I remember the first thing I wrote. It was when I was about six years old. I wrote a poem about people slipping on banana peels and oil slicks. It was called “Slick Move” and it launched my writing career.

I’ve written all my life. With everything I was doing throughout my life, I was always a writer first. Throughout middle high and high school, I wrote short stories and poems. I tried writing a book, but it was a short story at best. My attention span couldn’t last long enough to write a complete three hundred page novel.

When I joined the Marine Corps right after high school, I wrote the entire time. I made general observations of different sights I saw. I kept snap shots of my life in the Marine Corps and they’re still lying around somewhere waiting to be put together in some kind of fashion.

By the time I was discharged, I thought I was a stellar writer and I put myself through college for a degree in English. The things I had to read broadened my experiences. But, writing really opened my eyes. I wrote my papers so fast and always was awarded good grades. I kept every paper. I look back on them now and I can easily see how amateur they are.

That’s the journey of a writer. College for me ended years ago. But, even things I’ve written since then seem amateur to me. I can look back on something I wrote only two years ago and just rip right through it, shred it from end to end to make it better.

Yes, I can see the value in each work. I can see a potential that some day, all of the little things I’ve written can be put together for a greater piece of work. But, I can also see a growing. It’s almost like taking quantum leaps. But, it’s not just in the quality of the work.

Years ago when I first started freelancing, I could write an article rather fast. It was just like writing an essay in college. If I had a topic, I had a paper. But, requirements are rather demanding. You can’t make a living off of just one article. You have to keep writing.

Some clients who had hired me wanted two or three articles a week. It was hard for me to manage, especially after several weeks. I was running out of topics. I felt like I was saying the same things over and over. I was hitting a brick wall and I was getting my work in at the last minute instead of ahead of time like I prefer to do.

I remember my first book. It made me sweat a little. I had the topic and the outline. All I had to do was follow the outline and fill in the gaps with viable information. But, it was a grueling project. It took a year for me to compile the research and write the book. That’s how much time I was given and that’s how much time I took.

But now, I can write a book in a week no problem. I can’t guarantee the quality of the book after just one week. But, I would have about two hundred to three hundred pages no problem. Put the book up for a few days and then go back to edit the work. It would turn out just fine.

I can write an article in an hour. When I really want to put some backbone and elbow grease into it, writing an article can take about three to four hours. But when I have all the information I need and I sit down to write, I don’t even need an hour to put it all together. I’ve been known to write an article in about twenty minutes before.

I know this comes off as one big brag session or resume, but it has a purpose. The more I wrote, the better I became. Writing is just like anything else. The more you do something, the easier it gets or at least the better you get at doing it.

The first house you’ll ever have to frame overwhelms you and makes you feel as if it’s impossible. You frame your first house and you think of all the work that is involved. It was tough. It was tricky at times. You’re not ready for your next one yet because you’re thinking of all the work that was involved.

But, two or three years passes and you’ve framed ten to fifteen houses. It’s easy now. You can do it without a problem. You’ve grown.

In writing, the only way to get better is to put your pen to the paper. Write and write. Never stop writing. You’ll see the changes. The amount of work a client gives you might seem overwhelming at first, but years later you can do it with your eyes closed. You might think you’ll never meet a deadline and years later you’re wondering why your clients are giving you so much time.

Your papers are getting red marks all over them. Years later, you are perfect. You can correct yourself. You can pick up on your own strengths and weaknesses. You have taken the writer’s journey. You’ll be just fine.

Bookmark, Share or Email this article

When you are constantly going from one project to another, you’ll hear different wants and needs. If the writing projects you are viewing are more like novels and documentaries, you may hear some terms that you have never known at all. So, let’s hone your knowledge of literary terms you may run into from time to time.

Imagery

Imagery is an expression of images you would see in a literary work. But, it’s not merely mentioning how people look or how places look. It’s getting the reader involved in the scene. Certain scenes have significance to each of us as individuals and then there are scenes that carry similar significance to each reader.

