Category — Writing Tips

I've been intrigued lately with some things I've been reading about technical writing and technical writers. As far as I understand the job, you could almost think of it as a writing equivalent of "magician."

A good technical writer has the ability to organize, categorize, and simplify jobs and equipment so those of us who barely know there's a difference between CAT5 and CAT6 can understand and select the equipment we need. (I THINK those are two designations for some sort of computer network cabling -- see, I told you I barely know the difference.)

In a braver, more desperate moment I once applied for a job as a technical writer. I'm pretty good at understanding and explaining complex tasks in simple terms. I'm a pretty organized person. So I went happily into the Human Resources Department at a local high-tech company and applied for a technical writer position they had posted. The company makes cable connectors and various sorts of switches for office networking environments.

About half way through the courtesy interview they gave me, the HR director and I both knew I wasn't going to fit. That's when I discovered "technical writer" implies some expertise in mechanics, science, math, and all those other classes I either never had or didn't do well at.

How about those of you reading this? Any technical writers out there? Tell us about your work -- what you do, what you LIKE to do, what you dislike most about technical writing. Enlighten us, please.

Technorati Tags: technical writing, freelance careers, writing tips at garyspeer.com

One of the ways you can make at least a bit of money through your Internet writing and blogging work is to use Google AdSense on your site.

If you haven't yet heard of AdSense or signed up for an account, you need to go here to the AdSense site and find out all about the program.

If you've already got an AdSense account and use AdSense, you can spend literally hundreds of dollars and hundreds of hours reading every "guru's" eBook and special tips about how to make money with the program. In the process you can waste a ton of money and time -- I know this to be true because I've been there and done that.

What's the answer? Trial and error, and extensive reading on the Google AdSense site and blogs, as well as many free blogs and forums out there. Do NOT spend a ton of time or money on all the latest get-rich-quick-through-AdSense silliness.

Here's a useful starting point to get some helpful hints about using AdSense to make money online. It's a free video, and it's done by the Google AdSense Australian team -- not by the latest gurus-of-the-moment. If you get past the Australian accents (grin) there's a world of helpful info that's perfectly adaptable to any AdSense supported country/website. Hope you find something helpful here:

When I was in high school, I read a journalism textbook specifically about those who wanted to become "freelance writers," and decided that was what I wanted to be when I grew up.

Many, MANY years later, I'm still a practicing freelance writer. With a few more years of such practice, maybe I'll get it right. And nothing about being a practicing freelance writer is quite so frustrating as that "in-between" status of being self-employed but not really a "small business," by most definitions at least.

Although I certainly consider my freelance writing and editing career to be a business, I have little to none of the small business opportunitites open to me that other small businessmen/people have available. If you don't believe me, when was the last time you, as a freelance writer, went down to your local bank for a small business loan to expand your writing business? Yes? No?

Consider the difficulty of obtaining quality, affordable health insurance. People who own and operate small businesses frequently have such options. There are one or two organizations of freelancers who have sort of banded together to make better health insurance options available, but there are still no great deals.

I guess my point in all this is to raise a little discussion, and perhaps to offer a word or two of warning. My warning would be this: Before you give up your "day job," make sure you are financially and emotionally prepared for the freelance life. It's tough out here in the trenches outside of "best-sellerdom" land.

Technorati Tags: freelance writing, small business opportunities, writing and life, writing as a business, writing tips at garyspeer.com

I've had a modest amount of success online lately doing reviews of various products and websites on one of my marketing ventures. People love to read reviews of products and services, mostly because they want to get others' opinions before making a purchase or using a service.

Whether we're talking about a diet pill review, a review of some popular or useful software, or a book review, if you put it online someone from somewhere will look for it and perhaps find your review. If you can do that and draw traffic often enough in large quantities, you have the potential to make some money.

That's a simple plan -- well in keeping with my earlier words today about simplifying your writing and your lifestyle -- and it's been done a lot. But it still works. Try it. Then leave us a comment and tell us about your experience.

Technorati Tags: writing for the Internet, online writing, writing reviews, creating website traffic, writing tips at garyspeer.com

"Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!" The quote website I found told me those words of Henry David Thoreau are from the chapter "Where I Lived and What I Lived For" in his delightful philosophical essay/book, "Walden."

