Becoming a Better Writer

I suspect that all writers have some sort of “idea scratchpad” of subjects they would like to write about in the future. Personally, I have three.

1. A small, fancy, notebook that I try to carry with me when I go anywhere – a place where I can quickly scratch down some ideas when they present themselves.

2. The “note” application on my iPhone. It’s always there, but I often forget to check it. The bad part of that being that I sometimes can't recall what I had in mind when I wrote the note. The good part being that I sometimes find really good stuff that I had entirely forgotten about. It's like finding $20 in the pocket of an old jacket!

3. My third list is what I use most frequently. It’s a Word document that I call my “Idea Scratchpad” and it’s always open on my PC’s second monitor. That’s where I’m most likely to put every random thought that comes into my head. I had been using the strikethrough tool to track my progress and show what I’d completed, but it was starting to get messy, so I deleted the topics with completed writes. Still, with 48 current ideas, this list continues to be quite long, and I feel it would benefit from some organization.

I chose Vocal as my primary platform for writing when I paid in advance for a year's membership to Vocal+ a few months ago. This is a commitment that I made to myself and to my stories. It’s been a great place to find inspiration through writing challenges, from talented peers that inspire me with their excellent works, through recognition received via bonuses, tips and being recognized as a Top Story, and by way of creator groups on social media like Vocal Social Society, Vocal Café, and Vocal Media Creators Hub. Many of these groups hold a wealth of information. They can help workshop a piece, provide feedback, ideas, a place to vent, bits of humor, good resources, and sometimes even mini contests. As an emerging writer, I feel that joining Vocal for at least a year gives me space to explore what works for me, and to try out different genres.

I have recently tried my hand at fiction, non-fiction, a travelogue, a review, and some poetry. I’ve also entered several themed writing challenges that each have had a specific brief to follow. These have been good exercises for me. I’ve discovered that occasionally, pieces practically write themselves, and sometimes a good idea doesn’t necessarily become a good story. I’m learning not to try to “force it” and write for a subject that’s not fully developed. I’m trying to write what I know, what speaks to me, what inspires me, and to go with whatever thought “has legs” and is flowing.

After some consideration, here’s how I plan to improve the frequency and timeliness of my writing:

SEEK THE STORY

Vocal has helped me think about writing for an audience, and to think about how an idea could become a story. For example, I was considering how to organize my writing idea lists to better suit me. I had an idea about how to improve the process, and thought about creating a post in one of my writer’s groups. Instead, I realized that I could reach a broader audience by creating and publishing a story on Vocal, and then share that publication on social media.

So go ahead, write the story. Take that topic and try to flesh it out. You may be surprised by what it becomes! If something clever, cute, complex, confusing, funny, if someone says: “oh it sounds like there’s a story there,” write it down. Put it on your list. Any thought, any subject. A frustrating day at work, a funny thing that your kid said, a movie you watched, an unexpected bit of news, a problem you are trying to work through, a clever way that you deveined shrimp. All these ideas are potential stories! Start writing!

WRITE IN ADVANCE

I realize that I wasn’t being timely with my writing. After seeing a program with several ads about the upcoming 9/11 anniversary, I started to write a story…on 9/9! That draft is 95% written, but sits open on my computer because it feels untimely to publish it now.

Retailers and magazines plan seasonal campaigns months in advance – so should I! Just as September is not the time to move the winter coats to the attic, it may be the perfect time to start writing an article about Christmas traditions, or Superbowl commercials! Thus, I have decided to organize my topic list into “seasons” and start writing a few months in advance.

BE ACCOUNTABLE

Though I write to uncover myself, my best work happens when I am writing for an audience. Even if I’m just arguing with someone on Facebook, I write better with a goal in mind. Writing challenges force me to be accountable to a deadline, a subject, and rules about length and content. But how do I force myself to be accountable? Well, just as my house gets the cleanest when company is coming over, I’m most likely to write if I have a readership to provide for. When I used to regularly write for a blog, the occasional new follower or comment was enough to inspire me to keep going when I wasn’t feeling motivated. Knowing that there are people that actually want to read what I write makes me want to write even more!

So, in the spirit of “fake it until you make it,” I have launched a fan page for myself on Facebook. Yes, you can find my work on my Vocal Profile, you can hit the subscribe button to receive updates when I publish a new piece, and now you can follow my AUTHOR PAGE on Facebook and get regular thoughts, stories, poems, and notifications from me, at a page that is managed by me: Allison Rice, Writer.

Calling myself a writer and inviting my friends to read my work is the best way that I can think of to keep myself accountable!

CONCLUSION

I have a limited amount of free time to write, so I want to use it well. It’s easier to cook in an organized kitchen – being able to find the right size bowl, the good spatula – having everything easily accessible makes the process smoother. I figure the same is true with the writing process. Brainstorming ideas has caused my list to grow so large that it was starting to feel like a pile of laundry that’s ignored because it's become too big to tackle. Hopefully, as I continue to seek the story, organize my ideas, write in advance, and set goals to make myself accountable, I will continue to improve my skill and gain readers!