writing tips Archives - Page 2 of 4

The Ultimate Cliche of Getting Published Through What You Know

Posted on December 4, 2012 Written by Pinar Tarhan

“Write what you know” is one of the most overly-used advice in writing. It’s such a cliche that you feel like people should stop writing about it already. So why the hell am I doing it?

Because it is a very useful cliche. It works, people take advantage of it and that’s why it has turned into a cliche in the first place. And it has definitely worked for me:

– My first two writing assignments were travel articles on 2 cities I knew well.

– The next one was a 5-piece article series on business management. I have a BA in Business.

– I wrote articles on social media based on everything I had learned blogging.

– I wrote several articles on Freelance Switch, closely related to freelancing.

– My article on writing while holding a part-time job (I loved) got published on Make a Living Writing.

– A city inspired an entire story, while a PR lecture inspired the premise for a novel.

– ……

The list goes on.

As obvious as it is, sometimes we underestimate what we know, or we fail to pitch our knowledge in the most intriguing way.

Brainstorming about things you know is a great exercise for finding ideas but sometimes we can make things a little too broad or narrow. And sometimes we focus on our degrees and researches so much that we forget that what we know also includes our failures, what we have experienced, what others have experienced, what we have seen and so on.

Make a list of areas you’d like to write about. Make a list of what you know, in the broadest sense. Then keep brainstorming, developing ideas, pitching and writing.

I am not saying you should only write what you know. I’m just telling you not to underestimate what you know. It can be a great starting point, whether you are just starting out or just feeling blocked.

It’s not a coincidence that the ultimate bestseller of legal thrillers is John Grisham, who holds a law degree. It’s also not a coincidence that he has gone on to write dramas revolving around baseball since he plays and coaches.

Go ahead. Make your list. You might be surprised about everything you’ve overlooked.

Review of Wayne E. Pollard’s Hilarious E-book A Kilo of Chocolate Sprinkles

Posted on July 4, 2012 Written by Pinar Tarhan

I usually start my day by playing games, checking e-mails and reading my Facebook messages. Don’t frown- it is only while I am eating my breakfast. It might not be the most productive thing to do, but it is a fun, easy way to start the day.

But today I started my day by reading Wayne E. Pollard’s (Bo’s Café Life)’s A Kilo of Chocolate Sprinkles and…well, I don’t remember starting a day with that many laughs. Hey, the e-book was over before my breakfast. Hell, my breakfast isn’t still over because I couldn’t wait to write the book’s review.

While Wayne is famous for his hilarious take on the writing life and his no-B.S. tips for writers, I found that the e-book can be enjoyed by writers as much as the non-writers. There are two-three chapters that will probably be enjoyed more by the writers, and a chapter that will probably make women laugh a lot harder.

But as a whole, if you have been alive for a couple of decades (yes, 20s count!-I’m 27) , I’m pretty sure you will have a good laugh. And even the bits that don’t make you laugh out loud will probably cause a huge grin.

Chapter by Chapter Breakdown

The book is only 23 pages so I won’t give away a lot, but you need to have a clue for what’s ahead so let’s roll:

Husband Training:

(yes, this is the chapter women will like more.)

According to Wayne, inspired by a dog-training book he read, husbands can be (and should be) trained, house or otherwise. He gives wonderfully useful tips on what to teach them, as well as when and how. And you can’t blame him for being sexist or anything. He is A GUY (the name Wayne probably gave it away) and he is Married.

And even if you aren’t married, many of the tips do count for a boyfriend – live-in-or not. After all, the earlier you train them, the faster they will learn and make your relationship a lot less annoying.

The best part of this article is that it is multi-functional. You can use it for dogs without having to buy the actual dog training book. Or just read it to your mother and make her day. She regrets not having applied some of the tips 3 decades ago.

On Metabolism

Ah… the good old days when my metabolism was so fast that it burned all the chips and chocolate I devoured without causing me any weight gain or cellulite. Unfortunately the last healthy, flat-stomached photo I have is from when I was 16.

