Being a writer is more than just scribbling words on a piece of paper, or typing at the speed of light on a PC. What usually gets in the way of a prolific writer and the spectrum of thoughts is the most dreaded syndrome for any writer, “the writer’s block”. Every writer has gone through this at numerous points and it is not something you can perpetually get rid of.

However the good news is that there are ways to fight it when it comes around. It is more like a ‘flu’ or fever that is temporary, and the cure does exist.

1. There is no such thing as “enough reading”: That would be like saying “I have eaten enough, and now I do not have to eat for the rest of my life”. The key to be a good and productive writer is to expand your reading. But only reading a certain type of genre is not enough. Venture out and read all kinds of books, because while some would interest and entertain you, others would end up educating you.
2. Document ideas in a journal: even if you are on your way to the grocery store and something you see or hear triggers off a profound thought in your mind, jot it down. Keeping these random thoughts in one place may be a good idea for when you are stuck for ideas.
3. Make an outline before you fill in the colors: It is important to brainstorm ideas before you actually sit down to write an article. Think about the subject, think about your views on it, ask people questions related to it, and then write out some bullet points which you can then elaborate on. This will help your thoughts flow and would also give your literary piece more structure.
4. Write out of habit: Even a healthy person exercises to keep their body fit and lean. In the same way it is important to keep writing consistently. If one does not write regularly, they would get stuck with ideas more often. The more you write, the better you learn to channelize your thoughts.

Practice makes you perfect or at least near perfect. The key is to keep writing even if you don’t think you have reached your potential, because ultimately you would. Giving up and getting annoyed is only going to slow down the thought process. Staying calm and taking time out is the best way to get back into your thoughts because a positive mind is the only way to produce positive thoughts and ideas and to get rid of the writer’s block.

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The fact that Twitter empowers you to build a huge audience base and serves as a boon to your business is no news. But do you realize that tweeting a more too often can make you a better writer? Well, credit the 140 characters limit for the effect:

Get to the Point Faster, Shorter

A tweet forces you to be brief. It requires you to get your message across in the simplest of language. Whilst you may be the guy who searches for long and flowery adjectives while writing, Twitter does not give you room for that. And before you know it, you are conveying a message or an idea without using too many layers. You begin realizing that you don’t have to be descriptive while describing something in the most explainable manner. You can directly get to the point, without a prologue and still garner readership. The Twitterverse has redefined penmanship.

Exercise Your Vocabulary, without being Extravagant

Since 140 characters are all you can write, you need to shrug yourself off the rich words that force readers to scramble for dictionary. On Twitter, you readers won’t do that. They would just rotate the mouse wheel to scroll to the next Tweet and there goes your chance to gain new readers. So while you start getting accustomed to writing simple, adequately descriptive and yet a mix of words in your tweet, it shows on your blog/article site. You get better at using verbs as well.

What to Leave Out

When you are writing a blog piece, you are eyeing, let’s say, 400 words. There is a lot of redundant information that is included with or without intentions. Inevitably, while drafting long write-ups, you sometimes lose the sight of what your readers might be interested in reading. On Twitter, you have to write the action-oriented words that have the best possible chance of drawing response from the readers. Just get the message across. Writing ‘about’ that message can be done on some other platform, on some other day.

Linear Writing

Blogs and articles give you the freedom of being all over the place. You start writing on a topic, meander off it and then come back. Whilst this might interest a segment of readers would like your article to be not one dimensional,  there are those with a lesser attention span who would only jump the paragraphs. Blogs make you ponder over words and sentences – at times disproportionately, but a Tweet lets to eliminate the redundant thought process and impede your though right then and there, without spending dime of an extra second.

You might argue that Twitter is an oddball platform for improving your writing style,  but as an under-literary way of writing, Tweets can help you curb the on-line blabbering and write with more focus.
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When it comes to web writing, people have definitely left their inhibitions behind. Talking of literary and communicative freedom, web writing has long surpassed the idea. There are no boundaries for web writing which is loosely based on the fact that the people of the world have unending queries and there is an eternity of knowledge out there to be explored. The dressing on this is the speed and connectivity feature added by the internet.

