Today’s post is written by regular contributor Sarah Baughman.

I’ll give you twenty seconds to skim these paragraphs and tell me which one exhibits stronger, more engaging writing:

Paragraph A

The hottest month in Ayemenem would certainly have to be May. Each and every day is long and exceedingly humid. The river starts to dry up and black crows, which sit in trees that are a dusty-colored green, eat golden, sun-ripened mangoes. It is a time when red bananas as well as plump, yellow, odd-smelling jackfruits are starting to get significantly riper. Flies buzz around and around in the sweet-smelling air. Then, because they don’t understand what glass is, they fly right into the windows and are killed by the impact. 

Paragraph B

May in Ayemenem is a hot, brooding month. The days are long and humid. The river shrinks and black crows gorge on bright mangoes in still, dustgreen trees. Red bananas ripen. Jackfruits burst. Dissolute bluebottles hum vacuously in the fruity air. Then they stun themselves against clear windowpanes and die, fatly baffled in the sun.

Even though I wrote Paragraph A, I hope you hated it. It’s my decidedly unimpressive 91-word rewrite of Arundhati Roy’s arresting beginning to her novel The God of Small Things. Roy’s version, at 55 words, is undoubtedly cleaner, tighter, and more powerful.

A lower word count doesn’t always point to superiority, but wordiness is best avoided, and it’s the main culprit lurking behind my rewrite’s failure.

Are you wordy? Recognize the signs

Scan your writing for the following symptoms of wordiness:

• “Being” verbs. You’ll have to use them sometimes, of course, but they often slow the pace of a sentence. Compare “still, dustgreen trees” to “trees that are a dusty-colored green.” My paragraph contains seven “being verbs”; Roy’s just two. Highlight the “being” verbs on a page of your WIP and try to cut them in half.
• Passive constructions. Passive voice, which occurs when the subject of the sentence receives action rather than performing it, inevitably clogs sentences. Compare the flies that “are killed by the impact” versus the flies that simply “die.”
• Filler words. We writers love words…maybe a little too much. Are all of our words necessary? My rewrite quickly bogs itself down under the weight of ” would certainly have to be,”  ”each and every,” “around and around,” and “it is a time when”. Play a game with your WIP: take a few sentences and try to rewrite them to be half as long, a third as long, even just an eighth as long. Experiment with what words you can cut without losing meaning.
• Clichés. We’ve read these so many times that when they pop up, it’s easy to read right over them. Except for the unnecessary space they consume in our writing, it’s almost like they don’t exist for all the impact they have on readers. My rewrite’s description of “sun-ripened” mangoes and “sweet-smelling” air are not only longer, but lamer, than Roy’s.
• Unnecessary adjectives and adverbs. When it comes to description, sometimes less is more. My use of “exceedingly” and “significantly” doesn’t help readers visualize the gravity of the description, and the ” plump, yellow, odd-smelling” jackfruits might just have gone a bit overboard; Roy’s startlingly clear verb (“bursts”) packs more punch.

Stop wordiness before it starts

Editing out unnecessary words is great, but can we train ourselves not to include them at all? When meaning infuses each word, we’re less likely to use too many. Consider minimizing unnecessary words by regularly employing the following language devices:

• Fresh verbs. Roy’s river “shrinks”; her crows “gorge”; her jackfruits “burst”; her flies “stun themselves.” These verbs aren’t typical; they also require less elaboration than my ho-hum “starts to dry up,” “eat,” “starting to get significantly riper,” and “buzz around and around.” Yawn.
• Active voice. Roy’s repeated subject-verb sentence construction lends immediacy to her writing. Your sentence structure can vary from this, of course, but putting subjects in charge of their verbs trims the word count and reads smoothly.
• Stark contrast. Moving quickly from one opposite description to another or juxtaposing contrasting images economizes words and efficiently establishes action or setting. Roy’s days are “long,” but the river “shrinks.” Birds “gorge” in “still” trees. Those trees are “dustgreen” while the bananas are “red.” Her flies first “hum,” then “die.” All in 55 words.
• Varied sentence length. Achieve unique rhythm by alternating short and long sentences. We’re ready to digest Roy’s “Dissolute bluebottles hum vacuously in the fruity air” in part because we’ve just been slammed with the fast– and effective– “Jackfruits burst.” In my rewrite, the sentences are all about the same length; there’s no break.
• Unusual description. When was the last time you thought of those flies wriggling on their backs on your windowsill as “fatly baffled?” A summer month as “hotly brooding?” Descriptions that make readers pause, think, and wonder need not be long; their strangeness carries the writing.