I don't have my "Walden" handy to check the quote, but I do recall reading it years ago and remembering the quote as "Simplify, simplify, simplify!" Either version makes the point I have found very helpful when my writing life becomes too much and the joy seems to have died. I find I really just need to simplify things.

1. Get back to simpler writing. As a freelance writer hoping to make some money to pay the bills, there is always the temptation to take every bit of work that comes along. That's a mistake. It'll wear you down and wear you out.

2. Get back to simpler times and simpler tools to do your writing. With all the high-tech goodies and gadgets out there, even writers fall prey to the temptations faced by S.W.A.T. teams looking to load up all possible tactical gear for every possible situation. There's simply a limit to the gear S.W.A.T. members can handle, and likewise there are useful tools but they can become the object of your writing time and process instead of actually WRITING. By way of illustration: Two of the most successful writers I know got their start with pens and steno pads, and often return to that for doing their first drafts when life gets to be an over-complicated hassle.

3. Get back to the simple passions that got you started writing. I'm taking the summer to dig into Western writing, a genre I've loved since I first was old enough to read, go to movies, and later watch on television. Have you overloaded your writing tasks and interests and gotten away from your passion?

Take Thoreau's advice. You won't regret it, and your writing will benefit from it.

Technorati Tags: simplification, writing passion, writing as a business, writing and life writing tips at garyspeer.com

Let me be very honest about this: I am not a published novelist. I read a lot of novels. I have some friends and personal acquaintances who are published novelists.

I, however, have never exercised the self-discipline in "practice" which I "preach" about regarding steady, daily work on a novel until it gets done. I have at least four manuscripts in various stages of disarray -- but no books yet completed, much less published.

I've taken a couple of those novels out of the mothball stuffed closet on my hard drive, dusted them off, and aired them out. The musty smell is nearly gone now, and I'm weighing my options and preparing to put some daily effort into finishing them.

I'm thinking about continuing the story of Buckskin Bob and the Colorado gold scam, since it fits well with the "Life in the Old West" website I launched a few weeks ago. That site is drawing a growing crowd of readers, which has encouraged me to think and write more about the American West.

On the other hand, I enjoy working on the manuscript I started about a retired couple in a small town in Nebraska who suddenly come into millions of dollars in an unexpected way and have some "bad guys" out to get them and get their fortune. As an Old Guy that one appeals to me in a special way.

I'll let you know how that goes.

Meanwhile, how's your summer going? Doing some writing? Tell us about it.

Technorati Tags: novels, novelists, book manuscripts, writing as a business, writing tips at garyspeer.com

There was a time when I could work out on one of those fancy NordicTrack ellipticals or other exercise equipment, listen to a CD on my walkman (sure, I'm old; never owned an iPod), interview a fellow exerciser, and take notes for the interview profile practically all at the same time.

These days, if the cat's rummaging around her toy box near my recliner while I'm typing a post, I shush her and take a minute to get back my focus. If the cat makes noise, there's a sudden wind gust, and the phone rings, well. That's almost too much input for me to handle all at once.

Getting old, I guess. I "cut my teeth" writing and editing in the newsroom of a daily newspaper and learned I had to multi-task (we didn't call it that; the process hadn't yet been named) or I'd soon be missing deadlines. Miss enough deadlines working at a newspaper or other high-stress operation and you'll soon be looking for work. With a wife and two small kids, I couldn't afford to be job hunting, so I quickly developed the ability to work under pressure in the midst of chaos. Not always in the midst of chaos, but often.

Nowadays, I've gotten mentally soft. Or old. Or both.

Moral of the story: If you're serious about a writing and/or editing career, learn to focus on the task at hand, but be aware of what's happening around you and prepared to multi-task. Or find a different career path.

Technorati Tags: multi-tasking, mental focus, advice for new writers, writing tips at garyspeer.com

In the "real" world, there would be absolutely no market for diet pills. In the "real" world, losing weight simply means eating less food and getting more exercise. Of course, in the world we live in, diet pills, diet plans, special foods, and various weight-loss groups still can't accomplish lasting weight loss for most people.

In fact, if you write ad copy, you create the world we live in. No weight loss system hires copywriters to explain in plain, clear fashion that their products are unnecessary. None of the companies manufacturing special 30-day diets will hire copywriters to say, "Don't spend all that extra money to buy our pre-measured, pre-packaged foods. Just buy good, fresh food, prepare it with a minimum of cooking, eat small amounts, and exercise regularly."