Now, with web writing being such a dynamic field, what does it hold in totality? As it is evident for every piece of work, web writing also takes into account certain key factors that are there to make sure the content is perceived the way it set out to mean.

Knowledge: Knowledge is an uncompromising aspect of web writing. The premise is set with the idea that people come to web looking for answers and the web pages need to cater to that demand, thus, the rise of the immense knowledge pool. Thanks to pages like Wikipedia people have nearly something about everything to feed upon.

Verification: With the talk of knowledge and its expanse, it becomes essential to have it all verified. Web does not really discriminate and there can be numerous sources but that’s one reason why content need be verified. A good research is always welcome in this regard.

Censorship: Now that it is content of all sorts, it is important to know what should go into appearance before a totally vulnerable audience. Web censorship is not exactly held in strict regards because people, largely, are looking for all kinds of information. But websites do follow certain code of conduct and try not to break the rule.

Security: The information shared on the internet is from both ends. Here, the information provided by the author more or less becomes a guide for the reader. This however can be manipulated and twisted for unwanted means. Thus, it is crucial for a web writer to understand the terms and conditions under which the content must fall.

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The digital age brings with it many irresistible evils, one of which is the ease of copy-paste of content freely available on the Internet. With regard to the amount of knowledge that the digital age has made, it has become so very easy to share collaboratively, I often thing what use is adding any more information when a lot is readily available to be used over and over again. Someone correctly said that “in the digital age, it’s not plagiarism, it’s repurposing”.

Speaking in the context of writing, one of the biggest revolutions that has ushered in is easy availability of copious information. We don’t even know how much text is within our reach. And here is the problem. The biggest problem that most of the writers are facing today is, not needing to write any more any longer. It may seem as the biggest paradox ever, but it’s true that with the diminishing need of having to write content, the content writing industry today is at its peak nowadays.

The focus today is just not creating content; that, the homosapiens have been doing since ages. The concern for the industry today is to negotiate the information that is available in a humongous quantity. Imagine how difficult or challenging it would be to create 20 writings on the same topics. The task ahead of writers is towering. Writers across the globe share the same content pool and creating different versions to save the work from being tagged as “copied” is smart art.

The ‘unoriginal genius’ should not be mistaken as someone who remoulds content intelligently. That definitely is a leverage that is available to them. Young writers can’t be stopped from taking cues from the given content pool. Repurposing the information according to your need has become essential. Almost everyone does that. Students do it. Writers do it. Damn! Even lyricists do it.

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Travel writing is one of the most delightful activities for most writers. Given that travelling across the world is one of most followed passion for many individuals, a travel writer does the job of recreating a place on paper for a curious reader. Since many readers travel to a place without actually getting there, travel writing has to be information dissolved with creativity.

Here are the 5 essentials that every travel writer must carry with him for a better experience-

1. Photography Equipments- A travel write-up is incomplete without the pictures of the place visited.  As a travel writer, your aim is to take your writers to where you already have been, through your words and pictures. For this purpose, make sure you carry photography equipments with you wherever you go. Carry your DSLR camera, batteries and charging devices.
2. Backpack- An explorer cannot afford to carry a heavy baggage wherever he goes. A travel writer has to have a backpack that perfectly fits all essentials – a few light clothes, body care kits, headphones etc. As a traveler, you may not always get the luxury of living in hotels and well organized places. Carrying a backpack is the need of the hour in such circumstances.
3. Map and guide books- A few places that you visit may not have the sign boards to guide you everywhere, hence, a map is a must for all those who travel into new places and especially travel writers. Guide books can be second priority as the deal is also about travelling into the lesser known.
4. Sharing devices- Many a times, some of the best write-ups turn out to be the ones written on the spot. Sharing the pictures of the place on the social media websites before a travel piece comes out is also a great way to keep your readers wanting for more. For this purpose, always carry your laptop, IPad or any other device that keeps you connected with the rest of the world.
5. A Notebook- Carrying a notebook may sound ancient, but it’s a must to have in your bag. One cannot write on a laptop while interviewing a local on the road. A notebook will help you get your facts right and collect the information too.

As they say, nothing is more enriching and enlightening than travelling. While you’re at it, ensure that you get the most out of a place using the essentials stated above.

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