Oh, of course my metabolism is a tad faster than his, and I am not overweight or anything. I also have the advantage of being tall and the opposite of being flat-chested, so I can hide the extra weight with some clever tactics. But of course they work in winter, not during the bikini season.

My point, going on to prove his, is that your metabolism slows down with age – considerably. Of course some of the husband training tips must be used on your metabolism. Train it earlier, so that you won’t find yourself trying to lose 9 pounds before meeting some old friends in a month

Of course Wayne gives some really good tips on what to avoid. Just take those in, and not just the funny truth.

OK. Moving on.

Café Life

Now, this will appeal more to writers, as when you say café, ( freelance) writers

visualize coffee and their writing gear simultaneously. Cafés are the perfect offices for writers. I even sold an article on this very topic. Talk about writing what you know!

The point is, the non-writer group, if they are not freelancers, they don’t really get the café love. When I mention a friend that I work at a certain café, they immediately assume I’m a barista. Not that there is anything wrong with being a barista. But it just goes to show that to others, working at a café can only mean one thing.

I have a hard time explaining why I refuse to spend money on the cocktails I love but splurge on the coffee and food while I write at a café. For one thing, I have to show something for all the hours I spend there (though some café’s staff adopted me and wouldn’t mind whether I drink just one cup of coffee for the entire day. Some invented a discount just for me!). Not that I could survive on one cup anyway.

Another thing is that it is still cheaper than renting my own office and more varied and less isolated. And it is cosy and fun. Shock, shock – I also sold an article on how to choose the perfect coffee shop.

Needless to say, Wayne enjoyed and related to those, just like his piece something like I’d have written – only it is funnier.

A Telephone Conversation between Charles Dickens and His Publisher

Yep, this is the second article that will make writers laugh harder. But any avid reader with a clue about what the hell is going on with the social media, will enjoy it immensely too. Imagine Charles Dickens still living today (would be cool if he was actually immortal and not just his works.) and what his editor would be asking him to do.

Then read the article. Who needs a joke when you can have this dialogue?

Media Tour Tips

Third article that will go along way with writers on media tours. But then again, tips can be applied to any job because let’s face it, it is usually all about showing your USP (unique selling point) and going an extra mile. Although I2m betting that you will be surprised by “this” extra mile.

Oh and he has great tips on how to give interviews, radio or otherwise. Again, applicable to interviews with any professional.

A Kilo of Chocolate Sprinkles

And finally comes the chapter the book is named after… Here, Wayne admits to his ice-cream addiction in his own honest and entertaining way.

Of course not everybody has an ice-cream addiction, but a lot of us have addictions. Mine is chocolate (OK, the food one is chocolate. The others are movies and music, though they are usually more beneficial to my career and life in general.)

Just substitute the word ice-cream with your addiction, and it will hit right home. Of course since it is July, many of you will find the ice-cream addiction spot-on and relatable. I know I do.

And surely I can’t be the only one whose mouth watered by the title? It is not a coincidence that Chocolat is one of my favorite movies. And it having a Johnny Depp romance in it is just a perk. Although after the movie, we did debate among female friends: Chocolate or Johnny Depp? In the end we opted for the easy way out. Johnny Depp with chocolate. I have never been fond of compromising anyway.; )

So grab the book on Amazon for just 0.99, and make your day. And do share this gem with the non-writers. They need humor too, even though they do often think that we are from another planet…

E-book Review: Crafting Unforgettable Characters by K.M. Weiland

Posted on December 24, 2011 Written by Pinar Tarhan

creating-unforgettable-characters — Cover image via kmweiland.com

Like any writer who is passionately and desperately addicted to the act of writing, I love devouring good resources on any aspect of writing, be it fiction or non-fiction. Author K.M. Weiland, whose blog (Wordplay) I discovered while I was going through WritetoDone’s list of Top 10 Blogs for Writers. I can’t say I fell in l love with all of the blogs while some appealed more to me than the others. Weiland’s blog was one of my favorites.

