Okay, so the last few posts focused on writing and blogging, but, today I want to focus on blogging. After reading, a post on http://careycarey-carrymehome.blogspot.com/,called I'm Blogging from the Cheap Seats...can you hear me? I realized that needed to write this post, I'll tell why later.

In the post Carey (the author) talked about how he's new at this blogging thing and made the metaphor that blogging can be like being at a concert, yelling from the nosebleed section where no one can hear you. Not only is this assertion true, but, it seems that alot of bloggers feel this way. Why? Because most of us don't really know what we're blogging about and so, of course it is hard to obtain readers.

Therefore, I would like to teach you how to choose a blog niche. How do you do this? Find a central point to blog around and then do it. Like if you interested in Fashion, then you can blog about fashion but, twist it and blog about Fashion don'ts instead of fashion dos. Or if you like Comedy then make your blog, humor based but, highlight comedians of the past. Whatever you blog is about just make sure it's unique and different and the accolades will come.

Also, you can do what I did for my other blog, The Loudest Pen Ever, and develop an editorial calendar. When I say editorial calendar, I mean that I wrote down each day of the week, and wrote a blog post title that I would blog about on that day. This gave me more direction and took a lot of pressure off of me, because, all I now had to do was write the actual post. The hardest part of blogging is figuring out what to blog about. But, if you have an editorial calendar, you now have a theme-based blog, and you never have to worry about what you will blog about and neither will readers.

Anyways, I hope this post has helped my fellow bloggers. And as my promised, I will be explaining why I wrote this post on tomorrow's post. The post is tentatively titled, How You Know You're A Blogger. So stop by tomorrow to check it.

Remember, when the page comes to life...so do you.

First of all, I would like to announce that both of my blogs are finally starting to get read and commented upon. Any blogger knows how great that feeling is. But, let me get to the point. Today's lesson is How to Find Joy in Writing.

As I discussed in my last post, it is hard for new writers/bloggers. You're just starting out so, it's hard to find your niche and because you don't have a major readership, you have no one to tell you what you're doing wrong. So, what do you do? You find little things about writing/blogging that makes you happy. How do you find these little things?

Ask yourself the following questions, "Why did I start writing this piece?", "Why did I start this blog", "What is this piece about?", "What is this blog about"? Answering these questions will give you more knowledge of the topic you are writing about and therefore, more direction. Once you have more direction, your writing will improve. Also, you'll be happy with the content you are writing or blogging.

This is where you find the joy in writing; because, you have now removed the element of misdirection and how to please people. You are now more comfortable and relaxed. Your newfound relaxation mode will make writing fun again. You can now write for yourself and yourself only. This means that you could care less about whether or not the writing or the blog posts get read. All you care about is the fact that you wrote something and it was beautifully crafted. So, who cares if you wrote the Great American Novel and no one knows. The fact of the matter is it got written.

Remember, when the page comes to life...so do you.

Today, I would like to encourage you all to keep on writing. Why? Because, I was ready to stop. I was ready to delete both my blogs and give it up because I have been blogging for almost a year at my other blog and have only three followers (as of today) and I am convinced that I am the only person who truly reads my blog.

So today, as I was contemplating hitting that pretty orange "delete this blog" button, I logged unto my blog and realized that I had received a third follower who had also left a comment. This to me was a sign from above. This sign showed me that you should never give up hope or stop believing in yourself. I know that sounds cheezy and is a recycled cliche`, but, it's true.

As soon as I was ready to say, forget it, the sun came out from behind the clouds. This just goes to show that although, it seems that no one reads your writing or your blog, that doesn't mean that you're not good at what you do. It simply means that you need to work on building a relationship with readers. Find out who your potential readership is and figure out what they're currently reading. Then find a way to inform them of something, entertain them, or figure what is missing from their bookshelves or Google Reader (if blogging), and write it. Write a blog post, poem, or short story that is original or different from what readers are currently used to.

In essence, you should keep writing, because, it's what you were born to do. You love it and you know it. You wouldn't be on this blog, if you didn't. Remember, when the page comes to life...so do you.