How do you avoid wordiness in your writing? What strategies do you have in place for editing wordiness out of your work, or for writing efficiently in the first place?

Today’s post is written by regular contributor Sarah Baughman.

Is anybody else out there a terrible titler?

Naming pieces of writing is one of the hardest parts of the process for me. To give you an idea of just how hard, I offer this confession: in college I wrote a swath of poems as various incarnations of “Untitled” (I was even known to title poems in a series “Untitled 1,” “Untitled 2,” “Untitled 3″…). Pretty bad, I know.

What is it about titling that’s so difficult? Personally, I have a hard time being succinct, and it’s even more difficult to achieve that in a title that’s simultaneously meaningful, catchy, and relevant to the work as a whole.

Since I have some writing I’ve been putting off submitting for publication in large part because I can’t for the life of me figure out what to call it, I decided it was time to stage an intervention. For myself. I took a long look at titles and identified some major types in hopes that doing so would help me divine how great authors handle such a tricky task. This list is hardly exhaustive, but it’s a start.

Types of Titles

Direct Character Descriptor

Some titles refer quite specifically to a particular character; many offer a key description whose significance emerges through reading.

Consider using it if: A particular characteristic of your protagonist drives the plot.

Examples:

• The Girl With The Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier
• The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, by Kim Edwards
• The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski

Indirect Character Descriptor

These titles refer to characters as well, but in more general terms or using only a descriptor as opposed to a specific pronoun.

Consider using it if: Something that happens to, or embodies, your protagonist is ultimately more significant than his or her separate identity.

Examples:

• The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
• The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri
• Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, by Annie Dillard

Setting Descriptor

Titles that indicate setting can be poetic or plain, mysterious or straightforward; what unites them is their shift in focus from person to place.

Consider using it if: Where or When your story takes place drives the plot.

Examples:

• House of Sand and Fog, by Andres Dubus
• Shutter Island, by Dennis Lehane
• The House at Tyneford, by Natasha Solomon

Gerund Verb

There’s just something about an -ing verb; these titles feel active, assertive, and suggestive of an exciting read.

Consider using it if: An action characters perform drives the plot.

Examples:

• Running the Rift, by Naomi Benarom
• Bringing Up Bebé, by Pamela Druckerman
• Losing Clementine, by Ashley Ream

One Word

Sometimes that’s all it takes. These titles stand out because of their spare clarity; just make sure the word you choose counts for a lot.

Consider using it if: You want to pack a punch and can condense the essence of your work into a single noun or descriptor.

Examples:

• Run, by Ann Patchett
• Saturday, by Ian McEwan
• The Reader, by Bernhard Schlink

Poetic

Poetic language doesn’t just belong in poems. A pretty, descriptive title attracts readers.

Consider using it if: Your story is rich in metaphor, you want to call attention to a particular detail, or you want to create a mystical effect.

Examples:

• Tomorrow River, by Lesley Kagen
• Dry Grass of August, by Anna Jean Mahew
• Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimamanda Ngozi

Surprising or Strange

There’s just enough oddness in these titles to make you want to read further and figure out what in the world is going on.

Consider using it if: A contradiction in your work can be easily summed up.

Examples:

• The Tenderness of Wolves, by Stef Penney
• Holy Fools, by Joanne Harris
• What is the What, by Dave Eggers

Prepositional Phrase

These titles suggest you’re already in the middle of the action. They’re unfinished; they suggest a question. Which, of course, is a great reason to read.

Consider using it if: An important message in your work can also be expressed through concrete action.

Examples:

• To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
• By the Iowa Sea, by Joe Blair
• In One Person, by John Irving

Saying With A Twist

Titles that relay something people are used to hearing, but not quite, create immediate intrigue.

Consider using it if: You’re witty and can figure out how to reappropriate a cliché or common phrase to reflect a theme in your work.

Examples:

• Birds of a Lesser Paradise, by Megan Mayhew Bergman
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver
• A Spoonful of Promises, by T. Susan Chang

Noun, Plus

These titles create a distinct image, concrete or poetic, that elaborates on a key noun.

Consider using it if: When you sum up your work, it’s not a single word, but an action, phrase, or description that comes to mind.

Examples:

• A Million Little Pieces, by James Frey
• The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, by Jan-Philipp Sendker
• A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty, by Joshilyn Jackson

Two-Part Title

Particularly common in non-fiction works, two-part titles are generally made up of an interesting hook and a longer, relatively detailed explanation of exactly what the work entails.

Consider using it if: A catch-phrase isn’t enough; you want to be creative but also explain exactly what readers will encounter.

