How I start to write again
The writing bug has stung me again! I postponed my writing for quite sometime due to relocation, starting and growing my handmade bags and accessories business. However, the SewUseful Contest sponsored by Etsy.com and Instructables, which I entered last month, has given me the rash to write again! It started after I submitted my Instructions on How to Make a Walker Bag with a Professional Touch.
As a handbag designer, I use a lot of illustrations of how I make new designs and short hand that no one understands but me. I never write a complete manual or instructions on how to make my bags. So, I decided to join the contest to see if I can write a complete instruction. Boy, it was difficult to write at first! However, I was determined to complete the writing anyway and submit it after several revisions and making the walker bag (and taking pictures to illustrate the steps) based on the instructions I wrote.
When the results were announced, my instructions on how to make the walker bag were selected as one of the runner-ups! I was ecstatic!
Received the Etsy Goodies and Instructables Juice 2 Leatherman Knife as a runner-up winner!
It is difficult for me to write instructions. It is very technical and it is different from the type of creative and academic types of writing I am most familiar. However, the rewards are far greater than the hurdle of starting to write. When I look back, the first instructions I wrote indeed ignited the spark that had been sleeping for so long. It pushed me to get back to write more. So, here I am writing in my blog about how I got back into writing again.
If you are still thinking about writing about your interests or hobbies - or for that matter any topic that catches your fancy, start writing now! As they say - just do it! Here is the list to get you started:
- Find books about how to write well;
- Attend a writing workshop in your area and network with others who have the same goal and desire to write with you;
- Write down your ideas whenever you have the time;
- Find topics that interest you the most and write about them;
- Start a blog to share what you’ve written;
- Submit your article, poem or novel, etc. to a competition.
If you are in business, writing about your products or services will definitely help your customers understand more about the features and benefits of your products or services. Give it a try. You will be glad you did it.
Wow Ju,
I don’t know how to express my thankful to you for giving me such a valuable tips,guiding me to choose and read the right books, clearing my consciousness and so on. I know you are always the right person for me to share my inperson needs, skills, hobbies, dreams and whatever. I’ve been waiting for 15 years for a moment like this…. THANKS ALLAH…..