Forks, Washington, is the actual town where the fictional series takes place.

Beahm says

“this ]]> If you’re a fan of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, you’ll probably like Twilight Tours: the Illustrated Guide to the REAL Forks, which, as it happens, has just been written and published my uncle George Beahm, in collaboration with the Forks Chamber of Commerce.

Forks, Washington, is the actual town where the fictional series takes place.

Beahm says

“this guidebook was especially written for Twilight fans who want an insider’s photo-illustrated guide to the small town in Washington State that novelist Stephenie Meyer put on the literary map.”

Stats: 112 pages • full color throughout • $11.95 paperback • $19.95 hardback • In bookstores nationwide on August 1, 2009.

For a peek inside the book, click this link.

For those writer-types out there who, like myself actually, aren’t interested in the Twilight series, you should still visit Beahm’s website for the book, as it offers a really good example of how to set up a website to market your book.

In addition to talking about the book itself, Beahm provides a lot of substantive material to entice people to buy the book, such as:

# A Peek Inside
# Forks photos
# About the Contributors
# Book Contents
# web links
# Ordering the book
# interview

I’ve looked through the book myself and it has really good photos; they give a face to many places mentioned throughout the Twilight series. And I’m not a fan of Twilight; never read the books. But this guidebook was definitely fun to browse through.

Check out the official website for Twilight Tours: the Illustrated Guide to the REAL Forks, written by George Beahm, with the Forks Chamber of Commerce.

“When I face the desolate impossibility of writing 500 pages, a sick sense of failure falls on ]]> I recently finished reading One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer, and found an interesting quote by John Steinbeck, author of the The Grapes of Wrath, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940:

“When I face the desolate impossibility of writing 500 pages, a sick sense of failure falls on me, and I know I can never do it. Then gradually, I write one page and then another. One day’s work is all that I can permit myself to contemplate.”

Steinbeck’s take is similar to Robert Ringer’s, whom I quoted from in my post Writer’s Block or Procrastination? Be Honest:

“In my experience, after I force myself to start writing, a seamless transition takes place and I become motivated.”

Writer’s block? Just begin writing, even a little bit, and you should be able to overcome it.

That’s what works for me.

Share your go-to drink in the comments to my guest post at 22 Words, ]]> When I’m about to write, I often brew a cup of hot green tea or make sure I have on hand some cold bottled green tea–enough caffeine to pick me up but not so much as coffee, which apparently, gives me headaches.

Share your go-to drink in the comments to my guest post at 22 Words, What do you drink to fuel your writing?

See you there.

I’ve shared some of the best writing advice I could offer, trying to present it in an engaging, clear manner. I’ve ]]> For about a year and half now, I’ve been blogging on (more or less) how to write well–close to a year here at Robust Writing and about six months at my original blog, Vigorous Writing.

I’ve shared some of the best writing advice I could offer, trying to present it in an engaging, clear manner. I’ve also addressed productivity issues as well as endorsed regular reading, while warning against excessive reading.

It’s been a lot of fun (as well as time-consuming, given the way I prefer to write my posts).

Today, I wanted to write one more massive post (as I’m wont to do) on the best writing advice I could give you, but felt exhausted just thinking about doing that.

Besides, I’ve written almost a year’s worth of writing advice here at the blog. So, instead, I looked back through the Robust Writing archives and picked out my favorite 10 posts.

Six deal with writing; three address productivity; and one is an interview with my brother.

Taken together, you can get a pretty good idea of my approach to writing. And hopefully, you’ve benefited (or can if you haven’t read them yet) from these posts.

Some of these are almost a year old so they may be new to you.

Peruse this list and let me know which one is your favorite. Or perhaps you like some other post not in my list–share it in the comments.

In alphabetical order, these are the top 10 Robust Writing posts as determined by me, the author of Robust Writing. You dig?