Never underestimate the power of good ad copy writing. If you write content for a website, think about who you're writing to, think about what your visitors are looking for, and you'll "get it right." Always emphasize benefits, not features. Now get out there and create the "real" world you wish to work in.

Technorati Tags: ad copywriting, creating your world, writing tips at garyspeer.com

Here's an important lesson for beginning writers: Keep your eyes open, do your research, and you never know when something useful will pop up for your writing.

A few months ago I worked for awhile with a guy who used to do telemarketing for an online hotel reservation chain. You know the sort of business I mean, right? They arrange great hotel deals for people who use their online reservation service.

This particular company, as I discovered from talking with my coworker, was contractually obligated by the hotels they worked with to take care of all the guest's requests if those guests had made their reservation through the company. (Awkwardly written wasn't it?)

My coworker explained it this way: "If a guest needed extra towels, he would call the hotel desk. The desk would say, 'Sorry, sir, you made the reservation through XXXXX.com. You'll have to call them. Here's their toll-free number.' The guest would call us at the toll-free number, we would call the hotel desk, and tell someone at the desk that the guest in room such-and-such needs two extra towels.' "

How bizarre. But what a great idea to work into a plot. Next time you write something regarding a hotel stay, why not put in some bit about a guest getting frustrated about making toll-free calls just to relay the message and get extra towels?

Do your research well and you'll uncover little oddities that make nice additions to your stories. Keep your eyes and ears wide open at work or around friends, and you never know when such a gem will drop into your writer's bag of tricks.

Technorati Tags: advice for new writers, plot devices, story details, writing tips at garyspeer.com

I really know very little about jewelry in general, and even less about pearls in particular. Doing some research for a writing project, I discovered my understanding of saltwater pearls and freshwater pearls was seriously lacking.

I always thought freshwater pearls were, well, sort of "fake" or less desirable than "real" or saltwater pearls. I never really knew why I thought this, but I was certain it was true.

I was wrong. Although freshwater pearl prices I found browsing the Internet were generally less than saltwater pearls, the freshwater varieties are still valuable and many are highly sought after.

Above all, I discovered that there is a whole world of types, shapes, sizes, and colors of pearls. The "value" of a pearl has far more to do with shape and coloration than whether it's saltwater or freshwater, "natural" or cultured.

The "moral" to this story for writers, I guess, would be this: Research with care, taking nothing for granted when you're getting ready to write about something you aren't very familiar with.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to research the value of postage stamps for a plot idea I've been mulling over about stamp collecting.

Technorati Tags: freshwater pearls, saltwater pearls, research, plot devices, writing tips at garyspeer.com

I'm not asking which you prefer to USE, of course, but which you prefer to read or see in print -- adult diaper or adult incontinence product.

What we're talking about here, in writing terms, is the use of a euphemism -- which one online source defines as: "Substitution of a delicate or inoffensive term or phrase for one that has coarse, sordid, or otherwise unpleasant associations, as in the use of 'lavatory' or 'rest room' for 'toilet,' and 'pass away' for 'die.' "

We ought to be aware of euphemisms and use them appropriately in our writing. But we ought also, for the cause of honesty and direct writing, be aware of euphemisms run amok. In my thinking, "adult incontinence product" for "adult diaper" is close to being a runaway euphemism. Why do we find "adult diaper" objectionable -- or do we? Must all references to human biological processes be considered "crude" or "rude" and be replaced by euphemisms? Why??

Enough of my editorializing, how do you feel about using or not using euphemisms? The standards certainly are very subjective, varying from place to place and social setting to social setting. What are your guidelines for using euphemisms or not using euphemisms in your writing? Share with us, please.

Technorati Tags: euphemisms, active writing, direct writing, English usage, writing tips at garyspeer.com

I've always thought being a freelance travel writer would be a wonderful gig. How could you not like going to interesting places, meeting interesting people -- then getting paid to write about it?

Since I've never been a travel writer, and never written any travel guides, I'm sure that's an incredibly naive view of the business.