Examples:

• It Sucked and then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita, by Heather B. Armstrong (Phrase + Explanation)
• Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected, by Kelle Hampton (Single Word + Explanation)
• Confessions of a Scary Mommy: An Honest and Irreverent Look at Motherhood: The Good, The Bad, and the Scary,  by Jill Smokler (Short Plot Description + Explanation)
• Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, by Tom Mueller (Twist + Explanation)

How To Title

How do you decide on a title for your work? Do you have any strategies that work particularly well? 

Today’s post is written by regular contributor Sarah Baughman.

Google “writing blogs” and you’ll get 410 million hits. In .22 seconds.

As the internet and social media change the face of publishing, establishing a web presence has worked its way to the top of many writers’ to-do lists. Even if you’re not concerned about publicity, a blog offers excellent opportunities to develop your voice and connect with other writers.

But what to blog about? Writers might first wonder whether to develop a “niche” blog that focuses on one specific subject, or a “non-niche” blog that covers a diverse range of topics.

I asked four successful bloggers on both sides of the spectrum to comment on the advantages and challenges of these different blogging platforms.

Please welcome:

• Nina Badzin (Nina Badzin’s Blog)
• Leah Singer (Leah’s Thoughts)
• Shirley Showalter (100 Memoirs)
• Natalia Sylvester (Finding Truth Through Fiction)

As these talented women confirm, both “niche” and “non-niche” blogs can work—depending on the writer. It’s all about finding the system that works for you.

Option 1: Niche Blogging

(a) The Writers

Shirley Showalter began blogging about memoir writing in 2008 on Heather Sellers‘ advice “that if you want to write in a genre, you need to read 100 examples” (Chapter After Chapter). Natalia Sylvester already had a couple of other writing-related blogs in the works when she began her “blog about the life and perspective of a fiction writer.”

(b) Advantages

Recognizable Structure

Readers know what to expect; your audience builds itself. “I think it helps both the writer and reader when a blog has a recognizable structure,” says Natalia. “Readers know what to expect when they come to your site, and over time it’s what they’ll keep coming back for if it resonates with them.”

Direct Link To Writing

You can use your blog to more thoughtfully ponder your writing craft. “The nice thing about memoir as a niche,” says Shirley, “is that all blogs are forms of memoir. So I could make a category called ‘Personal Reflections’ and use my niche blog as a general blog.”

“Writing about this particular topic has helped me as a writer because it’s made me more aware of the role fiction plays in my life,” says Natalia. “The thoughts I share come from a place deep within me, but writing about them on the blog gives me a chance to pull them out, analyze, and discover them in a way that only writing about something allows. And I get to share it with others, who then add to that conversation.”

(c) Challenges

Off-Limit Topics

What if you get stuck? “I admit it can feel limiting on days when you feel like you have nothing left to say about a certain topic,” says Natalia, noting that she had to nix a couple of posts she felt pulled to write about but which did not fit with her blog’s theme.

The Blog vs. The Craft

Should you write…or write about writing? “My biggest challenge now is that I need to make my own memoir manuscript my first priority, and blogs need to be fed (new blog post written) at least weekly,” says Shirley.

(d) Advice

Be Passionate, But That’s Not All

“If all you have to say about something is that you love it, you can run out of fresh material pretty quickly,” says Natalia. “If it’s a topic that evolves, that you ponder constantly from different angles, that informs your life in countless ways, that isn’t always black and white…then things could get interesting.”

“Choose a subject narrow enough to become expert in it and deep enough to engage your passion for a sustained period of time,” advises Showalter. “Here are some questions to consider: Can this subject grow along with you as your life evolves? Can you find a way to use categories to help you contain and also broaden your niche?”

Plan, But Don’t Over-Plan

“Some of the posts I’m proudest of came to me on days when I had every intention of writing something else, then changed my mind the second I saw the blank screen,” says Natalia.

Option 2: Non-Niche Blogging

 (a) The Writers

Nina Badzin set out to write a “fun parenting blog” then “proceeded to write post after post about everything other than parenthood. Oops.” She now covers “writing, reading, parenthood, marriage, friendship and social media. Oh–and Jewish stuff.” Leah Singer’s blog “has really become a mix of writing, stories, photography (and stories through photos), recipes, crafts and book reviews. And as I look at it,” she says, “it’s the perfect representation of me since I love all those things.”

(b) Advantages

Variety

A wide variety of topics attracts many different readers. “My followers really run the gamut from mothers, to authors, to other writers, foodies and photographers, ” says Leah.