Here we go:

The Top 10 Robust Writing Posts

1. 5 Ways to Become a Good Writer

2. Achievers Practice Skills While Dreamers Just Study Them

3. How My Brother Uses Blogging to Get Jobs

4. How to Become a More Clear and Concise Writer by Reading Road Signs

5. How to Write Error Free: A 10 Point Checklist

6. One Simple Trick to Writing Concisely

7. Too Much Reading Can Destroy Your Life

8. Use Everyday Words to Create Vivid Images in Your Writing

9. Why I Prefer Email to RSS for Reading Blogs

10. Writer’s Block or Procrastination? Be Honest

I won’t be writing any more gargantuan posts on how to write better (#5 on the list, from last month was the capstone for that type of post, at over 1800 words), but I can tell you this:

If you forced me to give you my top two suggestions for improving your writing skills, I’d say do the following:

1. Read every day.

2. Write every day.

Do that and you’ll be alright.

I enjoy using Twitter. It’s a fun way to practice writing concisely with substance. I’m forced to express a clear, (sometimes) substantive idea in 140 characters or less.

If done wisely, Twitter can also be a cheap, effective way to market your business. For example, NPR recently ran this story: “Tweeting Food Truck ]]> The Pros of Twitter

I enjoy using Twitter. It’s a fun way to practice writing concisely with substance. I’m forced to express a clear, (sometimes) substantive idea in 140 characters or less.

If done wisely, Twitter can also be a cheap, effective way to market your business. For example, NPR recently ran this story: “Tweeting Food Truck Draws L.A.’s Hungry Crowds,” about Kogi, a Korean BBQ-To-Go company. An excerpt:

“Forget Spago Beverly Hills. The hottest place to eat in Los Angeles right now serves food out of a truck and owes a large part of its success to Twitter….

On a recent evening, hundreds of people stood in line in L.A.’s Little Tokyo neighborhood to try the much-heralded tacos. Chuck Chun, who drove in from Orange County, waited an hour and a half to place his order for $26 worth of food.

Chun found the truck with the help of a tool that has become the necessity of any serious foodie these days — a Twitter account.

‘You’ve got to go on Twitter to get the most up-to-date news on what kind of specials they have that day or where they are,’ Chun explains.”

You can use Twitter to easily network with people in your industry or hobbies, and you can find potential customers on there as well, if you know how to look.

I’ve even gotten free samples of products from one of my favorite companies simply by being contacted by one of their PR reps after she saw one of my tweets about her company.

And, Twitter is just plain fun.

The Cons of Twitter

But that said, Twitter, like any other social media platform (blogs included), can be a monstrous waste of time, as well as a narcissistic expression of vapidity.

It can encourage “you to narrate your life in real time as opposed to, well … living it,” writes Leonard Pitts for the Miami Herald.

A Times Online article features two psychologists warning against the potential dangers of Twitter:

“The clinical psychologist Oliver James has his reservations. ‘Twittering stems from a lack of identity. It’s a constant update of who you are, what you are, where you are. Nobody would Twitter if they had a strong sense of identity.’

‘We are the most narcissistic age ever,’ agrees Dr David Lewis, a cognitive neuropsychologist and director of research based at the University of Sussex. ‘Using Twitter suggests a level of insecurity whereby, unless people recognise you, you cease to exist. It may stave off insecurity in the short term, but it won’t cure it.’” [Emphasis mine]

And, let’s get real. I’m pretty sure Twitter will not revolutionize the way we do business, despite what some self-proclaimed SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERT (expert? really?) tries to tell you.

It may play a significant part in the way some companies do business, like Kogi, for example. But the foundational principles necessary for good business throughout history will remain, regardless of the technology employed.

Newsflash: everyone is not talking about companies all day long on Twitter; many folks are talking about how bright the sun is shining outside or why they don’t want to get off the couch.

Watch this Hilarious Video about Twitter

In sum, I enjoy Twitter, I see legitimate potential for business use on there, but I can see myself eventually getting off of Twitter. Why?

Well, if those last two quotes weren’t jarring enough, watch this hilarious, insightful cartoon short by Supernews:

Twouble with Twitters

I’ve watched it several times, laughing heartily each time, each time feeling more of an urge to quit using the micro blogging service.

