings.

Overcoming Writer’s Block is Possible!

Think of writer’s block as small brain stumbles instead, that way it doesn’t feel as hard to overcome! If you have any more ideas for how to overcome writer’s block, share them in the comments below!

Growing up, I was someone who took to writing like a crane takes to the air. I was also someone who took to math about as well as an elephant takes to gymnastics—my dismounts were always shaky. Because there are left-brained and right-brained people, there are left-brained and right-brained writers. Most SEO content writers might feel as if their expertise always should be more technical and less creative, but they have several lessons to learn from their creative word-wrangling brothers and sisters.

What Can SEO Content Writers Learn From Creative Content Writers?

The truth is that SEO content writers and creative content writers aren’t all that different when it comes to approaching the craft. There are certain things both groups of professional writers can focus on to help drive high-quality content. If you’re in the business of learning SEO content writing, then draw upon the following creative writing techniques to help improve your SEO content writing techniques.

Give Your Work a Distinct Voice

While there are most certainly rules and parameters when it comes to SEO writing, that doesn’t mean you can’t inject a bit of personality into your work. Much like creative writers give their characters, narrators and stories unique voices, speech patterns and the like, the same can be said of SEO content writers. As you’re writing branded blogs and web pages, focus as much on how you write as you do what you write. Glaze your words with a bit of panache when appropriate and humor when the situation calls for it.

One way to help guide your voice as a professional SEO content writer is to create a style guide for consistent writing projects. Is the tone of the company you’re representing formal or is it conversational? Is the person you’re writing to older or younger? Can you create a list of items to go over in your SEO content writing, or should it follow more of a heading/paragraph format? Once you have some of the basics down, you can work to spice up your sentences and catch a reader’s attention.

There’s no reason your SEO content writing work can’t be as charming as it is compelling.

Write to One Person

No matter how wide an SEO audience content writers have, they will do well to focus on writing to a single individual. Even though creative writers might have several readers, they recognize the fact that each reader has a single desire: to read a great story. Creative content writers don’t write to please everyone, which is impossible; they write to complete a story or satisfy a need, and hope the reader can feel that passion in their words.

In regards to SEO content writing, it’s best to develop a concrete idea of your audience and compact that idea into a single image of a single customer. In the business world, this is often referred to as a buyer persona. No matter the material or content, always have that person in mind as you write. What are their needs? What pain points do they experience? How does the product, service or information you’re writing about help to fill a need that your reader has?

When trying to learn SEO content writing, focus on learning who your target audience is first. That can help to drive your story and make sure you hit all the right beats along the way.

Read as Much as You Write

To become a good SEO content writer, one must first become a good reader. Reading provides you with inspiration, helps you see how other creative and SEO writers ply their craft and gives you a different perspective you might not have stumbled upon had you remained in your personal bubble.

Not only should SEO content writers read other SEO content, but they should also read creative works as well. Doing so can generate a slew of ideas to keep your writing fresh, current and satisfying. I know all too well how writing day in and day out can drain the mental reserves, and reading the work of another can be just the jumpstart my creative battery needs.

Not only that, a unique content writer knows how to take existing ideas that are out there and turn them on their head. In an industry where much of the SEO content may seem the same, figure out places where the information is lacking and use that as a starting point for your next great article. Or come at your topic from a completely different direction. Old content can be made new when looking at it from the right angle.

Kill Your Darlings

Editing a solid part of a story feels like giving a child away. One thing I’ve learned as both a creative and SEO writer is that if something doesn’t move the story (or content) forward, it needs to be thrown out, no matter how brilliant it might be.

When considering your career as a professional SEO content writer, it’s important to tie the purpose of the content to your overall word count. If you’re writing an in-depth blog post on a subject, then it’s easier to fit more ideas into a single article. If you’re hyper-focusing on a single SEO keyword phrase, it may limit how many related topics you want to cover. In order to increase rankings for keywords and improve the SEO of your site as a whole with your writing, you need to be specific in your content strategy.

When you do have to edit out a big piece of your SEO content writing, it doesn’t have to go to waste. Something else to think about is the fact that yanked-out content can act as the basis for entirely new content or a new story, rising from the pages like a zombie mangled together from discarded verbs and adjectives. In fact, the best SEO content writers try to maximize the reach of their writing by doing exactly this.

You Can Learn SEO Content Writing!

While learning SEO writing may seem difficult, it doesn’t have to be. Let’s have a meeting of the minds between creative content writers and SEO content writers. Share any lessons you think SEO writers can learn from creative writers, or vice versa, in the comments below.

Being a writer isn’t like being a dentist or a professional race car driver or a vigilante who protects the streets of Gotham. Those careers are ones where you’ll regularly see the professional in action, but it’s often different with writing. Not every writer actually earns a paycheck for being a writer. Say what? You may not be spending your day working as a successful freelance writer (yet), so does that mean you shouldn’t be calling yourself a writer?

Reasons Why You Should Tell People You’re a Writer

Like most people, it took me a while to call myself a writer and do so with confidence. If you’re ever in doubt about what to tell people when they ask about your passion or profession, here are a few reasons why it’s OK to tell others that you’re a writer.

1. You’ve Put in the Work

You’ve likely done your share of experimenting with different hobbies, activities and dalliances. If writing is something you just can’t shake and find yourself coming back to, unlike that half-finished painting, then you’ve earned the right to call yourself a writer. Even if your writing has never been published, that doesn’t dampen the impact of the work you’ve done or the effort you’ve made.

2. It’s Positive Affirmation

You don’t have to wait until you cross the finish line before you celebrate every victory, and you don’t have to be in first place to celebrate that victory either. The same is true of writing. If you spend 15 years sincerely dedicated to writing your novel, do you have to wait until you get it published to tell your friends that you’re a writer? Certainly not! Don’t wait for validation; it’s often a waste of time to do so.

3. You Consider Writing Your True Passion

You may work full-time as a teacher, line cook, customer service agent or crew member at the local deli, but if you have a burning desire to be a professional writer and find yourself unable to get through the week without thinking about writing or working on your manuscript, then you should be calling yourself a writer. It’s easy to get caught up in job titles, especially when one of the most common questions asked by people we first meet is “what do you do for a living?” One thing we have to remember is that a person isn’t his or her job; a person is his or her passion. What you do for a living isn’t always the same as what you do to feel like you’re living.

4. It Makes You Happy

Even though writing can sometimes feel more like torture and less like pleasure, you’re a writer if that pain, that frustration, that creative block is worth it. If you find yourself coming back to writing through good writing times and bad, then you’re a true writer. It’s learning not only to appreciate that pain, but also to expect it and realize it’s part of the process that separates the genuine writers from the dabblers.

Do you hesitate when it comes to calling yourself a writer? If you have additional reasons for shouting your love of writing from the rooftops, let’s hear what you’ve got in the comment section.