Freedom

There’s no need to feel pigeonholed into writing about just one thing. “The advantage of going non-niche,” says Nina, “is that I can write a post about Downton Abbey if I feel like it, then cover baby names the next week.”

“By shaking up my posts and covering so many different things,” says Leah, “I think it also keeps the content fresh for my readers. They never know what to expect.”

(c) Challenges

Hard To Pinpoint

You don’t always fit in a reliable box. “It is sometimes tough for me to answer the question, ‘What do you blog about?’” says Leah.

Shifting Focus

Can there be too much of a good thing? “When I’m thinking of a new post, I’m overwhelmed by the possibilities, which more often than not means that nothing especially pressing comes to mind,” says Nina.

(d) Advice

Be Confident

If you believe in what you do, others will too. “People like variety and I think they appreciate changing up the content every once in a while,” says Leah. “Don’t be intimidated by blogging “experts” who say your blog needs to have a theme. I don’t have a theme and my site continues to grow and gain new readers every week.”

Aim For Quality

“If you have a voice that people want to hear, they’ll keep coming back for more,” says Nina, who also recommends circling around a few consistent topics to develop some continuity.

A unique voice and compelling writing will carry the blog. Says Leah, “as long as you are putting out quality, people will follow – ‘niche’ or ‘non-niche.’”

As you consider range of possibilities for your blog, keep your own goals in mind. Check out writer Anne R. Allen’s excellent series of posts on how to blog effectively, whether you want general blogging tips to get started, a comprehensive list of blogging don’ts, or specific advice on how to structure your blog based on your “writing stage.”

Are you a “niche” or a “non-niche” blogger? What advantages and disadvantages have you experienced in your chosen platform?

Today’s post is written by regular contributor Susan Bearman.

“Actually,” explained Edward, “it depends on what kind of writer you are. What kind were you intending to be?”

“A writer who attracts readers.”

“Then for heaven’s sake, don’t write writing. Write reading.”

— from A Beginning, a Muddle, and an End by Avi

Write reading. The most brilliant writing advice I have ever heard comes from a children’s book by Avi.

The general consensus is that writers need an online presence to promote themselves and their writing, and that a a blog is an essential part of that presence. But deciding who you want to be online can be a tricky business. As agent April Eberhardt recently told us, you need to be authentic. But what does that mean? As writers, I think our biggest mistake is defining and positioning ourselves online so that other writers will find us.

What we want is for our readers to find us.

I love writing. I love everything about writing: doing it, talking about it, reading about it. But I don’t (usually) blog about it on my own blog.

If you write a blog about writing, I have probably read it. And I probably love it. If your goal is to attract other writers, if you’re writing a book about writing, or if you just love writing about writing, great. Your blog is doing it’s job. But if you are writing a picture book about reindeer in Siberia, or a thriller set in New Orleans, or an epic love story that spans three generations, then your blog is probably not reaching your potential readers.

That doesn’t mean you can’t have a blog about writing. And it doesn’t mean that your blog should be nothing more than a tool for shilling your book. I read a tweet today with a link to a post written by a librarian about blogging; it’s the perfect blogging motto:

“Don’t broadcast, engage.”

Use your blog to engage your readers.

Write Well

Demonstrate your best writing in every post. This is essential. Your blog may be the first exposure a potential reader (or agent or publisher) has to your writing, so do a good job. Think through your post. Make sure you have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Proofread before you post. Better yet, ask a picky friend to proofread for you. Correct mistakes immediately.

If you don’t have anything to say, don’t say it in a post. A stale blog is pointless, but a boring blog is deadly. Keep it fresh by posting regularly, and keep it interesting. Be on the lookout for good ideas. You keep a notebook with you at all times, right? (Your smart phone works just as well.) Start a list of possible posts right now.

A great way to keep your blog fresh is to write several posts at a time and schedule them in advance. For example, write three posts over the weekend and schedule them to go up on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Once you start writing, you tend to get into a groove. Writing online usually works better when it’s short, anyway, so you don’t need to worry about writing three chapters of War and Peace every weekend; 200-400 words is plenty.

Be Creative

How can you write a blog that readers want to read?

First, think about your target audience. If you write YA, your blog should be targeted to the wants, needs, and interests of teens. If your hero is as skateboard-riding teen crime fighter, maybe you should blog about skateboarding. Or teen crime fighters.

Think about writing something different. A blog is a great place to flex your writing muscles. If you write fiction, try a creative nonfiction blog. Stretch yourself.

