Thursday, May 30, 2013

8 Ways freelance writers can add color to their writing routine ...

8 Ways freelance writers can add color to their writing routine

Writing for others, expository writing, writing to assignment, writing to a deadline; these are all challenging parts of being a freelancer. When you are creating on schedule, and expressing what someone else needs for you to express, rather than your own feelings or ideas, your writing can become quite mechanical. There is a distressing tendency to fall back on a handful of options for sentence structure or for illustrative phrases when writing under pressure.

One assignment begins to sound disappointingly like the next and the previous one. After a while, you may find that your writing is not as interesting as you would like, and that is has become rather flat and grey, with no spark to interest the reader. If you went into writing because you love it (and why on earth else would one do so?) this situation can be depressing.

A flattening and washing out of the dimensionality of your writing can also be a handicap in getting new jobs.

Your clients want your services because you can grab the reader?s attention. If all they wanted was a mechanical text generator, they could use a piece of software.

How can you keep your writing fresh and vivid? Think of your writing routine like your home. You want it to be filled with useful furnishings in beautiful colors in all probability. You want it illuminated well, and appropriately. You want your writing to be the same way, don?t you? You want to get the job done with appealing text, illuminated by useful insights.

The best way to add this sort of liveliness to your writing is to be absorbing new and unfamiliar words, phrases, and locutions, drawn from every academic field, and realm of activity and endeavor. You should be expanding your bank of ideas every day, and learning how to use them appropriately. This need not cost an overly excessive amount in terms of money, time, or effort.

Learn a new adjective and adverb each day:

There are dozens of free vocabulary-building websites online. If you access one that you like, this can remain open while you are writing so that you can flip back and forth between your writing project and a screen that explains a new word or phrase. You really learn them thoroughly, and their proper use in real-life sentences.

Read a variety of literature:

There is really nothing better than this approach. Reading is the way to see imaginative combinations of words and vivid metaphors in action. Your goal should be to look at a broad range of writing genres and styles. To accomplish your purpose, you want to be reading way outside your comfort zone and usual areas of interest. For example, if you regularly read the sports page of your favorite newspaper or news blog, find the arts review section, or the book review section, and take a look. (If you find a title there that remotely intrigues you, this is your chance to read a well-recommended book, or an exhibit that is worth visiting ? see below.)

Alternatively, if you read manga for fun, try reading some poetry from the 19th century or before. As you read, note the special terminology used in different fields, whether finance or literary criticism. You can be sure that every field has its own jargon and ways of expressing things. If you pick up on these, you may find ways to use them in your own writing, with care. At the very least, you will see that there is more than one way to say something.

Listen to radio in a variety of genres:

There is wonderful stuff on the radio. If you are in a place that has limited radio, you can stream many radio programs over the internet. Consider Prairie Home Companion, or Le Show, from National Public Media. The BBC has a massive roster of fascinating shows that feature scientific and cultural discussion and use specialized terminology.

Watch movies and TV shows that you don?t usually follow:

Here again, you can hear marvelously varied language in films from varying genres. Police procedures, courtroom dramas, and wildlife documentaries, in particular, will expose you to specialty jargon.

Appreciate visual art:

Whether you see it in a gallery, in person, or online, there is art available everywhere. The experience of viewing fine art is inspiring, and if you take the trouble to note your impressions of the work, you will be stretching your writing muscles in a fashion that is hard to duplicate.

Listen to music:

This is a similar technique. You may be able to find free concerts, or just listen online to YouTube, but music is also inspiring, in slightly different ways. Again, if you will record your feelings in response to the performance, using words other than ?awesome?, you will find your image-generating facilities improved.

Immerse yourself in nature:

Nature is overwhelming. If you have any chance to be in touch with things that are green and growing, take it. The experience of nature, no matter how brief, will touch your nervous system in an irreplaceable way. Here again, you need to take down your impressions of your contact with the natural world. This exercise will expand your capacities as well.

Talk with people whom you don?t usually, perhaps by volunteering:

Listen to the novel rhythms of their speech and think about how you could apply some of the ways that they use language. Although most people speak in slang and with incorrect grammar most of the time, the expressions that people use can spark ideas and images for you. This infusion of novel linguistic adornments can help to ignite your own creativity, and find expression in your writing.

Keep in mind that exposure to new words, phrases, and ways of speaking, is the key to your work being constantly renewed. Use the riches of language around you to inspire new ways of expressing yourself and add color to your writing routine.

About the author
Article by David Tucker ? experienced content writer and a passionate blogger. He currently works with Helpfupapers.com ? content writing service, which also provides high quality online essay editing. David loves to share his writing and personal experience with people via blog posts, articles and comments.

Source: http://www.guerrillafreelancing.com/8-ways-freelance-writers-can-add-color-to-their-writing-routine/

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