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Here’s a writing exercise to try for 20 minutes:

Pink socks.
Blue convertible.

Go for it!

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Mail Chimp has a great list with six mistakes designers often make when putting together an E-mail newsletter. I’m not saying I haven’t made any of these mistakes, but the possibility of making such errors is reduced by simply using one of Mail Chimp’s newsletter templates.

I’ve used both of their templates for numerous newsletters and so far so good.
Technorati Tags: newsletter, email

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Aside from the possibility that Google is gradually taking over the world, I am greatly indebted to this rapidly expanding company due to the various benefits of a Google account. In fact, my productivity at home, work, and personal business pursuits has been revolutionized by simply signing up for Gmail when it first came out. What started as a tentative jump on a fad has quickly spread to my entire life.

For starters, the best thing Google offers is e-mail through Gmail. Gmail has a smart and simple interface, grouping e-mails into conversations, so a series of e-mails appear together. The editor has all of the features basic e-mail requires, the spam filter is 99.99% effective, and it offers a search feature that is still the only way I can find most of my passwords. Storage is lavish, sent messages are saved, and older messages can be archived: what more can one desire?

Closely integrated with Gmail is Google’s calendar feature. Events can be listed as one-time or recurring, and have a reminder option that shoots an e-mail off at the time specified by the user. Just about any religion or nation’s holidays can be displayed as well. The share feature is a nice way to keep in touch with family, friends, and co-workers, especially when the calendar is embedded into a web site or blog.

Word processing and spreadsheets are also included in a Google account, and can be accessed online simply by logging in to one’s account. Most of the features from Microsoft Office and Open Office are present, and just like the calendars these documents are open for collaboration and viewing by other users.

The list of benefits continues with Blogger for a free blog, a free web site under the Google domain, and a customizable home page that can display Gmail the inbox, RSS feeds, weather, and the day’s news. 

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I overheard a conversation today at a cafe. The server asked a lady which size she wanted for her drink, and she replied, “Decaf.” That’s a precious conversation in my humble estimation.

Such out-of-the-blue conversations are the perfect subjects for practicing the craft of dialog. Dialog is a challenge and starting with something a little zany and unusual may help take some of the pressure off.

What will the server say in response? Will the customer correct her statement or insist that decaf. is a legitimate size? The only way to find out is to start writing.

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Clean, clear, crisp, conducive, contemplative: these are words every writer should associate with a blank page.

Despair, dubious, daunting, doubt, drivel: are another collection of words that typically stick to the blank page like a stubborn sticky note and give these white building blocks a bad rap.

Part of the challenge in writing is moving from crisis to opportunity, and this is never more evident in the writer’s routine encounter with the blank page or screen. Though the white wasteland is a perilous place, the writer must embrace the chance to create, to give life to unknown thoughts and personalities.

The blank page is simultaneously the writer’s friend and foe. Without it the writer is nothing; it is the only tool that enables fresh creations. Nevertheless the threat of swallowing up the creative mind is always present.

In order to win over the blank page as a partner in creativity, try the following:

– Always have cards, a journal, or a scrap of paper handy for scribbling down ideas throughout the day. These precious raw materials can be laid out on the blank page in order to lay the foundation for more writing—that’s how this article came about.

– Begin your day by typing out something you’re already written out on paper. This is a great way to warm up before starting from scratch.

– Another great warm up is using a writing exercise. Many of these are available online, but one need only take a fragment from an overheard conversation and dive into it.

– Plan out a story or a series on a particular topic and stick to it. You will be surprised how focused time on a particular topic yields a wealth of writing.

During my college years my friends and I looked with awe at a woman who chased around nine children and still took time to welcome hordes of students into her home. Those who called her mother were far more than her nine children.

One friend mentioned that she always felt an inferiority complex around this woman when she thought of having her own children until one day she realized that even this matronly saint at one point had to start with her first child. Even the ultimate mother had a rough start at first.

The same is true for writers. All writers start off as awkward, clunky, and intimidated. Stephen King filled up a spike with all of his rejection letters. The key for published writers is they not only started, they kept at it.

Keeping in mind that we all need to start somewhere, perhaps some great would-be writers need to dive into the elementary or adolescent years of awkward, underdeveloped writing in order to unlock the potential they have stored within them. Set small goals and keep building them. Don’t give up if the magic does not happen right away!

I am continually surprised to see how my own writing has changed over the past two years. Each little accomplishment paves the way for another step. Each day of writing encourages me to try again tomorrow.

Technorati Tags: writing, writer

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