Today, I would like you to take the time out to gather all your old writing, and read through it. Don't make any changes or edits. Simply read and assess all of your past writing. Start with your oldest work and work your way up to your newest stuff. See how your writing has changed or evolved, if it has at all.

The purpose of this exercise is to reflect and remember where you have come from as a writer. When I look back at my old work, there is some of it I like and some of it I don't like. But, reading it reminds me of what I was going through at the time. Also, it shows me how my writing has transformed or how some of it has stayed stagnant.

Reading your old work lets you know what you should improve on and what you should continue doing. Assessment is very important, because, if you don't where you've been you don't know where you're going.

Remember, when the page comes to life...so do you.

Today, I would like to share with you the story of how I became a writer. Since I was a child, I've been writing. Over the years, I have filled up notebooks full of poems, diary/journal entries, plays, and short stories. I even started an unfinished novel in high school. However, none of these things made me a writer. I was simply a person who liked to write, but, I was not a writer. Believe me there is a difference.
I didn't officially become a writer until I was twenty-two years old and in my last year of college.

The reason I became a writer at twenty-two was because that's when I discovered my writer's voice and my writing style. I discovered my writer's voice through my manuscript, The Loudest Pen Ever. I started writing my manuscript after going to an amazing poetry slam. Upon coming home from the slam, I was terribly distraught. Now, I know that you're thinking why was she distraught after attending a great poetry slam? I was distraught, because, I had also read a poem that night and only received a mediocre response.

So once I got home, I turned on my laptop and started writing. I wrote whatever was on my mind. I wrote through the stream of consciousness of my mind. I did not censor myself nor did I think about what other people were going to think. Before I knew it, I had twenty pages written. But, not only that, I had discovered my voice as a writer and even more about myself.

I learned that I literally write the way I think and talk. And because, my mind is full of random, disconnected thoughts -- I tend to write this way (in my manuscript) and I also love telling. My stories are usually some dramatic incident from my life that I must tell in a comedic way. (which I do on my other blog loudpennies.blogspot.com)

So now that you've heard my story, I hope it will motivate you as you disvcover your writing style. Remember, when the page comes to life...so do you.

Today, I would like to teach you how to chose a writing topic. Writing is great because it allows you to explore the world, people and culture through the written word. However, how does one choose what to write about and when?

Simple, start off writing about what you know. Meaning write about your life or fictionalize real events from your life. Basically, by keeping it simple and writing about what you know you will discover how you like to write. Also, writing about what you know will help you master the art of writing itself.

Now that you've written one or several pieces about your life, you are ready to branch out. Brancing out means reading different works and researching a variety of topics. These are ways to broaden you knowledge and they will give you the ability to write about them.

The key to choosing a great writing topic is to figure out what people are interested in or what people would like to know more about. Meaning, assess what people are already reading because this is what they are interested in. To figure out what people want to know more about listen to reader questions and inquiries. In order to build a readership or fan base, you as an author must be able to write readable and relatable content.

Remember, when the page comes to life...so do you.

Today, I would like to discuss what we as writers should do when we have writer's block. The answer...absolutely nothing. Like that old school Xscape song, kick off your shoes and relax your feet. Don't worry about finishing the story or whatever you're writing, right then and there. Take a break and go have fun. Also, make sure you don't do anything related to reading or writing.

I learned this lesson this past weekend, because, I was experiencing writer's block. However, as the typical writer, I was in denial. I kept forcing myself to try and write and I ended up frustrating myself further and at the end of the day, I still had nothing to post on either of my blogs. So, I finally gave up and decided to try and post again the next day. The next day, I still had no luck. But, what I realized on day three was that I needed those three days to relax and not think about what to write and how to write it. I was in desperate need of some mindless entertainment.

Getting back to the original point, my break from writing/blogging gave me a chance to relax and stop pressuring myself into writing the next great blog post. Then on Monday, when I came back to the blogs, I was more excited and refreshed and happy to be posting on my blogs again. So, take my personal advice, if you have writer's block don't stress it. Take a break and go kick it with your homeskillets and when you come back, the writing will bigger and deffer.