My bottom-line view of Twitter (assuming that anyone cares) is that Twitter, like so much else in life, is what you make of it. Forget about the Web 2.0–or is it 3.0 now?–”experts” and their rules, and just use it how you want to.

However, if you find yourself turning into Craig or one of his buddies in that Supernews video, you might want to get off, go outside, shoot some basketball (or whatever), and gasp!, not tell a soul about it.

And maybe stay off it for good.

What do you think about the points I’ve raised here?

Oh yeah, you can follow me on Twitter at:

http://twitter.com/jessehines

P.S.

Supernews also did a spot-on, wickedly smart cartoon in which Friendster, Facebook and Myspace are three bachelor roommates living in an apartment in Santa Monica, CA. Watch it here:

Friend Request: Hookin\’ Up: Supernews

You Gotta Revise

You have to revise your writing because, as Strunk and White note in The Elements of Style,

“Few writers are so expert that they can produce what they are after on the first ]]> Want to produce high quality writing? Then you should rigorously revise and proof your work before you publish it. It’s really non-negotiable.

You Gotta Revise

You have to revise your writing because, as Strunk and White note in The Elements of Style,

“Few writers are so expert that they can produce what they are after on the first try.”

I’m not. You probably aren’t either. Before you publish your post or send off your article, you need to make sure you’ve covered everything necessary, as well as having written engagingly enough to keep people reading.

You Gotta Proof

You have to proofread your writing because any false statistic can irreparably weaken your argument; misspelling someone’s name or ascribing the wrong title (CEO, Manager, Secretary…) to someone can do the same. It also shows a lack of respect for the people you’re writing about (that you didn’t bother to make sure you got it right) and a lack of attention to detail.

Conceding that we’re all human and that errors inevitably slip through, I believe we can almost always write error free–if we want it badly enough.

**Note: If  you don’t care about writing accurately and professionally, because you’re just out there to publish constant content so that Google will rank your blog higher (and thus, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!), then you shouldn’t be reading this post. It’ll just waste your time. This is for writers who are committed to excellence, those who might even want to write in venues beyond blogs.**

I’m borderline fanatical when it comes to proofing my writing, whether newspaper articles or blog posts. I want to get it right.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve developed a writing/revising/proofing checklist that one, focuses my efforts clearly, and two, dramatically reduces the likelihood that any errors will get through. You should have one yourself, adapted to your needs and temperament.

Mine contains, on most days, 10 points, depending on the situation. But these 10 points are the core. Let’s imagine I’m about to write one of my newspaper articles, profiling a local company. This is likely how I’d proceed:

1. Read All Background Material/Research

I gather all of my notes, interview transcripts, fact sheets, and company brochures. I also pull up the company’s website and make sure I have the business cards of my interview subjects.

I’ll read everything I have, highlighting the most important quotes, statistics, and bits of information I plan to use.

Having done that, I now organize the sources I’ll use most on my desk, discarding anything not relevant.

2. Write a Thesis

Remember thesis statements from high school or college? A thesis statement is generally one or two sentences in which you clearly lay out your focus, idea, or argument.

Normally, our thesis statement is contained within our article, telling our readers what the piece is about. What I’m talking about is something you write just for yourself. I explain this in my guest post at Think Simple Now, Pen Zen: Bring Clarity to Writing:

“Whenever you have something to write, take a few minutes to think your subject through, and then write out, in one or two short sentences, the main idea you’re trying to get across. Think about your purpose with this piece of writing and your expected outcome.

Do this for yourself, as a guiding structure for your writing, and refer back to it regularly to stay on track toward your primary argument.”

I use my Twitter update box because it only allows me 140 characters, forcing me to think clearly and precisely about my topic so I can concisely express it.

Thesis statement completed, I now have a clear focus for how I want to write about this company, which aspects are most important to convey to readers.

3. Write the Headline/Title

Many writers probably write their articles or posts first, and then try to fit their title to what they’ve written. Doesn’t work for me.

