There is something to be said for writing that is concise and to the point, but I have learned that brevity isn’t always better. Sometimes, being specific or adding additional details can provide more understanding of the subject matter and create the full picture for the reader. On the other hand, including too many details can overwhelm the reader and the information will not be retained.
Finding that balance is key. Yet how do you know which approach to take?
I’ve always had difficulty deciding whether to be brief or to elaborate. However, over the years, I have collected several tips and tricks that have helped me get the biggest impact out of my writing without comprising meaning.
In this post, I’ll share these tips and tricks with you. We’ll take a look at different writing formats, context, constraints, how personal is too personal, and getting feedback. This will help you decide whether to be brief or elaborate when writing, depending on your individual needs.
Continue readingAs writers, staying inspired is one of our biggest challenges. Sometimes the juices stop flowing, and you’ll try anything to get your mojo back. There are many different techniques writers use to stimulate creativity, such as brainstorming, reading, going on an adventure, and meditating. Some techniques are conventional, while others are unusual.
One of the most unconventional methods is roleplay … or so I thought. When I was in grad school studying negotiation, often my professors would have the class roleplay a scenario so that we could practice different tactics that we had learned in class.
Roleplaying allowed me to become someone else, a character. I improvised every aspect of the character—their personality, the way they talked, background information, storylines—and tried to use this character that I created to my advantage to negotiate the best deal with my classmate.
Not only was it fun, but as the character, I could try different negotiation skills that I wouldn’t try as myself because they’re not my personal style. My character, however, did not have any reservations about the tactics used. Through roleplay, I was able to improve my skillset and practice other negotiation strategies that I wouldn’t have otherwise.
Roleplaying can help you generate inspiration for your writing, too.
Out of all of the methods I have tried, I have found that roleplaying helps me to embody the character or story you want to tell, making the words fall onto the page effortlessly. Not only can roleplaying be used as a mechanism for stimulating creativity in writing fiction, but it also can be used in other types of writing such as nonfiction and copywriting. Let me explain what roleplaying is and how you can use it to spark creativity in your own writing.
Continue readingYou have just finished writing a literary masterpiece (if you don’t mind saying so yourself), but you can’t help but feel like there’s something missing. You reread it over and over again, countless times. All of the points you wanted to make are there; the flow makes sense, but it still doesn’t feel right.
Maybe the content itself isn’t the problem. The writing just doesn’t have that oomph or pop that you are looking for. Instead, it just lays flat.
Writing, as you know, isn’t only about coming up with plotlines or new and exciting twists that excite your reader at every turn. It’s more than that. Writing involves a certain flair that flows through not only the content but also through every sentence and every word.
An effective way to add that flair to any literary work is by using wordplay.
Continue readingSetting aside time out of your busy schedule to focus on writing can be difficult. Many of us are juggling full-time commitments, family life, school, and personal relationships. As a result, it can be challenging to find time to sit down, turn off all of your devices, and separate yourself from the rest of the world to write. However, as I’ve discovered, learning how to compartmentalize can help.
Simply put, compartmentalizing is to “separate into isolated compartments or categories.” Compartmentalizing means to keep the various areas and activities of your life separate from each other.
It is important to note that compartmentalization is a learned skill. You must practice it consciously. If you are someone many others rely on, it will take extra focus for you to master this skill, because you will have to learn to not be available at all times.
The good news, however, is that practicing this skill will also help to create boundaries you may have not been successful in creating before. These boundaries will not only allow you to take time to write or to spend time doing other activities for yourself, but they will also help to create a healthier balance between the many areas you are managing in your daily life.
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