Remember, when the page comes to life...so do you.

First of all, I would like to apologize for not posting on this blog over the weekend, but I was taking a reflective break from blogging/writing. Ok, now that we have that out of the way, today, I would like to teach how to engage your readers.

As writers, we often assume that because someone buys our book or visits our website that we automatically have their attention. However, this is not always the case. Therefore, it is important to draw the reader in from the onset of the story. This can be done by catching the attention of the reader in the first sentence. This means writing a dramatic or comedic introduction. You can also write an abstract intro to pique reader interest and make them want to read on. Keep in mind, that if you don't catch the reader's attention in the first five pages, paragraphs, stanzas, or words, they will stop reading.

Engaging the reader also means keeping their interest throughout the story. This means create scenes or situations that build upon one another so that the reader has to keep reading in order to learn the outcomes. Also, make the interactions between characters interesting so that the reader will want to see how their relationship unfolds. An example is writing about a husband and wife and make the husband have an affair with the wife's sister; this will encourage readers to read on because there is now a conflict (the husband's affair), that needs to be resolved.

Lastly, engaging the reader means providing them with a complete and well rounded ending. Meaning, the climax (ending) of the story should resolve the conflict of the story. However, keep in mind that the ending should be aligned with the storyline and its characters. Stay close to your original storyline so that the ending makes sense and doesn't confuse the reader. An example of a disengaging ending, the wife divorces the husband and marries an alien. This is not a plausible climax, because, the storyline was simple and relatable, but ending the story on a Sci-Fi note would throw readers way off.

Engaging the reader from beginning, middle, to end is not only necessary, but, it is fun because you can build a fan base and learn what readers like and don't like. Remember, when the page comes to life...so do you.

Today, I would like to talk about characterization (again) and how to build your characters. The other day, I discussed making your characters seem realistic but that is really only a small point. As a writer, you need to know how to build a writer from the onset of the story. Giving the character relatable feelings, actions, and emotions is what makes them seem realistic, and building a foundation for the characters will let you as the writer know how the character would react to or deal with certain situations.

My main reason for writing this post is because, I was struggling with a character that I am currently writing about for my screenplay. My problem was that the character is the complete opposite of me and I kept writing her according to the story and not my initial character description. Then, I realized that the character description was a partially fictionialized bio of myself and not a description of the character, I was writing in the screenplay. In the screenplay, I was writing about a sweet, polite, southern girl who wants to follow the rules. I, however, am from the midwest and I love breaking the rules and being unconventional. But, the way the character grew up and where she was raised, it just doesn't make sense for her to be this wild free spirit.

Veering back to my main point, building characters starts with a basic outline of who your characters are. Write their full name, age, DOB, and current residence. Then, answer the following questions, "What are their likes/dislikes, interests,/hobbies? Level of education? What is their current economic status?" It is important to answer these questions, because, they are the foundation of the characters, these are the elements that makes them who they are. These characteristics also affect how they will function in your story.

In conclusion, once you understand your characters, they will either inspire, sadden, or anger readers. Knowledge of your characters and the ability to create unique, yet relevant, characters will impress your readers and you as a writer will have won the war. Remember, when the page comes to life...so do you.

Today, I would like to talk about Symbolism, because, it is very important and the key to writing great stories. Symbolism can be used in many different ways, to illustrate a point, to make things more relatable, or to make an example of something without using its real name.

I love to use symbolism, especially in my poetry. I usually use symbolism through the method of personification. Meaning, I take symbols and personify them with human characteristics. My poem, The Faucet is a great example of this because in the piece I talk about the leaking of my water faucet yet, I am really talking about a guy I was seeing at the time that refused to let me go. He bothered me like my leaky faucet bothered me, all day everyday, drip, drop, the water wouldn't stop, just like his calls and text messages. When I was writing it, I was simultaneously annoyed by the leaky faucet and him, but, instead of using him directly, I cast my anger on the faucet. Why? Because, even though the guy was getting on my nerves, I still had feelings for him, so it was easier to be mad at my leaky faucet than at him.