I write the title before I write the content.

Having done my background reading and hammered out a thesis statement, I know what the content will largely contain. While a thesis statement is a promise we make to ourselves, as Copyblogger says, our

“headline is a promise to prospective readers. Its job is to clearly communicate the benefit that [we] will deliver to the reader in exchange for their valuable time.”

From that Think Simple Now post, I wrote this concerning penning the headline first:

“As you’re writing, imagine yourself in the place of your readers; continually ask yourself if the arguments you’re making, the prose you’re writing, truly fulfills the promise made to your readers.”

A good thesis statement combined with a good, attention grabbing headline combines to keep my focus on track–am I saying what’s necessary and only what’s necessary?

4. Create an Outline

Like thesis statements, you may remember writing outlines from your school days–that thing with Roman numerals, letters, and numbers.

From the State University of New York at Albany’s web page, How to Write an Outline:

“An outline breaks down the parts of your thesis in a clear, hierarchical manner. Most students find that writing an outline before beginning the paper is most helpful in organizing one’s thoughts. If your outline is good, your paper should be easy to write.”

True. Once I’ve developed a solid outline, writing the article is, in a sense, simply filling in the blanks. My outlines go something like this:

I. Introduction: Catchy and engaging story or quote

II. Body

A. What the company does, basic services and products

B. Who they are: my interview subject, other employees

C. What makes the company unique, why they’re good

D. Anything special or notable worth mentioning

III. Conclusion: Strong quote, bring it all together

Now, finally, armed with a clear, strong, relevant, and focused thesis, title, and outline, I’m ready to actually write the article.

If this sounds like a lot of prep time, it isn’t necessarily. I can get all of this knocked out in less than 30 minutes. It also means that my time actually spent writing won’t take as long as it would if I were winging it, lacking clear focus.

5. Write the Article

At this point, I usually turn on fast-paced music to get me going in a free-flowing mood.

In contrast to my methodical, strict approach leading up to the actual writing, I’m now ready to just write without too much analyzing, to put down everything I think might be relevant (even if it ultimately isn’t) and get creative. I don’t bother with correcting spelling or punctuation right now.

I simply write, as engagingly and creatively and thoroughly as I can–enjoying the act of creation–and continue until I’ve reached both my word count (these articles are usually 500 to 700 words) and have included everything I think is important.

Then, I take a break.

6. Do a Quick Proof

Arriving back to the article after I’ve refreshed and gotten away from it for a bit, I’m now ready to finish it.

I’ll use the spellchecker on my word processor to catch the easy, obvious errors, such as blatant misspellings or missing commas.

Then, I’ll print out the article, and do a more thorough proof with the hard-copy version, catching errors that the spellchecker missed–if you’re primarily relying on your spellchecker or other software to proof your work, you’re going to let errors pass through.

7. Fact Check

Now, I turn off the music, and really focus. The creativity has already occurred and the analytical must return.

Sticking with the print version of my article, I’ll now fact check everything: names, titles, statistics, quotes, links. Anything that can be independently verified (meaning I can be called out on it if I get it wrong) is verified.

I’ll run through the article, line by line, thoroughly, at least once, to ensure that everyone’s name is correctly spelled, their correct title is given, the name of the company is correct, and any figures and quotes used are accurate.

8. Edit and Revise the Article

Still working with the hard copy version, I’ll now edit and revise it. I might need to bring my word count down–I may have written 800 words but can only use 600–and even if I haven’t, I can improve the article by cutting out words, making it more concise and smooth.

I’ll ruthlessly eliminate any unnecessary words (like the, that, and…) whenever possible, as well as whole sentences and paragraphs if I feel they don’t really contribute to the story.

Here’s two examples from this post. I’ve used the strike through tool to highlight the words in my original sentences that I ultimately cut when I edited this post.

Example 1

“Conceding that we’re all human and that errors will inevitably slip through at times, I still believe that we can all almost always write error free–if we want it badly enough.”