For instance, most people would feel warm and comfortable if you were to talk about an autumn scene with the sun shining down on a yard full of fallen leaves. While most of us would welcome a description such as this, others might be distracted by their own experiences. A kid who was once homeless and had to sleep on park benches throughout the year would actually have a different reaction.

No matter what reaction a reader has to the imagery, the writer can’t be preoccupied. The art of meaningful imagery is all that matters. Create a picture with words and make it as descriptive as possible. How your readers receive your writing is their own issue.

Symbolism

Symbolism is a very close concept to imagery. In fact, symbolism can evoke images. And while those images mean the same things to certain people, they mean different things to different people. For instance, the swastika is a symbol of anti-Semitic sentiment to Jews. But, it’s a symbol of unity and power to neo-Nazis. The ironic fact is that the swastika was a symbol of peace before being adopted by Hitler.

That one symbol holds all that meaning. But, symbolism can be a bit more complex than that in literature. A bridge is a road built over a waterway or a deep valley, but in literature it can be a connection between people, families or communities. A pair of glasses is merely a looking device, but it can mean the ability to see in the future or see things more clearly than others. Anything can be given a greater meaning if the writer is masterful enough to bring the meaning into light.

Point of View

In each story, there is some kind of persona telling it. It is from that vantage point that point of view comes into play. There is of course a god-like persona who sees and knows all. Omniscient point of view knows the thoughts and actions of others. There is no limit in omniscient point of view.

But, a person who is telling one’s own story is talking in First Person point of view. A story told from a person’s own perspective is more informative on the main character in the story. The person knows why such actions were taken or such ideas were thought because they belonged to that person.

I might venture to say that most stories are told in Third Person. The Third Person perspective is one that stands at a distance and witnesses the story as it unveils. There might be some limit to thoughts, but often the Third Person perspective can see so much more than any character in the story.

You might ask, what about the Second Person point of view? It is a more difficult way of writing. The word “You” is used to describe the persona of the story. Some stories have actually accomplished it successfully. But, it’s a difficult concept. In other words, the reader is the subject of the story. So, think about that for a second and then figure how hard of a novel that would be to write.

There are plenty of literary terms. This is just a small sample of the kinds of concepts you would be expected to know if you ever decide to write on a professional level. From time to time, I’ll revisit this topic and talk more about other literary terms. But for now, start feeling more comfortable with doing research and learning certain terms for yourself. You can only make yourself a more qualified writer by understanding the terms your clients may use.

Bookmark, Share or Email this article

Being a successful writer isn’t that hard. You just have to be very creative, no pun intended. You have to see the opportunities that are available, but don’t always seem so obvious. That’s how you stand out and forge your own way in this world.

There are so many writers on the internet and they all go to the same job hunting sites. Guru is a major powerhouse for writing projects. Professional writers create profiles where they display their work and list their skills. But, a writer has to find a way to make a project proposal really stand out because they will be bidding against professional writers who are coming by the handful for any good project that is posted.

This of course means gaining experience. But, you can simply get away with creating a portfolio of your best work. In other words, just write. Write an article example. Write a book example. Write pieces that exemplify your skills and put them on display. If you are good enough, you can take a contract away from a high powered writing team with professional work on display. I do it all the time!

Other sites include GetaFreelancer.com, but you are mainly competing against English speaking writers who live in third world countries. While they might be able to produce 500 articles for $3, writers in wealthier nations can’t afford to make such outlandish promises. But, you can find good projects once in awhile. It’s like a needle in a haystack, but it’s worth it to keep looking every day.

Those are obvious places to find work as a writer. But, you need to think about other opportunities in order to get the good positions. Everything you see on the Internet is written. That’s obvious, but not many writers really think about that. Everything is written! If you’re looking at it, someone wrote it. There just might be a position available.

