Write Creatively, But Speak The Audience’s Language

Nov 18, 2011

Creative writing is more than just a way of thinking and taking down ideas. It is multifaceted and is not only limited to every stroke of your pen. It aims to speak out your message and give your audience an emotional impact. This is the real score that every writer or aspiring writer should reflect on. An effective essay or article goes beyond flamboyance or wordiness; it contains the very soul of your work. A lot of writers have missed the real heart of writing because they are just roaming around the bush. No matter how simple your article is, the most important thing is that your reader clearly grasps your conveyed information.

All forms of writing should be sensitive to the target audience, so write with your heart. Since communication is achieved by a clear comprehension, the writer must write using the language of his people. In other words, you have to match your message to the language of the readers or viewers. Whether its opinion, argument or idea, it is vital that both parties understand each other. Nonetheless, you lost the effort of building a connection or relationship.

The main concern for a writer to truly capture the heart of his audience is to familiarize their specific jargon. It is expected that every field or area of profession speaks a unique language respectively. The business world has their own terminologies that are different from the world of politics. Educators write with their heart, and talk with their own terms in contrast with the medical practitioners. Even writers use their own lingo which is directly different from a generic group of people. These are some of the ideas that can help you identify the diversities in your environment. Once you fully know the way your audience speaks, it is easy to jive in whether it’s an essay or speech.

If you are writing online, it is predictable that your audience is a mixture of the people mentioned above. The internet jungle holds a wide array of clients and customers ranging from the amateurs to the most advance professionals. Topics are also a great consideration because it is distinctive to a particular field of endeavor. For example, medical clients will give you a subject about scientific or health concerns. Business marketers will surely give you topics about online marketing or advertising. In this situation, flexibility and personal adjustments are being applied.

Another factor is to give emphasis on your sentence and paragraph construction. This includes spelling, syntax and other language rules. Of course, a person will not get the point of your essay or article if it’s poorly organized, grammatically inconsistent and lacks coherence. Grammar gives life to any piece of writing, online or offline. In addition, spelling should be given attention, too. Sometimes a very good article loses the overall essence just because of inadvertent spelling errors. That is why it is really pays to check your work or proofread before submitting them.

Writing with passion won’t make you feel that your career is an obligation or duty. The word creative entails the idea of making the most of your potential to produce a good article. Given that assertion, the message of your work reflects your inmost being. When you write with your heart, the readers feel it when they read your paper. It’s like transmitting your emotions and thoughts to the audience through a channel which is your writing piece. Once the connection is built, it is easy for you to persuade and convince them the next time you release another work of art. Good communication results in trust and confidence by both parties involved.

Creative writing orients us to various opportunities and possibilities. But to reach our maximum potential, it is advisable to speak our hearts out with the right words to the right people. In the long run, the key to progress primarily lies in the way we express ourselves and how we are understood. For a creative writer who desires to win the taste of his readers, writing creatively is not enough; you must speak the language of your audience.

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Ways on How to Overcome Writer’s Block

Nov 17, 2011

Many times, I experience this so-called writer’s block. It’s when I feel everything seems like a chore, and my head starts to be filled with dread. My imagination goes to nowhere and I am lost for words. It’s freaky and horrible sometimes, knowing that I have to finish a task and it feels like I am left behind.

One day, I made myself determined to beat this “bugging” disorder. Not anymore will I be disturbed by writer’s block. Based from my reading, I made a list of some tips and ideas that might combat mental block among writers.

• Liberate yourself. Set for yourself space and time to write anything that comes into your mind. Note down ideas in a journal however it may random or irrelevant, do it continuously. No thinking and no editing. This energizes your brain to create more ideas.
• Brainstorm. Why not fill a piece of paper with ideas before you start the formal writing. Outline the important details or how you will organize the whole article by brainstorming. Open your mind to all possibilities.
• Begin with the easiest part. I found this one effective. I don’t begin writing articles that seem difficult or need a careful research. I write first the one which is attainable to finish at the moment.
• Refresh your mind. Sometimes, facing the computer or keyboard causes mental delay. Take a break from the screen for a while and breathe fresh air.
• Redefine your targeted audience.  If you started off writing for a mature audience, why not shift to the younger readers? You may write more effectively for particular age or gender.
• Imagine. All you have to do is visualize yourself completing the task or making a good finish product. It sets your mind to a thought of positivity.
• Find out where and when you write best. There are people who can generate a flow of thoughts on a specific timeslot or place. For me, I prefer writing in a tranquil place. I don’t like loud music. Sometimes, I prefer writing in the morning rather in the afternoon. I write well when the place is properly lighted and well-ventilated. How about you?
• Activate your five senses. When you feel like you don’t know how to start or end a write-up, just use your senses. Feel, hear, see and smell.
• Take a nap. I observe personally that when I lack sleep, I can’t write well. So if you experience the same, don’t deprive yourself of sleep.
• Mind you, avoid procrastination. Sometimes, we all have a problem of delaying that’s why we can’t accomplish our work. Forget about taking a sneak peak on a funny video from your colleague’s computer. Concentrate and focus.
• Find the cause of the problem. You might be bothered by some emotional blocks. Flush it away.  Substitute your negative thoughts with the positive ones.
• Develop a writing habit.  Practice makes perfect, they say. And it is achieved by consistently writing and writing. Begin your day with a stroke of pen and end your day with the same. Bring it throughout the whole week. Can you do it?

