Everything you learned in school and know about writing is wrong. Adverbs are bad verbs. The writing world is different than the educational writing world.
Learning to write well is like learning a new language. There are many rules and guidelines that schools teach you, but in reality there’s no right or wrong way of doing things when it comes down just writing creatively for your own personal satisfaction – at least not until we get into the nitty-gritties: adverbs versus verbs; passive voice over active suddenly becomes important (hint hint); how long should sentences be? What kind?? Umm.. anyways
In Episode 7 of the Serious Writer Podcast Bethany Jett and Cyle Young discuss why everything you know about writing is wrong and what you can do to change it:
Go to a writers conference. Now.
Read in your genre and subgenre. Learn the style of that genre.
Get the resources you need from the beginning. (Emotions thesaurus & Story Trumps Structure)
TIP: The 1st book might not be published.
You can practice into publish later.
Fear: I won’t have another story after this one.
Tip: Learn the rules first before you break them.
Modern story is based on 3-act structure. Act 1 is short. Act 2 is rising action over the middle and it’s longer; character development. Climax. Act 3 is descending action.
Fantasy: Hero’s Journey of the 3-Act Structure.
04. Know how to structure a story.
05. Set a regular writing time period or a daily word count. Earnest Hemingway – writes 500 words a day. Stephen King writes 2000 words a day. Jack London – 1500. Mark Twain – 1400. Michael Crighton – 10,000 words – Jurassic Park. Suggestion – start lower until you’re consistent.
06. Just write and don’t edit.
07. Write in scene, not sequence. The Tik Tok guide to writing a book.
If you’re struggling to figure how to find content out or what kind of material your audience is consuming and engaging with, find a “mentor influencer,” that is, someone who’s killing it in your field.
Check out their website and look for these things:
Keywords. Look at blog post titles and opt-ins.
Giveaways. What are they giving away as a free opt-in for their newsletter?
Social Media. What platforms are they the most active on?
You’re not looking for content to copy, but instead, you’re looking for the formula or outline. The goal is to research the topics and method that your competition is sharing and how their audience is responding to them.
To be clear, do not steal other people’s work! The purpose of this research is to look for keywords and common topics. Add your unique experience, insights, and voice to the discussion. No plagiarism allowed!
Example:
As an example, Bethany Jett l-o-v-e-s planners. So if she’s going to create a blog post or giveaway for her audience, she might scope out some of the bigger players in the planner space.
During that research, she would find that people are asking questions about the different types of planner layouts to use when getting started. Therefore, a smart blog post for her would be How to Choose Your Best Planner Layout, along with a downloadable PDF handout to collect emails.
Then, Bethany can share a post on her social media platforms about different planner layouts. And if she was intent on getting the most from her marketing efforts, she would film a video to put on YouTube.
Basically, you don’t need to recreate the wheel. If the movers and shakers in your genre are sharing Monday Motivation tips on Tik Tok, by golly, you might want to start doing that, too!
At Serious Writer, we want you to work smarter, not harder. We want you to save time and get a high return on your investment.
Find the winners. Determine the formula. Go create!
With everything going on in today’s world, you may be wondering why to be a writer 2022. Well luckily we have some thoughts that could help with your decision!
Writing is on the Rise
The global content writing industry is growing at an unprecedented rate. Grammarly is an app that helps you write and check your work. In 2019, they recorded more than 35 billion words checked by their users. With 2.3 million blogs published every day, it’s no wonder that high volume and fast delivery are associated with quality work! This signifies increased demand for quality material with correct grammar.” To keep the majority of writers from falling victim to errors in their writing or Grammarly applications being used incorrectly by mistake; they’re moving towards error-free digital content like sponsored posts for 2019 which will bring about a new chapter on how we approach the English language.
Mobile is Key
Mobile is the way of today’s world and search engines have noticed. With more people using mobile devices for accessing information, there has been an increase in demand from both companies who want their website optimized towards small screens as well as individuals looking to read long-form content when they are on these types of phones or tablets instead! The content of today is more engaging and easier to read than ever before. With SEO optimizations mobile reach has been pushed to new heights. Not only does it have more visibility than traditional websites, but you can also offer them apps and other interactive content that they may enjoy!
Social Media
The internet is a vast, expansive place with many different sources of information. It’s logical that people would filter what they want from these platforms and ignore junk; however the trend these days seems to be less so as social media has become our main source for everything in life – including news! Nowadays you can’t get anywhere without building up some sort of presence on social media. So, it’s important when utilizing such powerful tools like Linkedin/Facebook, etc.,
Use of Tools of the Trade
Content writers, must develop a tool kit, of the best tools available such as Grammarly for English language checking and Quetext if they hope to be succesful. In order to produce large volumes in quick time periods with excellent quality intact – it is essential that you are fast but also write engaging material which does not contain any spelling or grammatical errors whatsoever!
Freelancing Platforms and Academic Services
The global economy is booming, but there are still many markets that have not been fully explored. One of these unmet needs for writing services can be attributed to the rise in demand from students and business companies who want quality content. So these entrepreneurs see this as an opportunity that has not yet been fully exploited- leading to increased demand from all corners! There is a healthy competition on these platforms that benefits both kids and adults. The more competitors there are, the better services each one provides because of their differing abilities to offer what people want at any given time–this makes for higher quality products in terms or content as well as information about them available from sources such parents would be interested.
Current Affairs and News
In this fast-paced society, it is imperative that writers keep up with trends and post at an incredible speed in order for their work not become obsolete. Copywriting requires individuals who can update themselves on newest topics like cryptocurrency which has been one of hottest lately globally- especially after recent skyrocketing prices! Today’s users are hungry for more than just the latest news. CarVeto reports 58% of their customers buy a car check via mobile device and 13%, respectively with tablets! The high percentage is due in part because drivers want to research the history on-the go when buying cars but also enjoy purchasing digital products or services if they’re out shopping.”
How about checking out Serious Writers Academy. Serious Writers is a great way to learn how write and publish your first novel. With Serious Writer’s online courses, you can start on the right track with lessons that cover everything from plotting out scenes in advance all while building up momentum for when it comes time actually sit down at keyboard or pen-paper!
“The ones that work the hardest and hustle the most get the book deals.” – Cyle Young
“If someone tells you that you need platform, they’re just eliminating their competition.” — Bethany Jett
“…net of minutia…” – Cyle Young
“You don’t get a pass for being new.” — Bethany Jett
“An erratic writing life produces erratic results. A consistent writing life produces consistent results.” — Cyle Young
LINK: Bethany quoted Seth Godin as building the platform “three years” ago. Here’s the actual quote we need to share: “The best time to start that was seven years ago. The second best time is right now. So start!” – Seth Godin Reference link: https://writetodone.com/seth-godin-part-2/
