Writing and Writing Practice – for Work, for Pleasure, for Passion
My writing time suffered quite a bit this summer. We purged our house of 30+ years of “stuff,” staged and maintained the staging while it was for sale, packed everything left into storage, moved in with my parents for a month, and are now settling into our new place. While I did snatch hours here and there for my current project, they were pathetically few.
But that didn’t mean I wasn’t writing. I just wasn’t writing, alas!, for my book.
As part of a team that runs a web design and internet marketing business, I regularly write social media posts for clients. Posts need to be taut, include appropriate search terms, be emotionally engaging, and be completed on a deadline, all of which is great writing practice.
I also research and write an article for our company newsletter every other week. Coming up with article ideas and distilling the techie stuff into plain English strengthens certain writing muscles. For the in-between weeks, I update old articles, which flexes other writing muscles.
Our team has been writing blog posts since 2011. Some posts simply require updating the tech references, but others need serious editing! It’s cringe-inducing to re-read awkward sentence structure, rampant clichés, and even spelling errors. How did those things slip through the first time? Ugh! While painful, it’s also kind of satisfying to fix these errors.
Once a month, I also put together an article on Naperville history. My first books were about early Naperville and I still love that research. I try to come up with a way to make the history relevant for people such as explaining the backstory of street names or of old buildings. Those articles are posted on my Kate’s Brief History blog, but I also share an even briefer version with my fellow Ambassadors at the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce. It’s meant to be a fun way to learn more about the community where we do business.
I even wrote a couple of actual letters recently, which is also writing practice, although I suspect I sometimes use this as an excuse for not doing the harder work of my current manuscript. I’m sure I’m not the only writer who is guilty of dragging their feet and should just finish their project already!
There should be fewer challenges in the coming weeks, so I should have fewer excuses not to work on my book. By saying this (digitally) out loud, I’m hoping the commitment will stick. Wish me well! And if you’re also trying to motivate yourself, drop me a line. Misery loves company!
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