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Creative Writing Ideas

Nov 16, 2011

Tips on How to Spice up your Scrapbook

Saving your valuable memories can be more interesting and beautiful if you know how to spice up your scrapbook. Making a personalized scrapbook is so easy and effortless. Other than the materials and tools needed, creative ideas are here to make your finish product eye-catching.

Top 10 Tips on how to make your ordinary scrapbook look brand new:

1. Organize your photos. Firstly, you have to sort out your pictures. Categorize it according to the event or occasion, sizes, or significance. Your picks certainly depend on what kind of scrapbook you want to make. If you make a scrapbook for a wedding, gather the pictures about the occasion. If it’s intended for Christmas, collect those Xmas souvenirs. The choice is yours.
2. Think of layout ideas and journaling. Creative means you devise plan something not usual or common. Go for an idea that makes your scrapbook different from others. Experiment and try concepts that will enhance the overall impression of your memorable photos.
3. Prepare the album and paper. A blank page album is available in all stores. You can purchase any size or brand as long as it will accommodate all the photos you collected. Or you can recycle by binding construction paper. Use a variety of paper sizes, colors and styles. You can also use colored papers and stationaries.
4. Look for the finishing stuff. These materials can be found in stores or at home. You can use glitters, color pencils, markers, ribbons, magazine cut-outs, letters, stickers and all kinds of embellishments. All of these little extras can jazz up your scrapbook.
5. Make your space organized. Before you go pasting those pictures, have a careful overview of the entire blank page album. Imagine what to put here and there. Ensure that the album will not look overcrowded. Check the number of pictures if they will fit the space of the album.
6. Set the background and/or borders. Set the background of your scrapbook. If you intend to make borders on each page, you can do it. Choose a background that will not “swallow” or overlap the photos. Your pictures should enjoy the “highlight” effect and not the accessories.
7. Crop and mat your photos. After setting the determining the space and setting up the background, start cutting the pictures short. Fix the pictures where they should be placed. In this phase, you can make any positions of the pictures, follow your choice.
8. Begin sticking. Now, have those pics glued or pasted. Just take a little care in sticking to prevent your photos from any scratch or minor damage.
9. Follow a journalizing process. Write now the captions and tags, or anything you want to describe each pictures. You can make it serious, wild or wacky. Try something attractive. You can use markers in writing your expressions or paste cut-out letters for enhancement value.
10. Put in the final touches. This phase enables you to add the glitters, stickers, and other dazzling little things. You can also cover your album and put a striking header or title.

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The 3D’s of a Creative PowerPoint Presentation

Nov 2, 2011

In today’s fast-track world, people run the race with time and deadlines. Preparing a PowerPoint presentation is sometimes a pressure especially when it comes to careful planning and organizing. You need a result that doesn’t sacrifice the quality of your work. But I have to say that you better take things in control; you don’t need to get into the rush hour. So, how do you arrive at a creative PowerPoint presentation? Check these three awesome tips that can make your presentation “powerful”.

DRAW WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND

Do yourself a favor: Get away from the screen and start drawing. That’s right, take out a pencil and a sheet of paper, and draw. If you think the first good move in creating your presentation is to open PowerPoint, you’re making a big mistake. The problem by starting in PowerPoint is that you think with just one dimension. It wipes out your creativity and keeps you from seeing the big picture of your presentation.

Software and tools distracts us from letting our mind to function and visualize the whole presentation. Through a step-by-step procedure, you can keep an eye to the important details of your task without missing the “power”.

When everything is already set in mind and you draft it to paper, you can easily see the possibilities of the outcome. Don’t ignore the art of scribbling or drawing; sometimes you don’t need software and tools, when a simple stroke of pen could create better results.

DON’T CLUTTER

Actually, there are no “strict” rules when it comes to PowerPoint presentation. The only effective way to make it successful is to do something innovative without being messy. Most of the experts agree that “clutter” is the number one enemy of PowerPoint. To AVOID this, you need to consider the following points:

• Match your design with the purpose.
• Be consistent with effects, transitions and animations.
• Standardize position, colors and styles. Use colors hat contrast.
• Don’t make text-heavy slides. Enhance and complement the text, but do not overwhelm.
• Limit the information to essentials. Content should be self-evident.
• Keep the whole presentation simple and understandable.

DO SOMETHING FRESH

The only way to be more like a creative designer is to just pretend to be one! Even the most experienced graphics veterans will admit the value of trial and error. So, incorporate something new as you begin the actual presentation. I once read an interesting article which suggests the use of metaphor or analogies at the outset of the presentation. This could give a “hook” to the audience to increase their curiosity levels. It demands of people to become attentive to your overall discussion. Of course, you need to know your audience beforehand to ensure readiness or preparedness in providing the right information. Last but not least, try Prezi.com

You also have to consider the time of presenting your PowerPoint to avoid boredom or lose of concentration. Remember, the whole weight of the task and its success lies in your full potential.

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