There are certain items in your writing toolbox that are the basics you need to have to build on so you can communicate to your reader and be believable. What to keep, what to subtract and what to add.

The first thing you want to do is write out a contract for yourself about your desire to begin writing.

Write out a contract on nice paper – not scrap paper. Why a contract? Because it acknowledges the difficult times to come and it puts your intentions in concrete terms. Every time you’re tempted to stray, quit and/or encounter a difficulty, it’s easy to refocus by pulling out that contract and recommitting yourself.  I’d suggest handwriting it out on nice paper and framing it to put someplace where you can view it every day.

It takes this type of intense focus to achieve your dreams.  Call it “My Creative Writing Commitment Contract”

You can do it, you have been talking about it for years, so why not make this the year you actually get started?

Create A Niche: It is easier to sell yourself as a specialist than a generalist.

Create Revenue Streams: Where might you make money with your writing? Here are a few ideas. Speaking engagements, Book Sales, Seminar Presentations, Website Sales.  Start thinking concretely now about how much you want to make as a freelance writer — and where that income is going to come from.

System to maximize your writing ability  Here

Now if you do not have any children in your life-borrow one from a family member or neighbor. Not literally, but talk to the parents and see what appeals to their child and see what you could create. There are many software programs that let a person read a story to a child. See if you might be able to do the same thing. Write then record the story you want to test on the child and let them listen to it. Get the feedback about their response to the story line.

While you might not be interested in childrens writing as a long time project, it can give you some connections to the stories that appealed to you when you were younger and help you unravel what about those stories that you liked that still makes you remember them.  Adding that insight to your writing can change how your reader will connect with you and your stories. Besides it can be fun once in a while to get nostalgic and remember the romance of those old stories and some of the other things that were happening to you and your family during that time that were positive influences on you that still impact you today.

I recently saw a movie and the teacher was contrasting the way fairy tales started and ended and how that often was different than in real life. However, I have had some of those happily ever after results and I’d guess if you really put on your thinking cap you might be able to connect with some of those results too.

Hey, it’s just a bit of time and a few sheets of paper if you are writing manually or a few pages of copy in your word processor. Give it a shot.  It could be great fun and the benefit to your reader will be huge because it makes your writing more believable.

No limits here to things to write about so get those pencils sharpened-do finger exercises so your fingers can fly across the keyboard as you type and if that doesn’t work-look into voice recognition software so you talk and it types what you are saying. You have got to get these ideas floating around in your head down on paper. You can do it!

If you need help, the resources area in the navigation bar is packed with tools to assist you at any place you need extra help or how to information.

Thanksgiving means many different things to many different people. For some it is a time to reach out to ones that don’t have or aren’t able to visit with their family. For others, it is a time of service, giving time at a homeless shelter or helping an elderly neighbor.

I think for most of us in the USA, it is a time for family and friends: Sitting with the kids (big and small) to watch the Macy’s Day Parade, cheering on your favorite football team, or taking a nap after that “one last piece” of pie. It’s a true moment to express our gratitude and thanks for everything that happened during the year.

Write about the traditions in the country where you live and how you spend this time of year expressing thanks to all of those around you.

Five Fun Turkey Facts
1. It is NOT the turkey that makes you sleepy after a Thanksgiving feast. Tryptophan can only make you sleepy if taken on an empty stomach without protein – hardly the case on Thanksgiving! It’s the carbohydrates in the other foods we eat with our meal that make us sleepy – neither of which are traditional from the original pilgrim’s diet.
2. Ben Franklin liked the Turkey so much he thought it should be the official bird of the US.
3. A wild turkey has excellent vision and hearing. Their field of vision is about 270 degrees and they see in color.
4. Commercially raised turkeys cannot fly due to their weight.
5. The average American eats 18 lbs. of turkey a year. The average person consumes 4500 calories on Thanksgiving Day.

Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for stopping by my writing blog. I hope I have inspired you to begin to write.