A friend of mine writes literary fiction, but she loved the soap opera All My Children, and was saddened when it went off the air. As both an homage to her favorite soap, and as a way to try a completely different kind of writing, she has created a “blog opera” called Pine Lake, posting episodes once a week under a pseudonym. “I write it between noon and 1:00 p.m., when I used to watch All My Children,” she says. “I’ve discovered that episodic writing is fun, but really hard work.”

Another writer, E. Victoria Flynn, dreams of one day opening a hip artists’ hangout for creative types, where they can work, play, and socialize. Money and time limitations make it difficult for her to pursue that dream in the physical world right now, so she created a virtual version of her dream called V’s Place. Her motto: “If you can’t find your community, make it.” You’ll find writers, painters, musicians, and artists of every ilk hanging out at V’s Place. You should, too.

Picture book writer Carolyn Crimi wrote a book called Dear Tabby (about a cat who writes a “Dear Abby”-esque column). She also created a blog called Dear Tabby, where she posts in the voice of her character. Just plain fun.

The point is, use your creativity to develop a blog that engages your readers.

Write What You Love

One of the keys to a great, engaging blog is consistent posting. If you’re excited about your topic—if it keeps your mind hopping—then chances are you won’t run out of things to post. Writer Shona Patel has a mutli-faceted blog that includes her musings about the writing process, but also has a whole section devoted to tea. That’s right, tea. Shona was raised by a tea planter in Assam, India, and clearly still has tea in her blood.

If the topic you love doesn’t relate specifically to your book, that’s OK. It can give your readers an inside look at who you really are, and most fans love to get the inside scoop. If your passion does relate to your published work or work in progress, so much the better. But make those connections with skill and subtlety. You can do it. You’re a writer.

(For example, watch how skillfully I weave in a plug for my own blog, Two Kinds of People, right here.) I started blogging in early 2008. The originally idea had been to write a newspaper column (kind of Erma Bombeck meets Dave Barry) based on the “Two Kinds of People” (2KoP) theme. Sadly, I came up with the idea at just about the same time newspapers stopped hiring columnists. When I thought about writing a blog, I was terrified that it would become a rambling brain purge, where I dumped endless rants on an unsuspecting readership. The 2KoP idea resurfaced and gave me the perfect proverbial hook upon which to hang my blogging hat. (See how I worked that right into the conversation.)

If you are going to write about writing, pick a specific niche and do it well. One of my favorite blogs is called Detectives Beyond Borders by Peter Rozovsky. Peter is a copy editor by day, and devoted crime novel junkie and blogger by night. He uses his love of crime writing as jumping off point for all kinds of topics on his blog, and frequently poses specific, thought provoking questions—a great way to engage readers in a comment-based discussion.

If you haven’t yet started a blog, think about your potential readers and how you might give them some added value. If you already have a blog, think about ways you can up the ante and reach out to readers, not just writers.

Today’s post is written by regular contributor Sarah Baughman.

A talented member of my writing group once told me she couldn’t imagine writing a personal essay.

While the powerful description and plot development she employed throughout her novel-in-progress impressed us all, she said she would find it impossible to generate ideas for a nonfiction piece about her own life.

I think she’d probably be surprised. Creative nonfiction depends on many of the same literary qualities that make great fiction.

Describing this genre as embodying the “use of literary craft in presenting nonfiction,” Creative Nonfiction Editor Lee Gutkind says that creative nonfiction writers “make ideas and information that already exist more interesting and, often, more accessible.”

If you’re interested in writing a personal essay, some of the very tools you rely on most while crafting short stories or novel chapters are the perfect building blocks.

Conflict

Fiction writers know the importance of conflict in moving a plot forward, and outside the writing world, conflicts large and small move life forward! We all experience them, and these daily conflicts, even the trivial ones, can fuel a personal essay.

Track the internal and external conflicts you experience on a given day.

• Which ones get under your skin?
• Which ones teach you something about yourself you didn’t know before?
• Which ones make you feel more connected to your environment and the people around you, and which ones are isolating?
• Do any conflicts, in their resolution, give way to a heightened sense of peace?

Behind every conflict that causes further reflection, there lurks a story.

Example: “Just the Two of Us, When One Toddles” by Jennifer Baumgardner, The New York Times, 8/25/11. An annoying conflict in the airport parking lot gives way to reflection on the larger conflict, and benefits, of being a single parent.

Writing Prompt: Identify a recent conflict, internal or external, trivial or significant, that has led you to a greater understanding of yourself. Recall a specific moment that made you aware of the conflict and begin by narrating the scene (as in Baumgardner’s essay: “Our car, a 17-year-old red Honda Civic, shimmered in the heat. ‘This isn’t good,’ I thought.”)