Look on every website you see for “careers,” “job opportunities,” or anything similar. There will be an application process and you just might find yourself being a contributor. If you look through a site and it’s hideous, get in touch with the owner and ask for a job as its editor. Show a few examples of the need for editing. I’ve got to be honest with you and say that some owners won’t like your criticism. Others will welcome it.

For every email you get from a form you filled out on someone’s website, there was a writer. They are called autoresponders or newsletters. There is a writer.

When you visit a publisher’s website, there are going to be submission guidelines. In fact, if you Google it, you can find plenty of publishing opportunities. Watch out for the scams! But, if you’re smart you can find the legitimate opportunities.

It’s unbelievable how many writing opportunities exist. There are employers hiring people to open up myspace account and advertise dating services. There are merchants who hire writers to write articles, newsletters and product descriptions for them. Writing jobs are everywhere. All you have to do is look right underneath your nose.

Bookmark, Share or Email this article

There is a process to everything we do. When carpenters are ready to frame a house, they’ve already gone through important preparations. When a cook is in the kitchen, she’s already done her homework. Writing is the same as everything else.

Even though great writers might seem to skip a few steps or rearrange the order of steps when they are writing their masterpieces, it doesn’t mean that they haven’t done the preparations. Great writers are just so used to the steps that they’ve probably done a few of them in their heads.

When a writer begins to write a book without an outline, the organization of his book is in his head. I often do that when I know what I’m writing and I just want to get to it. Especially in this day and age where I have a computer and a word processor, the writing process is made so much easier.

Prewriting

Prewriting is the first step in any writing where the writer is trying to come up with ideas for what to write about. A good writer who is already familiar with the writing process might sit down in front of the computer and just start writing. I think of ideas all the time and when I’m ready to write, I’m ready to just roll with it.

But if you need to come up with ideas, there are plenty of ways. Do a little freewriting I wrote about in an earlier piece. Stimulate your brain with news or music. Look through your journals and pull something out that you’re interested in doing.

There is a great strategy that you can use: R.A.F.T. It stands for Role, Audience, Format, and Topic. If you think through these things, you’ll likely have your thoughts together by the time you’re finished. What is the role of your writing or what are you trying to accomplish with it? Audience is who are going to be reading it? Format is whether your writing is going to be an article, an essay, a book or whatever. Finally, you get to the Topic of your writing and you are ready to roll.

Writing

Of course, this is where the writing actually happens. But, a good writer might simply get started and work all the way through. Other writers might need to write an outline to organize their writing first. That’s actually not a bad idea.

Getting your thoughts organized helps actually save time. If you know exactly where you are going to go next with your thoughts, you can get there already. Sometimes after I’ve already started and I’ve had all my thoughts organized in my head, I can forget where I’m supposed to go with it. It takes a few minutes or even longer to get back on track. If I had an outline, I would know instantly.

When you are writing, it’s fine to make corrections. I do it all the time. But, there is an actual step in the process where you correct your grammar and spelling errors. I like to correct myself as I’m going so that there are fewer errors later to correct. But, you can simply write and then correct it all later.

Revising

There are two steps in the writing process where you make changes. Revision is when you look at your writing and try to make it better. It has nothing to do with spelling and grammar. Although, you might catch a few errors in this step.

Revising takes place after you’ve put your writing up for a few days or even weeks. It’s directly proportionate to the size of the document. If you’ve written an article, you can put it up for a few days and then come back to it. If you’ve written a novel, you should probably put it up for a few weeks at the very least.

When you look through it, read it out loud and rearrange any parts that were awkward to read. Then, look for parts of your writing that need to be more informative. Look for places where you can add descriptors and bring your writing more to life. Then, move on to the next step.

Editing

Editing is the step where you correct your grammar mistakes. A computer word processor attempts to make this step easier. When you see red lines under words, you know they are spelled wrong. But, it’s limited. There are words that exist that aren’t in your word processor’s dictionary. Simply go to the Merriam and Webster online dictionary to get ideas of how to spell.