Example 2

Remember thesis statements from when you were in high school or college? A thesis statement is generally one or two sentences in which you clearly lay out what your focus, idea, or argument is.

I’ll often write an entirely new opening, or perhaps switch the original opening to the middle or the end. This is where I make sure I’ve said everything that should be said, in the way that it should be said.

I try to put myself into my reader’s eyes, imagining how it reads if I just picked the paper up off the newsstand.

Is it interesting, engaging, thorough, well-written?

9. Final Proof

Having made all necessary changes, by now I’m ready to do the final proof. I print out the the edited and revised version, and read it twice:

• Once, again, imagining I’m a reader: Is it worth reading?
• Second, looking for any errors that may have survived so I can kill them

10. Send It Off

Done. Finally!

Now that I’ve written the article, and checked it several times, I’m confident that it says what it needs to say and that it contains no errors.

It may, but usually, after that much deliberative action and rigorous proofing, it won’t.

There you go, my 10 point checklist for writing articles that get published and allow me to be paid (I use a variation of the checklist for my blog). You should create your own version, one you’re comfortable with, so you can write error free, for the most part.

It may sound tortuous, but it really isn’t. The checklist gives me a nice guide, so I can see my progress, checking off each task once it’s finished. And by now, it doesn’t take that long. It’s seamless for me.

But, yes, it is hard work. Most quality writing is.

Your Turn

Do you have a similar process? Anything missing in my checklist you think should be there?

Any errors in this post that I didn’t catch?

William Zinsser, in his book, On Writing Well, says:

“Style is organic to the person doing the writing, as much a part of him as his hair, or, if he is bald, his lack of it. Trying to add ]]> First, the number one rule for not writing with style: try to write with style. It won’t work.

William Zinsser, in his book, On Writing Well, says:

“Style is organic to the person doing the writing, as much a part of him as his hair, or, if he is bald, his lack of it. Trying to add style is like adding a toupee. At first glance the formerly bald man looks young and even handsome. But at second glance—and with a toupee there is always a second glance—he doesn’t look quite right. The problem is not that he doesn’t look well groomed; he does, and we can only admire the wigmaker’s almost perfect skill. The point is that he doesn’t look like himself.

This is the problem of the writer who sets out deliberately to garnish his prose. You lose whatever it is that makes you unique. The reader will usually notice if you are putting on [end of page 20] airs.” [Emphasis mine]

The number one rule for actually writing with style? Zinsser says:

“He [the reader] wants the person who is talking to him to sound genuine. Therefore a fundamental rule is: be yourself.” [Emphasis mine]

I’ve said the same thing, in my guest post, 3 Easy Ways to Write with Style, for Write to Done. I wrote:

“Write the way you naturally speak–that is your unique style. It’s you coming through the words to your readers, who eventually, will come to recognize your way of communicating as unique to you. Compare…Faulkner and Hemingway. They have very different writing styles, but they’re both highly regarded. Faulkner wrote long, descriptive, ornate sentences; Hemingway wrote short, to-the-point sentences. Each man’s style worked for him….As long as you have something valuable to say, just say it in your own voice, and as time rolls on, you’ll find that you’ve developed a writing style you can call your own. And that’s style.”

So, forget about deliberately trying to write with style and focus rather on expressing your honest ideas as clearly as you can. The style will take care of itself.

I know that when I purposely try to jazz up my writing instead of simply and clearly making my point , it just messes everything up–my meaning becomes muddled and I lose my unique voice. And there’s definitely no style there, either. Have you experienced this?

And do you agree that being yourself is the key to writing with what we call “style”?

P.S.

Do read William Zinsser’s chapters on Simplicity, Clutter, and Style (chapters 2 through 4 of his book On Writing Well)–those three chapters form a sort of essay on good, clear writing that rivals George Orwell’s classic essay on writing, Politics and the English Language.

I highly recommend reading both if you want to clean up and significantly improve your writing.