Back to symbolism, I recommend taking random everyday tidbits of life and making them mean more or SYMBOLIZE what they truly are. In the movie, Fools Rush In, a preacher tells Matthew Perry that there are signs everywhere. This statement is so true, because, when you first began reading this post, did you think I would reference a pop culture romantic comedy to illustrate a point about symbolism in writing? Most likely, not. To finish my point, signs/symbols are everywhere, when you see a cross you think of Jesus, when you see a yellow car you think of a taxicab.

To conclude, make symbols and signs in your writing. Make something that is regular or that everyone understands and knows and disguise it with human emotions to make it abstract and relatable. Remember, when the page comes to life...so do you.

Today, I would like to talk about how to live a poet's life. I was inspired by The WritingNag.blogspot.com because last week The Writing Nag posted the article How to Be A Poet on ehow.com. The WritingNag gave great tips on how to write poetry now, I would like to expand upon that article and teach you how to live like a poet. P.S. I am also posting a link to the eHow article by the WritingNag.

Step One: Be random and different. Great poetry is abstract, rhythmic, and emotional, or basically, three elements that don't seem to go together placed in a beautiful written art form. Therefore, if you are diverse and interested in a variety of topics, then your writing will reflect these interests.

Step Two: Don't be scared. Try different things. Stay away from your comfort zone and the familiar. If you experience a variety of what life has to offer then you will be more knowledgeable and able to apply this knowledge to your poetry.

Step Three: Have fun. No one likes boring people. Dance, party, and relax so that you have social skills. Social skills are great for writers to have because a writer is better able to relate to and engage the reader. Plus, you'll erase the stereotype that writers are anti-social weirdos.

Step Four: Like WritingNag suggested find poetry in everything. Listen to music, the radio, and watch t.v. and make things that seem simple and un-poetic, poetic. For instance, did you know that Beyonce` says..."I can do for you what Martin did for the people, ran by the man but the women keep the tempo" in Upgrade U from the Bday album? In this song, Bey makes a reference to Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement in a very quick-witted, catchy, yet simple way. Who would've pegged Beyonce` for incorporating poetry in her music?

Step Five: Be friends with writers, but, make other friends also. Writers are great artists, but, let's face it some of us are a little off. Having diverse friends will make you a better writer because you are not always under pressure to compete with other writers nor are you constantly being analyzed by another writer.

Step Six: For the last and most important step, be yourself. Don't try to be the next Walt Whitman, Gwendolyn Brooks, or Shakespeare. Just write about things that you know in your own voice. The accolades will come later.

Remember when the page comes to life, so do you.

WritingNag Link: http://www.ehow.com/how_4901336_be-a-poet.html

Today, I would like to talk about characterization and how we as writers can make our characters seem more real. As writers, we usually know what stories we want to tell but sometimes we have trouble making the characters seem realistic. So, if you are having this form of writer's block, then this is the post for you.

First of all, you need to understand the setting and background of your story. If you are telling a story about the South in the 1800s then chances are your characters need to be black or white and need to be connected to slavery in some way shape or form. Why? Because most of the Southern population at that time was black or white and was involved in slavery as slaves, masters, overseers, or slave auctioners. If you want to be different, you could use a Native American perspective to tell a story of the South in the 1800s that is not normally told.

Returning to my main point, characterization is key to a great story. If the characters are unbelievable or if people can't relate to them then the appeal of the story will be nonexistent. Another good way to write strong characters, is to use people around you as inspiration. If you have interesting people in your life, such as, the drama queen, the liar, or the crazy, alcoholic uncle then create characters similar to them and adapt them to the situations happening in your story.

Movies can also help create great characters. Movies are a visual medium that give you a chance to see the characters and interpret how they look and behave. Use these characters as models for yours. If you don't like something they did or said, then change it in your story.