Here’s what I liked about Weiland’s blog:

It is on blogger, so it goes to prove that you can actually have a well-structured, monetized blog even on a free platform. Yes, a hosted blog has its advantages (but also its disadvantages) and her blog looks informative, concise and it possesses all the right widgets. It actually inspired me to take a second look and revitalize my blogger blogs.

P.S. This is not to say she doesn’t own her domain name and run a website under it. You can check her website at kmweiland.com

She offers articles and video. And with her video, she also offers the video transcript so she appeals to different types of readers at the same time. So you can learn a lot about blogging just hanging around her website and observing.

You can browse through her blog posts and pretty much find good tips on whatever problem you are trying to tackle. Instead of generalizing, she has gone to the trouble of giving pros and cons, and examples of good results. One my favorite posts is Most Common Mistakes Series: Are Your Flashbacks Flashy or Flabby? as I am working on a novel with a great deal of flashbacks. Most writers advice against flashbacks, suggesting that only a selected few can actually pull it off.

Well, that is just picking the easy route and generalizing. And guess what, I got the guidance I needed from Weiland’s post without feeling depressed about my choices for my story.

Here’s what I liked about the e-book

– When she talks about creating unforgettable characters, she doesn’t just talk about novels, but she also gives examples from movies. As a movie fan, this makes the advice more memorable to me.

As a writer, I appreciated the fact that she used different examples from different story media- this makes her writing down-to-hearth, diverse and fun.

– Just because she talked about Jason Bourne, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t quote from William Shakespeare. Or Graham Greene. Or Joyce Carol Oates. You get the idea.

– She has included fun and challenging writing prompts that will help not only with our characters, but our plots and future stories as well.

– She has given examples of truly great characters, and the reasons for why we love and remember them. If you have seen/read the work mentioned, you want to go back to it. If you haven’t, you’ve just found something substantial to study. And it makes you visualize.

– You will find at least a couple of useful tips, regardless of what you write, and how your mind works.

– It includes a comprehensive set of questions for you to ask your character.

– It talks about the relationship between theme and character and it also gives guidelines on picking the characters’ names and jobs.

and more.

If I had paid for this book, I definitely wouldn’t have regretted it. This pdf will stay on my laptop, and will be referred to as I keep creating fiction.

I’m off to interviewing my characters now. How’s your character creation going?

5 Reasons Why I Love Writing for the Web

Posted on December 19, 2011 Written by Pinar Tarhan

Research is easier and cheaper. If you are writing for a publication that is only internet based, all you have to do for research is to go to their website and read their previous posts. This helps when you are pitching, and this helps when you are writing. You need to get an idea of the target audience, the tone of the writing, word count, titles, format, the style, the vocabulary, amount of jargon…etc. You also so what’s been written and what’s not.

It is free, and it is all there. Sure, it is still hard work, but with a little organization, it is managable.

Even if the magazine is both print and online, the online stuff is already on the web.

*If you are looking to write for the print version, you’ll need to see if previous issues are available online. You might need to pay a little fee, but if this is a magazine you truly want to write for, it is worth it. Sometimes you can subscribe to the digital versions of the print issues, and this saves a lot of time waiting for the issues coming through regular mail (this is is of course true for the publications that are not readily available at the local library and/or at nearby bookstores).

The article/post you write doesn’t have to look like a short story. Let’s face it, magazine articles, especially features, are long. You need to be compelling and fun and/or professional for over 2.000 words. It takes a lot of time and effor to write it. I am not saying I am not pitching to magazines. Or I can’t write an article that long. But there’s something really fun about pouring your heart, knowledge (and depending on the publication, your sense of humor) in mostly 500-1500 words.

The publication is likely to pay via PayPal. Which is my favorite method of being paid.

You have lots of options. All you have to do is dig into the search engines with the right keywords, and subscribe to the current list of online markets.

It is relatively easier to get into. My first job was writing for a travel blog in 2009 (which got published later). You just have to keep looking at the right places.

Do you like writing for the web? Do you prefer the print? Or are you a freelancer who combines both media?