Also, homonyms are technically spelling errors. Homonyms are words that are pronounced the same, but have different meanings. Like the three words they’re, there and their, these are three different words that people get confused from time to time. They won’t come up as spelling errors. So, you have to pay attention to little details like this.

Grammar errors are a little more difficult to find. The green lines in a word processor attempt to help you see your own grammar errors. But, this is limited as well. In fact, sometimes it’s just wrong. It might tell you that you have a fragment when you have a noun and a verb in the sentence. A word processor is also not good at picking out such things as misplaced modifiers, misplaced words that change the entire meaning of a sentence.

“I served hamburgers to the men on paper plates.”

Where the men on paper plates?

I served the men hamburgers on paper plates.”

Now, it makes sense.

There are resources online that you can refer to get help on correcting your grammar errors. Most colleges have a resource of common grammar errors like the Capital Community College.

Publishing

The final step is actually getting your work out there. If your project was an assignment, this part is easy. Just give it to your teacher or your boss. If your project was something you came up with yourself, publishing can get a little more difficult. Find the magazine that wants your article or the publisher that wants your book. Finding an agent to help is actually advisable. Sometimes finding an agent is just as difficult as finding a publisher. But once you have one, your days of finding a publisher that fits your work and presenting your material are over. That’s what the agent is supposed to be doing.

The writing process isn’t very difficult and a good writer can move through the steps smoothly without a second thought. Out of habit, we just get better and better. The steps come naturally just like cooking is to a cook. But, a novice should get familiar with the steps and follow through with each one until writing becomes second nature.

Bookmark, Share or Email this article

I read The Fight by Norman Mailer in 1993, and quickly followed up with The Naked and the Dead and Deer Park.

I was hooked on his work from there on and moved on to other works of his and his peers, particularly Truman Capote and Tom Wolfe.

It was announced a little over an hour ago that Norman Mailer had died, aged 84.

I don’t feel anything personal for Norman, I never met him and never knew him so a feeling of loss is not something I can claim. However, as a practical example of how writing can reach out and touch someone, I can say I feel saddened that someone who wrote so eloquently and passionately on real topics of interest has indeed passed on.

Norman Kingsley Mailer, was born in New Jersey on 31 January, 1923 to Jewish parents. His father was a South African accountant and his mother ran a nursing agency and through the depths of The Depression, Norman had instilled within him a need to excel.

At 16, Norman was accepted to Harvard to study the then embryonic subject of aeronautics. He became interested in writing while at Harvard and this was intended as his path until World war 2 intervened and he was drafted , serving in the Phillippines.

After the war he enrolled at the Sorbonne and in 1948 published The Naked and the Dead, a book that described his war experiences and was to make him famous and establish him as a writer.

Norman Mailer is recognised as the principal proponent of the genre known as New Journalism and was an innovator of creative non-fiction. Much of modern reportage has its origins in New Journalism.

Mailer examined many facets of American life and politics including the Vietnam War, sex, politics, the McCarthyism hysteria, and violence. Mailer also was an activist who was not afraid to step onto platforms that were deeply unpopular, including running for Mayor of New York on a seccessionist platform (Rudy Guiliani take note) as well as campaigning (successfully) for parole for a convicted murderer.

Mailer also demonstrates that a writer need not confine themselves to lofty matters requiring weighty consideration in an Ivory Tower. Readers of my age group will remember Starsky and Hutch in the 1970’s and Mailer also produced a camp classic, Tough Guys Don’t Dance with Ryan O’Neal in the lead and based upon Mailer’s novel of the same name.

Mailer had six wives, and eight children from them plus an adopted child and resided for most of his life on Cape Cod, Massachussetts.

He died today, Saturday 10th November 2007 in New York City as a result of kidney failure following lung surgery complications.

Bookmark, Share or Email this article