The Internet is filled with advice for better blog writing. Robust Writing is just one fine example of the thousands ]]> [Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Jim Bessey, who writes the Kitchens & Baths by D'Zyne blog: the online worksite home for D'Zyne Construction. You can learn more about Jim on his Helium page.]

The Internet is filled with advice for better blog writing. Robust Writing is just one fine example of the thousands of sources for blogging tips. If you take the best advice and mix it with creativity and effort, you just might attract an audience. Some of you, however, might prefer the freedom you enjoy by blogging in obscurity, unencumbered by bothersome comments from pesky readers.

As a veteran blogger, I’ve learned from experience and keen observation exactly how to get rid of those annoying readers. I can’t guarantee your success in this quest. These techniques require practice and patience.

You may want to experiment with just one or two in combination; using all four approaches at once might be too obvious and attract numerous comments. Let’s have a look at four proven methods you can use to achieve Internet Independence from blog readers.

1. Write a Great Title. Immediately Move Off-topic

Readers expect your introductory paragraph to support the title’s premise. With the current emphasis on keywords and SEO effectiveness, many articles use this timeworn essay construction. How dull. Take some time instead to offer an intriguing background story first. Be sure to obscure any possible connection between your story and your title.

You may have noticed articles in respected publications like Reader’s Digest that appear to use this technique. Don’t be deceived. Experienced writers often employ a structure called PBS–Problems, Benefits, Solutions–to sharpen readers’ interest in an otherwise dull topic. Here’s an example (entirely fabricated), so you’ll know what to avoid:

“Can Whiter Teeth Change Your Life?”

“Jane had a good job as an executive assistant for a major finance firm. As a single mom, she worked fifty-hour weeks to support her three small children. After seven years in the same position, she had seven annual reviews with two percent raises to show for her efforts. Several of her peers were promoted, while Jane was left behind. Frustrated and discouraged, Jane finally asked a co-worker for advice. She learned, to her dismay, that her yellowed teeth were holding her back from advancement.”

See how that final sentence suddenly brought everything together?

The author would probably go on to quote statistics showing how whiter teeth lead to success. This lures readers deeper into the story as they search for answers to the title’s question.

Don’t make this mistake if your goal is to scare off unwanted, dull-witted readers.

2. Use Lots of Fancy Fonts and Colors for Amazing Visual Flare

You’ve seen plenty of boring websites that use the same old sans-serif fonts in simplistic layouts. What fun is writing if you don’t include some jazzy formatting?

Creativity goes far beyond words. Today’s web publishing software offers hundreds of types of styles and thousands of possible text and background colors.

For deep, dark thoughts, try blue text on a black background. Even better, form an image background that repeats endlessly–very creative! Christmas musings could be written in green print on a bright red page. Consider complementary colors: orange on purple, for instance. You don’t want your website to look like all those other ordinary sites, do you?

Be sure to load in lots of images. Pictures say so much. If one picture is worth a thousand words, why not include several?

When properly combined with artistic headline fonts and colorful backgrounds, a montage of pictures accompanying your text expresses your inner self perfectly. Once published, your page will load so slowly that only the most intrepid observers will suffer through the wait.

Someone who is strong enough to tolerate the interminable “page loading” message will certainly be a devoted reader, worthy of absorbing your brilliance.

3. Keep Your Paragraphs Really Long: You’ve Got a LOT to Say

Common wisdom for ADD-afflicted web surfers says “short paragraphs, lots of white space.” This means you have to keep creating new topic sentences with supporting text. How can you keep your train of thought if you do that?

Start out with an idea and just keep writing until you’ve cleared your mind of every related notion. When you’re in the zone you just have to go with the flow, right?

Sometimes you just have something on your mind and you have to get it out. Don’t worry about being repetitive or redundant. Restating the same thought in several different ways helps you understand your own intentions.

If you write with your readers in mind, then you’ll lose some of the nuances of what you are trying to express.

Don’t let the fact that you’ve run out of things to say make you stop writing. Explore the depths of your mind for other related concepts and find ways to drag them into the discussion.

