WHEN YOU WRITE, YOU WILL GET SEEN ONLINE

                               

#Writer's life

Recently, a friend of mine called to say he saw my blog and he liked the page. I was like wow. After our conversation, I thanked him for the compliments. What point am I trying to make here is that- it was through my blog that the guy got to see me, and hear my voice.

 

Gone are those days when writers were known ONLY through publication of their hard-copy books. Now, we are in the era of information technology. Everything goes online and the beauty of internet has revolutionized how information is well disseminated to the general public.

 

Through the help of this new technology, many writers including my humble self hitherto that was not known in the field of writing before, are now seen online through blog posting. Hence, this blog post emphasizes on the need for writers  or would-be writers to embrace this innovation by bringing their writing skills to bear.

 

 Like I mentioned in last week post, travel writing is an excellent way to get your writing career up and running. Regardless of what writing specialty you ultimately settle on, travel writing can help you break into the writing business, build your portfolio, and get seen.

 

Today we're going to focus on those last two steps – building your portfolio and getting seen.

 

But, in order for that to happen, there are two things you've got to commit to doing: Writing, and asking to write.

 

The writing part seems obvious, yet there are a startling number of would-be writers who don't ever sit down to write. They dream about writing for a living. They read about life as a writer. They study writing techniques. But, they never actually write.

 

Don't let that be you. Commit to writing something – anything! Let it be on a regular basis. (Monday through Friday is good. Every day is better.)

 

If you're setting out to be a travel writer, I recommend practice essays filled with descriptions. Write about how dinner tasted last night, or what the current season looks like in your hometown, or the scent of morning wherever you live.

 

When you get the hang of writing descriptions, then write them in a persuasive way with the intention to get your reader to come taste, see, or smell what you describe.

 

And, when you get the hang of doing that, pick one of the three places on your list from yesterday – the list of the top three locations you can write about based on past travel experiences. Then write about experiences you've had in those places.

 

This is terrific practice, because effective travel writing hinges on painting a sensory-loaded picture with words, and then on talking someone into experiencing the same.

 

Meaning, don't write that the beaches at the Outer Banks of North Carolina are breathtaking. Write about the way the gritty sand feels between your toes or about the steady squeal of joys from children jumping into the waves.

 

Do this writing practice for a minimum of 10 days. Then, take a step back and read through what you've written. Edit and polish your top five essays.

 

Next, post your copy online. You can do this easily and for free in a few places:

 

·  Your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn recently rolled out the ability for users to publish posts, which then become linked to your profile and are searchable. It's free, and it's a credible place to showcase your writing skills.

 

·  Your professional website. If you already have a dedicated writer website, you can add your writing as blogs or as spec samples. If you don't yet have a website, go to WordPress.com and get one up. It's free and easy.

 

·  Article hubs. There are literally hundreds of sites where you can publish your writing online for free. The advantage to this is that it gets you exposure and puts you online. Type "free place to publish articles" into your search bar and you'll get a hefty list of possibilities. You can try these 2 sites EzineArticle.com or Articlecity.com.

 

Posting your articles online takes minimal effort, but it gives you a lot of "writer creed" when it comes to approaching businesses you'd like to write for. Instead of chewing on your lip when they ask to see samples, you can direct them to a variety of links.

 

Even if your ultimate dream is to get into another writing niche, these samples will serve as testament to your writing ability. If you plan to do travel writing on the side, they'll help there, too.

 

So, will you commit to 10 days of writing sensory-based posts? (– you're more likely to follow through if you put it in writing!)

Act now, the clock has started ticking!