* If you normally see surface details, notice all the visual and sensory details: the colors, the shine, the feel.
* If you normally see things in relation to your relationships, notice who is on your yacht with you and how they interact and the part that your yacht plays in that relationship.
* If you normally see how things are connected, notice where your yacht is anchored, what you are doing there, how you got there and where you are going next.
* If you normally see concepts and “the big picture,” notice how the yacht represents YOU and the role that it plays  in your journey of self discovery.

The more “real” you can make your visualization, the more impact and power it will have.

You are your own best coach in this because the first thing you have to do is recognize how you see the world around you.  By bringing those elements into your visualization they will become more alive and “real” for you.

So, right now, what do you see? What do you feel? What is real to you? And what is unique in the way you are experiencing it?

Now, it starts here with what you are going to write down. Just jot down the description of the pictures you are seeing as if you are trying to describe them to someone else in writing instead on verbally. They are your pictures and the way you explain them is unique to you.

The people who see what you are seeing as they read your words will become your readers. It is just that simple to start writing.

Keeping these three key points — audience, format, and lifespan — in mind when writing for the Internet will help you achieve greater writing success.

Would you like to know a winning formula on how to make money on the Web from writing articles? Here’s how I do it: I write an article, create 4-5 versions of it, and sell it for use by others in my same profession. In fact, just that one part of my business generates enough income to fully support myself comfortably. Just about anyone in any profession or business can copy this formula.

The idea is you just have to get started and do the writing. If you are struggling, you can get help.  What is the most important is you have to decide and begin to do it.

Opinions are your specific take on a topic so add how you feel to conversations in writing just like you do when you add your idea to a conversation or if someone asks you what you think. There are lots of voice recognition software (s) available if typing or writing is a problem for you to do.

If you need help in deciding what type of writing you want to do, you can get help from my online exercises that give you sample exercises in a number of different types of writing. By doing the exercises you can better understand what type of writing you want to do so you can get started.

Writing is like going to a buffet of food. You like some of the items and others not so much. You choose the ones that you enjoy.

So come on over to the writing buffet and sample the different types or genres (john rahs) and see what suits you. You might be surprised at the types that really appeal to you.

But you won’t know unless you get started.

If you are in a hurry to get started with your writing you can get the exercises all together so you can do them in the book and mark the ones you like the best to help you more quickly get going on that project you already know is what you want to write about. Find the resource here for you if you like being more organized when you start a project.

Either way Just Begin!

You can make up a story about anything or report the facts about what you are seeing  just by looking around you and beginning to make your observations on paper.

In order to be a successful and effective communicator, you’ve GOT to be a highly effective listener.  As a leader, LISTENING skills are MORE IMPORTANT than your speaking or writing skills …. No question

1. Quiet your mind and make a space for you to listen.
2. Resist the need to be in charge of the conversation.
3. Listen for ideas and central themes. A great listener should be able to mine at least one great great idea from every conversation.
4. Pay attention only to content, not delivery. Teach yourself to focus on what a speaker is saying and keep the message above the manner or method that the message is being delivered in at the time.
5. Be engaged and engaging. Use your skills to keep alert and aware of the conversation so you do not tune out the speaker.
6. Avoid getting your exercise by jumping to conclusions. It’s easy to assume that you know the rest of a sentence or message after hearing the beginning. Much of the time we are formulating our come-backs in our minds before someone has completed their full sentence. Get the whole message then respond.
7. Take notes if you are in an environment that will allow you to do that. This way you can stay engaged and the benefits are it will also enhance your memory, recollection skills, sharpen your reception, understanding and retention of the information.
8. Concentrate and resist distraction. Internal as well as external things going on around you.
9. Summarize the message being received. Chunk down the ideas into smaller bits of information you can apply to what you could use in your life.
10. Control your emotions. Learn your emotional triggers and be alert. Try not to take what you are hearing personally unless, of course, it is content that impacts you directly and was meant to be directed to you personally.
11. Stretch and exercise your mind. I have heard it said that the mind can only take on and comprehend one new thought a day.
12. Be an active listener. Practice, practice,practice.

Then take what you are hearing or have heard and begin to see how you can use it to write or improve your writing.

Since writing is another form of speaking, learning to listen will give you a place to start to improve your skills as a  writer.