So enlighten me. We have readers from all over the world. Many of you are successful, "practicing" freelance writers and bloggers -- who probably have done travel writing. I would love to share a quick "how-to" or "day-in-the-life-of-a-travel-writer" account. Either leave a comment explaining what you do and how/why you do it -- or use the contact form and we might even work something out for you to do a guest post.

We're all in this together, so let's help each other learn.

Technorati Tags: travel writing, travel guides, freelance careers, writing tips at garyspeer.com

If you've written much, you know what I mean when I say there comes a time when the writing just isn't working. No matter what type of writing you do, I'll bet you've been there once or twice -- that point when you realize the plot just won't move, the characters are unreal, the dialog is flat, etc., and you really have to bury the thing.

Back in the "old days" before such high-tech wonders as computers with never-fail hard drives, CD/DVD backups, thumb drives, etc., I would chuck such turkey manuscripts into a bottom desk drawer until I could develop the courage to toss them in the trash, or maybe let them sit awhile hoping to revive them (resurrect them from the dead?) at a later date. I'll bet I've still got a couple of those lamo paper piles stashed somewhere in the haunted office I no longer use.

What about you? Any of those lost children of the writing world hidden in your closets? How did you decide when it was time to kill them off?

I know the feeling of joy that eventually comes when I finally do the right thing and abandon such projects. It's a relief. I've never tried any of the rehab programs, or detox products, or colon cleanse miracle supplements on the market -- but I'll bet the feelings of renewal and relief are similar.

Tell us your experiences with writing projects, manuscripts, whatever, that have failed and how you deal with such things.

Technorati Tags: failed writing projects, unfinished manuscripts, writing tips at garyspeer.com

Let's suppose you've invented something that you're sure will change the world, and now you want to put your miracle product/service online and watch the world change -- and your fortune grow. Perhaps it's a marvelous electronic gizmo or gadget you know every household needs at a price you know they can afford. Perhaps it's a diet pill that works. Whatever.

Within three months your website has gotten such notice that you're seeing 10,000 visitors a day. You have great ad copy written and in place, you see people coming to the site and your site stats show you they're hanging around, and even going to the "buy now" page you've tried to get them to. They're even leaving favorable comments and feedback telling you they appreciate your revolutionary pill/gadget/gizmo.

But few to none are actually pulling out their credit cards and buying. What are you doing wrong?

If I could give you an easy, definitive answer to THAT question, I'd be writing these words while sitting in the breeze on a balmy beach somewhere with a happy smile on my face.

I can make a good guess, though, if you find yourself in a situation similar to the one I've outlined above: You are drawing traffic to your website, BUT YOU ARE NOT DRAWING TARGETED TRAFFIC. Heavy traffic to a marketing/sales site which produces little or no sales means "browsers" or "visitors" -- but not "buyers."

So now I'll ask you to share with us. What do you write and how do you write it to "sell," rather than just "inform"? Have you had success writing web content that converts visitors into customers? What tips would YOU suggest. Frankly, my Internet marketing efforts have produced only sporadic success. Share your insights and "bless" us all with your expertise in a comment, please.

Technorati Tags: Internet writing, writing sales copy, website content, website sales, writing tips at garyspeer.com

I'm writing this sitting in a recliner in my 102-year-old home in Springfield, Missouri. Where are you reading it?

The beauty of being a writer in our age is that "office" can mean anywhere you like -- and your readers can be worldwide. If you blog, you can publish your writing and get it to your readers virtually instantly.

I have an online acquaintance whose "writing" is mostly content and coding for affiliate marketing websites. He does much of his daily work in an office that consists of his laptop and WiFi connection working in Las Vegas hotels and casinos, seated comfortably, sometimes even poolside.

About 15 years ago, when "laptops" or "portable computers" were incredibly limited and often huge, bulky behemoths compared to today's laptop/notebook beauties, I used to fantasize about doing my writing someday on a portable computer from a lounge chair, perhaps even poolside. (I had neither a laptop nor a pool then; one out of two now ain't too bad, I guess.)

I suppose if there's a point to this post, a "writing tip," it might be this: Mix up your work routine. Change can be good for you. Certainly you need to be flexible enough to write every day in whatever circumstances you may find yourself. Enjoy the freedom today's high-tech world offers you as a writer.

Technorati Tags: high-tech writing tools, flexible writing setup, portable office, writing tips at garyspeer.com