31 Day Writing Challenge! Day 2: How to Find Ideas From Your Life

Welcome to day 2 of the greatest writing month of your life!

31 days of finding your voice, invoking creativity, enchanting motivation, and evolving your craft.

Lets dive right into the word pool! The water is warm :)

Click HERE for Day 1.

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It took a while to start making money when I first started writing. Most of the assignments I received were for pennies if I made anything at all. I studied the books and articles that taught how to write professionally. I examined successful authors to see what they were doing right and emulated some of their ways.

I still wasn't making much. Writing was definitely more of a hobby than a career at this point. Well, judging by my paycheck at least.

But I was determined to write professionally, full time.

A few months later I was asked to do a column. My first! I was to write two funny but useful articles on survival and apocalyptic stuff per week. I was stoked!

I turned in my first article after working on it all day. My editor loved it. Same for the second article.

When I turned in my third he emailed me with suggestions for a revision. He informed me that he wanted me to write in my own voice, that I was copying the style of the pre-existing articles too much.

But... thats what worked I thought.

So I went in search of how to find my voice as a writer.

The revisions to the third article were a success. "Keep doing what you're doing," my editor said, "and you'll become a great writer."

This was all the motivation I needed. I stopped modeling after everyone else and started doing my own thing. I broke the rules and made up my own. I used my own experiences to bring realism into my writing.

My own life experiences cannot be replicated by anyone else, and nobody alive has my perspective. Because of this realization, my writing is unique and I have found my voice.

And now I support myself and three teen boys with my writing income alone.

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You see what I did there?

I used an experience from my personal life to explain this article.

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There are writing ideas all around you, happening all the time. There is always something to write about- pay attention! Once you realize this you will have a constant flow of chatter for your writing.

• Carry a notebook with you wherever you go. You will be amazed at how many tidbits you will be placing in it once you have it with you all the time! Keep it by your bed, too, to record those crazy dreams you forget if you don't write down! And write your thoughts and observations down immediately.

• People watch. It's an amazing idea generator! Jot down the interesting or funny things they do, how they act, and words they say. Note the details. Bring your notebook to the park or a coffeeshop and sit and watch. You can make it more niche related by hanging out at the car repair shop if you have a scene that makes sense, or a popular highway rest area. Get creative! Go to the theater and observe the people in the lobby. Hang out by the grocery checkout lines during rush hour to study behavior of both the tired shoppers and overworked cashiers. The sky's the limit!

• Leonardo da Vinci believed that to truly understand something you must look at it from at least three different perspectives. When you are people watching for instance, look at your subject from their own point of view- put yourself into their shoes so to speak. Then look at them from their partners point of view. Then that of the store owner's or their dogs. This will give you a deeper understanding of the whole picture.

The more you are aware of and watch the details of all the little things that happen around you all day, the more story ideas you will gather from life.

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Today's Assignment:

Write where you are.

Take the next ten minutes and write what you feel, see, taste, smell, hear and think right now. Note the depression in the cushion of the chair beneath you and the slightly irritating tag itching your neck. Feel the temperature in the room, the tightness in your left calf and feel just how heavy your head is. Describe the flavors of the coffee you just sipped. Is that happy bird outside really saying "pretty bird?"

Use as much detail as you can and really tell the story of you as you are right now.

This exercise will do wonders for your awareness and observation skills, and help tremendously in descriptive writing.

Click HERE if you missed Day 1, and come back tomorrow for Day 3!


And remember to resteem for your followers so they can join the challenge- the more the merrier and the more to hold you accountable :)

Images via Unsplash

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With love, light, and good mojo

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I love you guys!

I appreciate your support :)

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