Characterization

There’s a t-shirt floating around the web that writers will love: “Careful or you’ll end up in my next novel,” it proclaims.

Certainly the best characters in fiction feel like real people, and observing the details used to establish those characters—appearance, thoughts, dialogue, actions—can help us see people in our lives with new eyes. Unlike fictional characters, people we know can’t change according to our imagination, but they do have their own stories. A willingness to step outside our relationships and view people with a “writer’s eye” can actually lead to deeper appreciation because we’re challenged to pay such close attention to their characteristics.

Example: “Christmas Eve at St. Clement” by Amy Rosenquist, Literary Mama, 12/6/09. Rosenquist’s essay about her autistic son thrives on detail–past actions, small obsessions, statements, reactions, physical characteristics–and paints an engaging portrait of a complex, endearing boy.

Writing Prompt: Describe an important person in your life via an event you both attended that reveals the character of that person and holds significance for your relationship (like Rosenquist’s Christmas Eve service).

Setting

Places we know well provide powerful backdrops for personal essays. But “setting” doesn’t have to include a spectacular sunset or breathtaking mountain range–even noting the ordinary detail in our own homes (dishes cluttering the sink, dust on the windowsill, a quilt tossed over a sofa) is an excellent exercise for recognizing how place informs plot. 

Whether you choose initially to write about a significant experience, working place descriptors into the story as you go, or whether you use place as a starting point, you’ll find that your own ties to different settings can enhance a personal essay.

Example: “Not Like You” by Katherine Gries, Brevity, Issue #32, January 2010. In Gries’ compelling essay, peaceful settings—first in the woods, then in a house—provide stark contrast to the violence she suffers.

Writing Prompt: When has a particular place served as a meaningful backdrop to an experience? Step outside the experience to provide a detailed description of the place. Consider exploring how the place either reflects, or contrasts with, the experience.

Dialogue

I always found dialogue tricky, but writing down interview quotes for freelance journalism assignments helped me overcome some of my reservations about using it.

While everyday speech might be punctuated with clumsy interruptions you don’t always want to include in writing, listening closely to conversations and mirroring actual speech patterns can aid the development of authentic dialogue. Readers like dialogue—it’s a nice break from solid description, moves plot along, and reveals character quickly. Try jotting down just a few interchanges from conversations you’ve had during the course of a day and seeing what might lead to a story.

Example: “Montana Soccer Mom Moment” by Laura Munson, The New York Times, 7/23/10. A conversation between mother and daughter, punctuated by description, forms the core of Munson’s heartfelt essay.

Writing Prompt: Recall a conversation you had that, like Munson’s, served as some kind of turning point. Use dialogue interspersed with description of your internal reactions to relay the conversation.

Do you write both fiction and creative non-fiction? What strategies do you use that apply to both genres? 

For parents—especially for full-time moms—blogging can be a a lifesaver.

It’s a way of communicating with the adult world when we’re surrounded all day by children. For some, it may be the only form of intellectual stimulation we get during the course of a week.

However, blogging can also be a big commitment if you aim to do it for more than just an emotional outlet.

If you’re a busy mom or dad who blogs, or you’re considering starting one, consider the following six dos and don’ts:

1. DO define your reasons for blogging.

Starting a blog just because you can won’t get you far. Think of how many millions of blogs there are out there—many of them abandoned after just a few posts once the novelty of blogging has worn off.

Why do you want to blog? Is it to promote yourself and your writing through social media? Are you looking to learn more about a specific topic and share your new knowledge with others, or keep up your professional skills by writing about your area of expertise?

If you can’t think of a good reason beyond creating an online diary, why not try something other than blogging? How about joining a support group or a moms-and-tots club, where you can meet other like-minded parents and get a little adult interaction? These options may require less time commitment and effort than blogging.

2. DON’T get yourself in over your head.

Maybe you start out posting twice a week. Soon, you think you’ll get more subscribers by posting three times a week. After you get a couple hundred followers, maybe you decide to start a newsletter. Soon you’re accepting articles from guest posters, doing book reviews, collaborating with other bloggers…and becoming a whole lot busier than you were to begin with.

Take on only the amount of responsibility you can safely commit to. It’s far better to have a blog you can easily take care of than one that eventually leads you to crash and burn.

3. DO focus on quality over quantity.

There’s no need to write long posts all the time. With so many blogs to choose from out there, shorter is often better. Likewise, posting one or two great articles per week is better than posting average ones every day.

Focus on quality. Fill your blog with short-but-powerful articles, and you’ll soon develop a loyal following.

