Power Writing or in my view, The Power of
Writing!
Writing has been my passion ever since I
can remember. Whether it was writing for my school year-book, children
supplements of certain newspapers that my school subscribed to, my personal
diary, or poems for my boyfriends (yes, I did write plenty of them and
dedicated it to them on special days), it opens up a part of me that’s
otherwise hibernating.
I was more than thrilled when I joined a
job that involved writing. Though it isn’t the kind of writing I have been
previously involved in, it still is writing! In fact, some of the work I do
gives me the liberty to use my creative side of the brain and all of the work I
do gives me the opportunity to become a better writer. Wow, what better than
following my passion in my profession! Today, I take this passion forward and
write my first post on the topic that cannot be more relevant - writing, and
how it can get better, and better- the sky’s the limit!
Last year, a friend passed on a link to
me (Power Writing, Super fast tips to
punch up your prose), saying, “You might find this interesting.” Whoa! Yes,
when I read through it, I felt, here I have a fellow writer who understands
where I come from, what my challenges are and what would inspire me and
probably make me a better writer. I love the word ‘better’, it has hope, it is
real, it is inspirational! Today, I wait for that weekly email as I know either
I’ll get to learn something new or be reminded of something I already knew but
conveniently forget in my day-to-day life.
Whether it is bringing flow to your writing;
for me, what made sense is that it helps setting clear goals or why you shouldn’t
outline - she says “outlines mute rather
than enhance the urge to tell stories”, and I quite agree with that! Or even why
you should always read out your writing LOUD - these are tips that make me see my
work in a totally different perspective- one that is comforting (that I am not
a bad writer, I just need to be better!), interesting and exciting. After all,
it’s important to know if the text I have written sounds like the spoken word
or does it even make sense? Yes, here, I am talking about why you should read out
your writing LOUD.
An interesting piece on mindmapping, got me thinking...and no, this isn’t a conflict with
why you shouldn’t outline…Sure, when you're solving a math problem you need
logic - ditto for following a recipe, or editing
something. But when you're painting a picture or creating a song or writing an
article you want your creative
brain to be in charge, and that’s when outlining is a deterrent! Mindmapping is
as easy as writing your
central idea in the middle of the page and drawing a circle around it. Then
start brainstorming, and write down everything that springs into your brain, with no
editing or censoring! I have come to believe that mindmapping makes writing
more fun. It gives you access to your deep unconscious where all your best
ideas are hiding.
One of the most important
things that I have learnt is how to handle criticism of my writing. Criticism
can make a person feel demotivated, but only if you choose to be demotivated!
Agreed, it helps if the person criticizing is also appreciative at times, as it
helps balance the criticism, but even if that doesn’t happen, it is important
to know that the person is not criticizing you, they're commenting on your
writing. “The writing may have come from your brain but the writing is not you;
it's simply a product.” So, you need to detach yourself from your writing and
see it objectively. Another important aspect that helps handle criticism is
being aware that your critic is a reader, and who better to get constructive
feedback from than a reader? They help you see your writing with a fresh pair
of eyes. However, don’t forget that
your critic is only one reader, so if you don’t agree with certain suggestions,
or criticism, find more critics and ask questions. Also, you don’t have to
accept all criticism, but yes, thank your critics- they’re investing valuable
time in telling you how and where you can make it better, and yes, it is a favor!
Another interesting and
valuable tip was to take a pause that refreshes. A pause can be walking,
talking, listening to music, surfing the internet or anything that helps! What
matters is that it enables a person to calm the
loud-mouthed internal editor who tries to undo all with her
internal refrain: "my writing isn't good enough; my readers will be bored
to tears”…a pause can even be writing something on a completely different topic
(like what I am doing right now). For me, it’s essential and allows me to plan my
work and get back to doing what I love- write!
