Thursday, January 16, 2014

A B C's of Writing


If you notice, I have a picture of a booklet I wrote on my sidebar.
I had fun putting it together.
The Table of Contents consist of: A B C's of Writing, Specific Words, Find Button, Tips on Writing ABC Books, Tips on Writing Articles, Prompts, What If's, Sites for Writers, Last, But Not Least - Helpful Tidbits and Author Info.

I thought I would share a little of the A to Z Book on Writing
If you are a freelance writer, or would like to give writing a try, there are times when you are at a loss as to what to write about. Below are a few ideas.



A


ABC BOOKS.*
Pick a topic and write a unique ABC book for small children.
ADVERTISEMENTS
ANTHOLOGY Gather stories and put together an anthology
ARTICLES.*
There is always a need for someone to write articles.
ASSEMBLE YOUR TOOLS.
Dictionary, Thesaurus, Pens, Pencils, Computer, Books, The Elements of Style Handbook, Writing Tablets (keep small one at your bedside and with you at all times for whenever an idea pops into your head)


 B
BIOGRAPHIES Pick a favorite person, research and write a biography
BITS OF WISDOM Share bits of wisdom with others
BLOGS Start a blog and write daily or weekly posts. Write about your passion, your craft, your day to day life.
BOOKMARKS Make bookmarks with your info, books, etc. printed on them to give out.
BORROWED STARTERS When you are at a loss for an idea, pick up a book and borrow the first sentence. Write your own manuscript, article, poem or prose starting with that first sentence.
BROCHURES Write brocures. Focus on a topic, be specific and mix writing styles (Bullet points, numbers and lists). Add photos.
BUSINESS CARDS Always have business cards to give out

C

CHAPBOOKS Write a collection of poems or short stories and put them together in a chapbook. Stay to a certain theme.
CHARACTERS Collect unique, quirky, fun characters. Write them down and give them a home in your writing.
CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL They are always asking for submissions. Check their site often for new topics
COLLECTIBLES Collectibles are very popular. Write about a group of collectibles or a single collectible.
COLUMNS Write columns for newspapers or magazines
CONTESTS Enter Please!
COOKBOOKS Who doesn't love cookbooks? Put together a family cookbook, school cookbook, workplace cookbook or a specialty cookbook. There are publishers who deal specifically with printing of cookbooks. 
COUNTING BOOKS As with ABC books, there is always room on the bookshelf for one more. Pick a topic and make yours unique. Put the counting into a storyline such as ... One day one little puppy walked down the road. A kitty joined him and then there were two.
CRAFT BOOKS If you are good at a certain craft, write a book about it. Blog about it.
CRITIQUE GROUPS Join at least one!


The subjects with an * beside of it, means there is more about that topic later in the booklet. 

I hope you enjoyed this small peek into my booklet. In the ABC section, I go through the entire alphabet - even finding an entry for Z!

I know I am quite often at a loss as to what to write about. This booklet helps spark my imagination when I need a little nudge.

Do you need a little nudge? Just let me know and I will email you a free PDF copy of the booklet.






10 comments:

  1. Hi Janet, all the way from Liverpool, UK! What a great post. I love to write and suffer from either having too many ideas or none at all. I can see your list as something I would refer back to so thank you!

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    1. Hi Laila! Thanks. Nice to hear from someone from across the ocean.

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  2. What a wonderful collection of ideas! Thanks for the peek. This sounds like a handy resource. Like you, sometimes I need something to spark an idea.

    Have a great weekend! :)

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    1. Hi Karen. Thank you. Sometimes my mind goes blank and I need something to give me a little nudge.

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  3. Replies
    1. Hi Barbara. Thanks for popping over. It is handy to have ideas to look at.

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  4. Looks really comprehensive, Janet!

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    1. thanks, Marcia. I put in a little for beginners and non-beginners.

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  5. It sounds like a great collection of ideas. I'm working on revising my very first manuscript right now, which I blogged about today. I love your idea of writing about a famous person. I never realized it before, but I find I really enjoy reading biographies and memoirs.

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    1. Hi Rena. I love reading biographies and I did when I was a child, too. I've thought about writing one for kids. and might just do that some day.

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Thank you for your comments. I love comments!