4. DON’T be a no-show blogger.

Commit yourself to a reasonably regular blogging schedule. If you can only manage one post per week, that’s fine as long as you consistently post once per week.

When people subscribe to your articles, they want some sort of predictability. If you post twice a week for a month, and then go missing for a month, your readers may think you’ve given up on your blog and unsubscribe.

5. DO guest post to grow your subscriber list with less effort.

There are many different strategies for growing your subscriber list. Writing great content is the first step, and social media like Twitter and Facebook can help boost your numbers, too.

But one of the best strategies for growing your blog’s audience is guest posting for other blogs. In my first month of blogging, when I had just 23 subscribers to Write It Sideways, I wrote a guest post for Write to Done.

That one guest post more than doubled my subscribers over just a few days, and put me in contact with a published writer who then asked me to guest post on his site, as well. It wasn’t long before that handful of subscribers became hundreds.

For a busy parent, writing just a few guest posts can take your blog further, more quickly, than writing your heart out in your own little corner.

6. DON’T give up during the busiest times.

Life happens, and we all have moments when we’re completely snowed under. During those times, it can be tempting to say, “Right, I’m done with this blogging stuff!”

As a busy mom, myself, one key I’ve found to not giving up is to plan ahead for those times. I always have a long list of article ideas ready and waiting for days I feel uninspired, I ask for guest posts from other bloggers to help with the workload, and I try not to leave writing articles to the last minute, either.

You know you’re going to experience overload at some point, so have an action plan ahead of time to prevent going into give-up mode.

Are you a blogger who has young children to care for? How do you approach blogging so you reap its benefits without overcommitting yourself?

Today’s post is written by Krissy Brady, a semi-finalist in the Write It Sideways regular contributor search. Thanks, Krissy!

One fear many writers have when they begin building a freelance writing career is the fear of running out of ideas.

While I used to find thinking of salable ideas to be an intimidating process, I now embrace it and have a lot of fun with it.

The best part about searching for writing ideas is that you get to look at life in a whole new way: every detail of your life and those of the lives around you become important; your mind is open to entirely new experiences (including negative ones), and this openness enhances your creativity in a profound way.

Sometimes, you will struggle to think of new ideas, and others, you will be overwhelmed with creative bursts where you may think of 20 new ideas in one sitting.

For the times where you are feeling as if there is a wall between you and your creativity, here are just some of the ways you can open the vault again, and successfully fill your idea arsenal.

1. Job experience.

This is an especially great option for those writers who don’t have published writing clips yet. At the end of your query letter, where a writer is supposed to mention their previous experience, you can use your job experience as a way to show that you are perfect to write the article.

However, if your job is one that you don’t enjoy or simply find ‘okay’, regardless of how much writing material you can scoop from it, I recommend you run. Run away as fast as you can and only write about what you are most passionate about. There are reasons why you want to leave your current job and move on to your dream writing career, and these reasons should be left behind with your cubicle.

2. Personal experiences and challenges.

This is my absolute favorite way to think of new article ideas. Your personal experiences, both the positive experiences and new discoveries you can’t wait to share, as well as the not-so-positive experiences you’ve had to go through can make for fantastic material.

Especially in terms of negative experiences you’ve overcome or still need to overcome: you can use your writing to research and improve your life, while simultaneously improving the lives of your readers, connecting with them on a personal level, and fulfilling various needs in your niche.

3. Magazines and Newspapers

Reading magazines published from the niche market you are most interested in writing for serves three purposes:

1. It helps you familiarize yourself with the publication and its style/approach.
2. If you already have a few ideas compiled, you can check to make sure your idea or a similar one hasn’t already been published.
3. You can study what has already been written and create ‘spin-off’ ideas, writing articles that expand upon certain concepts that were mentioned but not looked into deeply. In the process, this exercise has the potential to spark completely new concepts for future articles.

Because publications are planned so far in advance, newspapers aren’t the greatest source for finding ideas that can be immediately used—by the time a magazine is able to publish the idea it wouldn’t be considered news anymore.

However, by reading and learning about what is going on in the news, you can create articles on generalized topics or on specific themes, and bookmark those people and businesses who have been in the news as interesting interview subjects for the future.

4. Social networking accounts.

Those you follow online via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn can be a treasure trove of information for you to find new writing ideas.

People tend to be an open book through their social networking accounts, so be sure to keep an eye on discussions that seem to blossom without warning; these could make very interesting human-interest pieces and feature articles.