Characters are the essence of a good story because they are what keeps the story moving. Therefore, it is important that they be complete and believable so that the story has foundation and room to expound upon. Characters must be so real that people talk about them like they exist. For instance, my friend and I love the book, "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston because of Janie's (the main character)love interest, Teacake. We are always jokingly saying, "Where's My Teacake at?"

Characters are the life of the story so remember, When the Page Comes to Life...so do you.

Today, I would like to talk about how you can become your favorite writer. First, read the works of your favorite writer over and over, until you can't read them anymore. Once you have comprehensive knowledge of the flow and characteristics of their writing, then you will understand the essence of it. This will then enable you to analyze their writing style, tone, and voice. Upon internalizing these aspects of the writer you can then decipher what works for you and what doesn't.

Basically, by using your favorite author as a muse, then you can imitate their writing style but, in your own way. Once you understand the concepts of your predessors and can now use them to motivate your own writing style. However, make sure you are not simply re-writing current works but reacting to them in a style that is all your own. Originality is key but originality doesn't mean writing a brand new novel but, revising works that are considered to be masterpieces. For example, Invisible Man is considered to be a revision of Native Son. Both novels have a black male protagonist but the style and tone that they are written is completely different.

So, remember find a favorite author (if you don't have one already), figure out what you like about them, and build on or change what they've already written. Remember when the page comes to life...so do you.

Today, I would like to talk about where you as a writer can draw inspiration from. Being a creative writer can be challenging becuase there are so many classics out there already that it is hard to come up with the "New Classic". So, you have to look at your life and surroundings and use people, places, and situations to base your stories upon. Meaning, if you are poor and living in the hood, then you can write a story based on your situation or you can make your characters opposite of you meaning that they are rich and have completely different problems.

Inspiration is what you make it. Your inspiration could be changing your life for the better, your family, music, or writing itself. Use inspiration as fuel to write creatively and maybe one day you'll write the new classic. Inspiration itself is simply motivation and if you have the motivation to write then you will write.

I hope this post has inspired you. Remember, when the page comes to life, so do you!

Step One: Figure out what topic you'd like to write about because that will determine the tone of the piece.

Step Two: Deteremine what you would like to convey. Are you simply telling people a story, educating people about a topic, or convincing people to feel or think a certain way about something?

Step Three: Write an eye catching introduction that will engage the readers. The introduction is where you pull the reader in so, if you want them to read on, you have to first get their attention.

Step Four: Start writing. But, just write don't overthink every word and sentence. Write now, edit later.

Step Five: Make sure that you stay on topic and that every sentence reinforces your original point.

Step Six: Write the conclusion. Just as you began on a strong note, you need to end on one. Re-state your main points but in a different way so you don't bore your readers. And make sure that the last sentence either leaves the reader wanting more or gives them a deep sense of satisfaction.

Today, I would like to talk about writing style because writing style determines what your writing is about and what genre it should be placed in. For instance, if you like writing long descriptive stories using literary themes and symbols then you are probably a literary novelist. However, if you don't have the patience for long works but, still love to tell stories then you are a short fiction writer. And if you like to rhyme or play with words then you are probably a poet, specifically Spoken Word if you enjoy the performance aspect of poetry.

I believe that I am a storyteller because I love using narrative either in the first or third person so, I have categorized myself as a writer of narrative non-fiction. I have even distinguished myself myself in that genre because I implement comedy into my writing. Although narrative non-fiction is my favorite genre, I do dabble in other genres (which I recommend that you do) such as screenwriting and poetry.

Basically, the way in which you write is your writing style because how you put words together is unique to you and you only. In Song of Soloman, Toni Morrison uses naming to signify what each character or symbol represents, Richard Wright used character speech, descriptive language, and economic disparaties to illustrate the plight of African Americans in 20th century segregated America. But, contemporary writers like Terry McMillan and Omar Tyree rely mostly on the storytelling aspect and its ability to be relatable to readers. Meaning, because they are writing about problems/issues that people are currently dealing with then they are able to be at the forefront of pop culture because they are seen as the identifiers of the current social issues.

