18 steps toward stress-free, fast-lane, more fun and darn good writing

By Karen Post May 13, 2011
Karen Post

These writing tips should help you write more, better and faster. This will work for blogs, letters, proposals and , I'm happy to report, in dumping your notes too.

  1. Find a very cool pen. Write your outline of top key points to want to end with on paper. Not the computer. When your pens are inkless and old, but you still love them, create a cool piece of art like Pen guy does.

  2. Research those points, look at other points of view concerning them.

  3. Jot down any random words and thoughts.

  4. Pick up a good magazine, spend an hour just looking at headlines and titles.

  5. Create a starter list of headlines and titles for your work.

  6. Expand your key points into some bullets.

  7. Start writing, don’t worry about perfection.

  8. Scribble or doodle your big idea into an illustration. This will force your full brain to join in.

  9. Crank up the music. Print out what you’ve done and edit the printout.

  10. Make your changes in the computer. Print it out again.

  11. Do something else for a couple hours.

  12. Edit the printout again, this time try to improve your adjectives with fresher, more compelling words, eliminate duplicate words and add another sprinkle of your unique personality.

  13. Revisit your first key points, confirm they are in your body of work, are clear and memorable.

  14. Do a shot of something, wheat grass, super-food, tequila or chocolate milk, then write some more.

  15. Be the tough critic, anything lame, overdone or said that sounds like a rambling, confused soul, delete.

  16. If you are a bad speller and a lightweight on grammar like I am, find an editor or proofer to look at your work too.

  17. Print out and reread their comments. Do a final read when you are not tired, exceeded your drink quota or when you just took an Ambien.

  18. Celebrate your achievement. Go get some fat free frozen yogurt.

Karen Post, is the Branding Diva, co-founder and CEO of Oddpodz.com, and author of Brain Tattoos.
www.oddpodz.com
Copyright 2011 Author retains ownership. All Rights Reserved.

 

Category: Organizational Strategies
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