Capturing your stream-of-consciousness may cost you readers, but the chance that you might snare just one original insight makes it all worthwhile.

One last thing…

4. Promise More Than You Deliver

No need to elaborate, and that’s more than enough sarcasm for one writing tips article.

Now, here are four real tips to grab and keep readers if you’ve decided that’s what you really want after all:

• Write an attention-grabbing title. However, avoid mystery, cuteness, and inside jokes–unless, of course, you believe your entire subscriber list will “get it.”

• Revel in simplicity! Keep your layout eye-friendly and professional, and use colors carefully. Avoid mixing fonts at all costs. Use special formatting, even bold and italics, conservatively. Your readers should understand immediately why you’ve added emphasis.

• Present your thoughts clearly and surround them with white space. Stay concise by using short paragraphs and uncomplicated sentences. Say what’s on your mind (and beware of wandering off-topic). Ask questions, challenge your readers to act, and be done with it.

• Leave your readers wanting more. This is the “secret” that all great writers employ; it’s also the hardest to pull off. Dangle one last thought unfinished and ask for feedback. “Tease” your next opinion piece. Ask for suggestions for a future essay. Write a two-part article. When your readers comment, “can’t wait to read your next post!” you’ll know you’ve succeeded.

[Editor’s Note: This has been a guest post by Jim Bessey, who writes the Kitchens & Baths by D'Zyne blog: the online worksite home for D'Zyne Construction.]

UPDATE

Jim’s post has generated a higher number of comments in the first 24 hours of being published than most of the posts here at Robust Writing receive. Aside from being a top-rate post, a big reason for that is that Jim is well-known on Helium.

In the comments, Barbara Whitlock says, “Jim is ALSO our top gun writer, mentor, editor and staff consultant for Helium.com, the largest writing community in the world.”

Check out Jim’s About Me page at Helium.

A writer’s process can be pretty dull: we sit behind a desk, stare at a blank screen, write for a while, and, if we’re lucky, publish the results and trudge back to the desk. Most of us will always ]]> [Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by John Roach, who writes the Pro Writing Tips blog.]

A writer’s process can be pretty dull: we sit behind a desk, stare at a blank screen, write for a while, and, if we’re lucky, publish the results and trudge back to the desk. Most of us will always do it this way. But musicians are lucky — they have so many different ways they can create their art. We’re the equivalent of singer/songwriters, slaving away with an acoustic guitar, while they’ve got a plethora of other approaches.

But we don’t have to be jealous anymore! We’re going to steal some of their models and use them to make our writing more interesting. So if you want to break free of the guitar strap, try one of these three music-inspired techniques for breathing life back into the writing process.

1.) The Band

No one can be great at every aspect of writing, just as no musician can play every instrument at the same time. So, delegate. Perhaps you can write a great plot but only limp dialogue — have someone write it for you. Or action scenes are your forté, but you can’t write a woman more convincing than a dime-store mannequin; consider bringing on someone who can do a better job (maybe even — gasp! — a woman).

You don’t need a failing to collaborate, though. Many multi-author works are done just out of mutual respect and admiration. After all, Robert Plant wasn’t in Led Zeppelin because Jimmy Page can’t sing.

2.) The Remix

You’ve probably heard remixes before: a pop tune turns to techno, a rock song becomes a dance track, a dance track becomes…well, another dance track. Spice up your own work by adding or subtracting elements. You could turn an action story into a romance, a thriller into a character study, a play into a poem. For example, whenever I write creative fiction, I create a Hemingway mix, in which there is nothing that cannot be seen or heard by a third party, a la Hills like White Elephants.

You could even do this with someone else’s work (be sure to get their permission if you plan on trying to publish it). Maybe you liked that story your friend wrote, but thought it would be better as comedy; knock yourself out. A subtle twist on a story can breathe new life into it.

