Writing With Ease
Inspiring Daily Writing for Beginners
Inspiration is only a click away
In order to earn money on Medium, I have to write content. There are a lot of tips and tricks out there to hone the skills of titling, editing, building, and publishing to get the most out of every article but at the end of the day, writers need to do only one thing to make money: they must write.
Inspiration comes to me from time to time. Often I have to go to it. I have to find it. Over the past two months, I have found some free and easy ways to connect to the inspiration that is all around me.
Respond to Medium notifications with thoughtfulness
Notifications are exciting. I cheer for mine on the daily. But notifications are something far greater: they are opportunities. Writing words in response to friendly supporters or less friendly hecklers is the first of many opportunities I have in a day to create words. I like to think of them as a kind of writer’s lubrication.
Because of my conversations with other fabulous writers who commented on my articles and who also love to travel like me, I came to realize something about myself and my voice. Then, I wrote about it:
Read other writers
And comment! Commenting is another form of lubrication. Reading other writers’ writing inspires me to write and gives me ideas to write articles on similar subjects in my own style. I’m not talking about copying or plagiarizing; I won’t even go there.
I do gleam treasures from other stellar artists and writers that I love and I most assuredly give those authors credit when they inspire me to write. Other writers do it, too!
The first time I saw this done well was by another writer on Medium. She had read another article and contrasted her position in a jovial, effortless way that made for a fabulous read. She even gave cred (a big thank you) to her inspiration. Take a look:
Unsplash (or other free stock photo sites)
Pictures are worth a thousand words. At the very least, they are worth 400–600 for a 2–3 minute story. If I’m feeling particularly dry, I surf some stellar pics in a category of my interest and get writing.
This poem is silly, but this rat inspired me. Check out the pic that I couldn’t pass by:
Utilize story webs
I love using pen and paper to list, organize, and build my stories. I take a big piece of sketch paper and start writing the words that pop into my mind, drawing lines between them and circling, starring, and scratching out as I go.
This story began with two words, handwritten on a page: taste and breasts. It was nothing and then, it became:
Make drafts of good and bad ideas
Drafts are drafts. That’s what that area under the “stories” tab is for! I use it all the time. I set up good ideas and bad ideas like they have a chance. Every now and again I’ll purge it — decluttering my back drafts — but before that happens I will have written a ton of content.
This was a bad idea that turned into something awesome:
Just start writing
When in doubt, I journal. Something is bound to crop up that I’m geeked to go on about for 2–5 minutes. I’ll notice a story forming or maybe I write, realize it’s crap, write a bit more, and then step away for a few minutes.
This article is killing it right now. It’s one of the “just start writing about love” variety:
Take a break
Sometimes I need to stop writing. I’ll go for a walk, get a snack, do a puzzle, or tidy up a bit. In excess, stopping is the writer’s quicksand, but balance is key in every aspect of life. Fifteen minutes to an hour of unplugging my mind from catcalling words can be the most efficient way to get words on the www.
This story happened after one such break. That break not only gave me one story, but it gave me the idea for a whole line of stories. I’ve always been one to give TMI and now it’s a sensation:
Prompts and challenges
Plethora is the word that comes to my mind. There are so many prompts and challenges out there. I haven’t done any myself, but people swear by them. If they get writers writing then that’s all that matters. I have written for other writers who asked for a line or two.
This article is one of the best. J-Pro has done multiple call-outs to his followers to send in questions, the results of which are gut-busting, witty, and heartful every time:
Happy Writing! I hope this article has you inspired to get inspired. Big Love.
I’m Brett Jenae Tomlin, The Anxious Enthusiast.
A big thank you to Cara Marie & Jason Provencio for doing a bit of inspiring!
If you love, love, love my writing and want to shout out, “You get it, anxious girl!” You can contribute to my cookbook collection here or join Medium to put your own stamp on the web and the world. I get a little love if you use my link ^^