As I said earlier, my writing style is storytelling with comedic narrative therefore, I am classified as a narrative non-fiction writer. The reason you need to identify your writing style is so that when you tell people that you are a writer, you can tell them, I am a screenwriter because I like to tell stories in a visual manner, and because I have a dark side my speciality is horror films.

On that note, I'll say this, style your writing like you style your hair, meaning figure out what looks best on you to highlight your best qualities.

Yesterday, I discussed the key to writing. Today, I would like to identify what writing has done for me and what it can do for you. Writing or being a writer, I should say, has made me more aware and has forced me to grow as a person. I have become more in tune to my surroundings and this forces me to see and notice details that the average person wouldn't normally take notice of. This awareness has made understand things that are different from me so I am more diverse because my knowledge is so vast. My personality now reflects my broad interests so I can interact with and get along with all types of people. Also, retaining knowlege in so many different areas makes you seem more intelligent because you know something about everything.

Writing is how I discovered myself. I became what I wrote on the page because that was the only time I wasn't judged, criticized, or made fun of for how I felt. Writing gave me the freedom to say what I want when I want. But, not only that, it made me be more truthful with myself about my own issues and shortcomings; Everything I was thinking and feeling couldn't always be someone else's fault, I had to take responsibility for my mistakes and wrongdoing.

Now, let me tell you what writing can do for you. Writing can be your path to self-discovery (as it was mine) or it can be an outlet for you. Writing can be the time where you create an imaginary world that features characters you'd like to meet or hang with or people you would hate because you want to explore the psyche of someone different from you. Or if you can't find a man/woman then write a story/book about your dream man/woman and you will figure out what you truly want in mate. Or writing could be a chance for you to vent about the woes of life that will remain unpublished in a journal or diary. Whatever your writing is about just write.

So to conclude, writing can do for you what it has done for me and that's any and everything. On that note, I'll leave you with the following lines from my poem The Power,
The Power makes me anything and everything
it makes me as constant as the time
and your sweet tooth cause suga ain't got shit on me

The key to becoming a writer is writing. Now, I know that seems simple and redundant but, you would be surprised how many writers hate writing. Most writers have so much they want to say and share but, have a hard time actually writing it down. Meaning, they have all these great ideas but are unable to transfer ideas to paper because of fear of rejection, procrastination, lack of time, or general laziness.

So in order to become a writer, you have to write about any and everything whenever possible. It doesn't matter if it makes sense or if it's all gibberish. Just write. If you write about different topics and in an array of different styles then you will find what kind of writing you like to do and you will discover your stylistic voice.

The way I discovered my voice was through my manuscript, The Loudest Pen Ever. I started writing my manuscript in September of 07 and originally it was a way to get my thoughts out and figure out what my writer's voice is. Through this I discovered that my writing voice and my speaking voice was one in the same. Meaning that both my voice as a person and as a writer is loud and we both like to tell stories. Plus, I love to crack jokes so I figured out how to also incorporate this into my writing.

My manuscript allowed me to have complete freedom of expression. Why? Because, I stopped limiting myself. As writers, we read and study the great works of those who have come before us and we participate in writer's workshops that usually feature fellow writers and this does NOTHING but intimidate us and make us doubt our writing skills. Basically, after reading and hearing the works of others we feel inadequate and unwilling to try and complete our own writing. But, you have to start writing something so, I suggest a memoir of your own life, because you will learn more about yourself and your writing will improve. And do NOT set-up a schedule or plan what you will write about. The memoir must be a stream of consciousness that is completely uncensored and unmonitored. The only way to discover your raw self is to be your raw self through writing your natural thoughts. Don't think oh this is mean I shouldn't say that or I shouldn't curse or this might offend someone because those are all limitations and limitations will hinder your writing because then you are writing to please others. Please yourself first and foremost.

So after this long post, take everything I've said into consideration and remember, when the page comes to life...so do you.