5. Online forums you participate in.

The whole point to forums is to build online relationships, network and provide feedback to each other. If you were to follow online forums that cater to your target demographic, it is virtually impossible to visit and not find at least one viable idea to write about.

Once a week, I browse through the forums I participate in, and check to see if new questions or requests for advice have been posted. If one person has asked the question, there are almost certainly other people who want the answer too, but are unsure where to ask/look. You can provide the answers through your writing projects, and simultaneously build your publishing credits.

Ideas are everywhere, and these are just some of the places you can use to exercise your brainstorming skills. When you keep your mind open to any and all experiences (making sure to have some sort of note taking system on hand for when the ideas begin pouring out), you will end up with so many new ideas you won’t even know where to begin (which would call for an entirely new blog post).

Krissy Brady is a freelance writer located in Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada. She is a blogger dedicated to keeping the passion for writing alive, and is currently working on her first novel, poetry collection and screenplay. To learn more and keep in touch with Krissy, visit her blog at krissybrady.com, and follow her through RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for the latest writing-related information.

The recent search for two paid contributors to Write It Sideways has yielded wonderful results. I received more applications than I could have imagined, and had the enormous challenge of narrowing down the list to just a handful of very talented writers. I look forward to sharing the most promising articles with you during November. 

Today’s post is written by Cindy Huff. Thanks, Cindy!

People-watching is an essential part of being a writer.

I love to people-watch. I find the way people walk and the clothing they wear—even how they carry their cell phones—fascinating. Because I don’t know them personally, I can imagine a whole life for them. My mind creates struggles and scenarios involving these strangers that pass through my life for an hour, a minute, or a nanosecond.

Characters in fiction come from real-life people. Our mental camera brings to mind that too-thin woman who moves like a gazelle as she washes her windows, the autumn wind almost blowing her over. Maybe another character is a compilation of a brother’s bullhorn laugh, an old math teacher’s comb-over hair style and a politician’s voice pattern. Real people make your characters more believable.

People-Watching in New Surroundings

I just returned from a trip to the Philippines, where my mind and my camera captured many interesting characters. I interacted with so many people the three weeks I was there. Some, I got to know intimately; others I noticed in passing.

Three of the images I captured on film come to my mind:

• The 3-year-old boy who can’t sit still for a minute. If he wasn’t pushing his toy car across the floor he was pushing a plastic chair across the church. Such energy could fuel a light bulb.
• The elderly man whose job it was to the cut the grass at the resort with hedge clippers. The gentlemen squatted with his backside inches from the ground. Moving his feet ever so slightly, he clipped the grass to look like golf course turf.
• The hotel security guard dressed in black, toting a large shotgun as he paces across the front of the building. The set of the guard’s face changing from deadly stern to a friendly smile as he opens the door for the hotel guests.

Each of these people could be the basis for a character in a story. All of them have unspoken thoughts and desires that I can bring to life as a writer. My mind pictures them in different places.

Perhaps the little boy is climbing up the cabinet in search of forbidden things. The elderly man stretches his aching body as he walks home to his bamboo hut, greeting his neighbors along the way. The security guard’s mind is full of fantasies about the girl at the front desk, as he counts his steps before pacing the other direction.

People-Watching Stimulates Creative Juices for Non-Fiction

People-watching can create metaphors and similes that drive a point home in an article or piece of non-fiction.

I remember watching my son’s neighborhood league baseball game. Sitting in the bleachers surrounded by Hispanic parents who cheered and chatted in Spanish was a new experience for me. Absorbing the sights and sounds around me as I watched the game, and feeling cut off from those around me because of the language barrier, led to my ponderings over how it felt to be an immigrant.

Watching a mother interact—or should I say not interact—with her child as he skated around Wal-Mart got my mind ruminating. That led to an editorial on respect.

Be Prepared to People-Watch

People-watching can be done anywhere, so have a notebook to jot down your observations.

If you happened to be sitting in a Wi-Fi hotspot, it’s easy to just type your observations, and no one is the wiser. Many phones have a note-taking application.

Jotting down your observations does two things:

1. When your mind has lost its creative edge, you can read over your notes for story ideas.
2. It gives you a storehouse of character components—a Mr. Potato Head of possible fiction characters.

*Editor’s Note: Has people-watching ever led you to write something you would never otherwise have dreamed-up? What are your favourite spots for people-watching? 

Cindy Huff is a writer and speaker, member of the Christian Writers Guild, and president of Word Weavers in Aurora, Illinois. She has been a guest columnist for the Beacon News, script writer for CBH, and has had articles and children’s stories published in various periodicals. Visit her blog Writer’s Patchwork  for more writing tips and author interviews.