The Writing Rut

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                                                       The Writing Rut

                                                       by Deborah Owen

The main difference between a rut and a coffin is that the coffin has the ends filled in. Take a serious look at your writing life and judge yourself.

  • When was the last time you spent a full hour doing nothing but writing?
  • When was the last time you submitted an article or story?
  • When was the last time you took a writing course?
  • When was the last time you completed a project?
  • When was the last time you sold something?

Don’t look now, but you’re probably in a writing rut.

  • Do you procrastinate writing?
  • Do you procrastinate writing education?
  • Do you select markets before you begin writing?
  • Do you analyze published articles in your prospective market?

If you don’t write, don’t learn, don’t research markets, and don’t analyze what your markets print, how do you expect to make progress? You’re driving nails in your writing coffin, my friend. You’re giving up everything you hold dear… and for what? A movie? To get your nails done?
Someday you’ll look back and realize life has
passed you by and you didn’t do the thing you wanted most.

Are you ready to say, “I want to bust out of my coffin/writing rut? When you’re ready to ask, “How can I do that?” you can be helped. No more excuses. No more procrastinating. Make a decision to get serious about your writing today. Here’s how:

1. Do you want to write fiction or nonfiction?
2. Start reading the magazines that print articles you want to imitate.
3. Write 15 minutes at the same time every day for one week. If you can’t think of anything to write, write a letter to the girl/guy who jilted you years ago, or write to a loved one who is gone. Practice writings put your mind in the groove.
4. On the second week, write 30 minutes at the same time every day.
5. If you’re writing a short story, make a rough outline that tells the main point of each scene. Answer 50 questions each about the two main characters.
6. Join a writing club, either local or online, and get active. These are the people who will give you the mo

most important feedback. Two good online writing clubs are www.writing.com and www.mywriterscircle.com. Writing.com is very large, and mywriterscircle.com is much smaller, but both are excellent.

At this point, you’ve done a self-analysis and have taken some steps to correct your course. What comes next?

Knowledge. Where do you get knowledge? At a writing school. I see you shaking your head and saying, “I can’t afford it.” Did you know there are a lot of free writing courses on the internet? But be warned, there is no teacher to grade your work so there’s no way to tell if you understood the lesson properly and made the proper applications. Still, if that’s all you can do, at least it’s something!

If you enter the selling arena without proper preparation, you will get trampled in the stampede. Taking writing lessons is not an option. If you want to become a selling writer, it is an absolute necessity. How much do you need? Usually three courses. Up to five if you want to hit professional status.

Creative Writing Institute  is a nonprofit charity and for that reason, we can offer the best prices on the net. We don’t use school terms because every student receives a private tutor, so you can sign up for your course at http://cwinst.com/registration_step1.php today and begin tonight.

What? No money? We’ve got you covered. Break it into four easy payments. We won’t even charge interest. No administration fee. No registration fee. Can’t beat that.

Kick the header and footer out of your coffin right now. Rise from the dead and take your place as a serious writer. Creative Writing Institute will help you every step of the way. What? You want a discount? Alright. Write to deborahowen@CWinst.com and Deb will give you one!

NOW what is your excuse? The decision you make today will determine your tomorrow.

Short Story Contest Extended to September 15

Great News for Procrastinators!

We have extended the short story contest and raised the first prize. The rest is up to you! What a fantastic opportunity to get published in our fifth anthology.

Don’t forget to use the theme sentence. I am completely and utterly lost.  See guidelines and prizes on our site at www.CreativeWritingInstitute.com.

Remember – you can get lost physically, spiritually or emotionally. What happens in that journey? What changes? That is your story. And remember that real life takes a turn for the worse just when you think things are about to get better! Write your story the same way. Good luck!