3.) The Mash-up

Mash-ups are songs where two disparate elements are thrown together to create a new song; think NWA rapping over a Rolling Stones guitar line. The resulting song relies upon the friction between the two to create a novel and entertaining work. For example, if you realize you’ve written yet another boy-meets-girl, boy-inadvertently-starts-a-mutant-apocalypse, boy-must-kill-zombified-girl story (and really, who wants to read another one of those?) why not mix in some Crime and Punishment? Start with the zombie apocalypse and have him wrestle with his guilt and need for zombie girl’s forgiveness before he has to take her out.

You can be as subtle or as obvious as you want. R.N. Morris’s The Gentle Axe, for example, lifts a character straight out of Crime and Punishment.

Just remember that good artists borrow, but great ones steal.

[Editor’s Note: The preceding was a guest post by John Roach, who writes the Pro Writing Tips blog.]

Rather, I’m sharing two lesser-known but potentially better reasons why writers should write guest posts on high traffic blogs.

Test the Strength of Your Writing Skills

See what you’ve got: put your writing out there and see if you really do have ]]> No, this isn’t another “Why You Should Guest Post to Increase Traffic to Your Blog/Website” post.

Rather, I’m sharing two lesser-known but potentially better reasons why writers should write guest posts on high traffic blogs.

Test the Strength of Your Writing Skills

See what you’ve got: put your writing out there and see if you really do have the writing skills to create a blog post that one, gets accepted and published on a well-known blog, and two, is either well-received by the readers or at least elicits lots of comments because your ideas provoked strong discussion.

The thing that possibly scares off many would-be guest posters–the reception by readers as expressed in the comment section–is also the thing that can let you know, fairly quickly, how strong your writing is, how well you express your ideas, and how compelling your ideas themselves are.

If you write an article for your local newspaper, you may never know what the reception is, but get a post published on a high traffic blog, and almost immediately, you’ll have reader feedback. It can be scary, but it’s also fun.

Beef Up Your Writing Portfolio

Writing a well-received guest post that’s published on a big-time blog can go right into your writing portfolio–it’s a better sample to show off to prospective employers and clients than probably anything you’ve ever written on your own blog.

Why? It shows that someone other than you found your writing skills worthy of being published. The better known the blog, the more valuable that writing sample will be for you. You’ll have your byline right there on a high traffic blog for the world to see. It’s a legitimate published credit.

Example: I was recently nominated for a SEMMY award for a guest post I did on Copyblogger. The SEMMYS honor some of the best articles and blog posts from the search marketing industry. I didn’t end up as a finalist, but you can bet I will include that nomination on my About page and in sales pitches aimed at clients needing writers familiar with the Web.

In fact, I put all of the guest posts I’ve done on my Portfolio page. They were all published on blogs with much bigger audiences than mine.

Here’s the list of guest posts I’ve done:

• 3 Easy Ways to Write with Style (Write to Done)
  

• Add Spark to Your Writing With These 3 Simple Tweaks (Copyblogger)

• Just Say No to These Three Enemies of Clear and Direct Writing (Copyblogger)

• Pen Zen: Bring Clarity to Writing (Think Simple Now)

• Trouble Sticking to Your Word Count? Try These Editing Tricks (Write to Done)

• Why Single-Idea Blog Posts Often Work Better Than List Posts (Write to Done)

Time to Write a Guest Post

So, if you want to learn just how good of a writer you are or you want to get a strong writing sample to add to your portfolio, seek out a high traffic blog (say, over 5,000 subscribers; 50,000 would be much better; 500,000 and you’re writing for audiences on the level of well known magazines and newspapers), pitch a guest post, write it as well as you can, and see what happens.

In the meantime, if you want to warm up for the bigger boys, I’m willing to run some guest posts. I’ve got over 500 subscribers–not big enough yet to warrant hawking as a great addition to your portfolio, but still enough of an audience to give you a feel for the true test should you be interested.

If you’d like to write a guest post for Robust Writing, here’s an idea of what I’m looking for, courtesy of Zoë Westhof. She wrote an excellent guest post here several months ago:

• Have You Tried This Grammar Magical Trick Yet?

Contact me with your idea and let’s see if it’ll work.