Every job has its own share of doofuses and distractions. However, for writers who are a breed all of their own, these dilemmas can break a person. No matter how calm you are, it often takes much more than a White Russian to get through some of the issues even the best content writer deals with on the daily. Of course, we can work in our bathrobe or forget to shave for years, but writers who don’t write don’t eat. Period. So in order to break through to the other side, here are some of the biggest doofuses and distractions writers deal with on the reg and how you can deal with them in a Dude-like manner.
Writers Forums
One of a writer’s worst enemies is another writer. All true blue writers range from pea brains to published professionals. Additionally, you can find almost any writer who is not currently writing on a writing forum on the web. Tired of reading misspelled and ignorant rants from your fellow writers? While it would be nice not to read these forums, as writers who spend more time in solitary confinement than most prisoners, a forum provides personal connectivity and real time information regarding job opportunities.
What to Do About Trolls
Trolls are nasty things that lurk in most forums. Don’t skip the forums because of trolls, but do keep a list of those “writers” who troll forums with more negative energy than a tornado. Ignore or block trolls from your post reading and never, ever reply to trolls while imbibing an alcoholic beverage.
How to Approach Rabid Writers
As for published professionals, it’s easy to be intimidated by the perky postings by these overzealous and seemingly successful writers. If reading these Polly Anna posters makes you nauseous, skip them. Otherwise use the jewels of jealousy they unearth as motivation—if they can do it, so can you and you should want to do it better.
Keep it Simple
Writers have a superfluity of tools in their toolbox that are meant to turn poopie prose into visionary verbiage. Some tools are suppose to keep writers focused like:
Unfortunately, most of these tools are nothing more than distractions in disguise. How many times have you been turned onto a new tool that purportedly organizes your writing assignments or helps you streamline your researching methods? Of those tools, think about how long it took you to figure out the new system. Now, how many of those systems are still in place in your writing life. Exactly. So forget about the overcomplicated and superfluous methods, and keep it simple.
Tips for Focusing Simply
- Focus on one assignment at a time. When writers attempt to mechanize the process by stacking articles for research first, then writing, then editing, the quality tends to suffer. Unless you are writing 20 articles about vampires, it’s a good idea to get one article submitted before you start thinking about ideas for another. Otherwise, plagiarism of your own thoughts and hasty mistakes leave your writing worse for wear.
- Meditate, pray, chant, take a stroll, go on a bike ride, or listen to music or do whatever you do to find your focus before you start writing each day, or night.
- Zone into why you are the best content writer and why you love to do it. Writing in general should make you a happy camper. Otherwise, get a different career and save a lot of readers and editors from hours of chafing content.
- Your writing reflects your mood, so if you are having a bad day, look at the positives of being able to do what you love for a living. Find that glimmer of groovy goodness, and hold on while you take the writing ride.
Time flies when you are having fun. When fun time is overtaken by looming deadlines and nit picky editors, writing becomes a chore. Visions of writer’s block and the starving artist run rampant, and threaten to derail a writer’s dreams. When life gets out of hand and you find yourself losing control of your writing, take a deep breath and think of the Dude. “I do mind, the Dude minds. This will not stand, ya know, this aggression will not stand, man.”
Miranda B is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
