Who cares whether or not you are a writer? Yes, there are gazillions of writers out there and practically all of them are aspiring to make it big in the writing industry. You can’t simply tag yourself as a writer if you don’t act like one. For starters, have you tried using a writing journal? Simply put, it’s a diary. It holds you accountable for documenting your writing activities on a day to day basis.

I began using a writing journal to discipline myself for the sake of consistency and to produce some form of writing on a daily basis. It’s very easy to get complacent when trying to either find the “time” to write or just to simply sit down and write. As I looked at bylines that listed the number of articles, poems, books, etc., that many authors wrote, I first concluded that they apparently had a very close connection to someone in the writing industry. That thought was probable, but on the other hand I realized that these writers and authors quite possibly were dedicated, persistent and consistent, which were some missing elements from my daily writing routine. The only person who could change that, was not my mentor or a friend, but me.

Creating a writing journal is not difficult. Here are some primary reasons why you should have one, especially if you are a novice writer:

? DISCIPLINE

? ACCOUNTABILITY

? EXPERIENCE

You don’t need a writing journal that’s too complicated or expensive. Keep it simple. As a matter of fact, get a blank monthly calendar that you can write on each day. This is an inexpensive way to keep a diary for any form of writing that you do, or to make notations regarding submissions that you send out. Jot down a brief description on your calendar of daily writing activities (ie. emailed article to Pop’s Literary Magazine or wrote 300 words for my novel).

Post your writing journal in a visible location where you can “see” your daily progress and honestly evaluate whether or not you are making a concentrated effort to improve your craft. When I began my writing journal, I was gun-ho and inspired. I reviewed my calendar at the end of each month to evaluate my productivity. Where I saw blank days, I had to ask myself why didn’t I write something? What happened on that day that kept me from writing? The blank squares on my monthly calendar began to bother me and each month I would vow to eliminate so many blank days of not writing “anything” towards achieving my long term publishing goals. Although the blanks disappointed me, it rejuvenated me at the same time.

I realized that the big difference between writers with many published credits and me, was their tenacity to do something I didn’t do. They remained dedicated to perfecting their craft. We must be mindful that eventhough many of us have full time jobs, we should not allow laxness to infiltrate our writing endeavors. So if you think that a writing journal is a waste of time, unless you are disciplined, dedicated and can retire from your writing income, think again. A successful writer, as with any profession, cannot afford to baby-sit excuses. If you need a helpmate to make you stay focused, then try using a daily writing journal with a good positive attitude. This can keep you focused and prevent you from assassinating your writing career before it gets started.

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Encounters with peer responses should have begun as early as freshmen year in high school English. While everyone in class did their best to be nice to each other. No one wanted their feelings hurt much less be guilty of hurting another classmate. Thus, after most peer responses was over, everyone went home to type their paper with the revisions given. The revisions most commonly given were of the most inane matter, such as “comma here, period there, capitalize here, paragraph there”. However, what everyone ended up was a juvenile piece of mish mash. In the effort to spare the author’s ego and confrontation, no real contributions were made except for common grammar structures.

If only someone had the fortitude and a tactful hand when critiquing, he or she would have been able to save their fellow writer. Alas we succumbed to the awkwardness of early adolescence and the English class went down on their paper ship.

Believing and Doubting is an easy way to solidify an author’s stance on any given subject. The first step in Believing and Doubting is to believe. Responders’ must believe that everything the writer has written is inherently true. As a responder, you are requited to put aside your own personal contentions with what is written during the believing process. The whole purpose to believing is to make what is strong even stronger.

To do this, one will have to be able to provide any additional relevant supporting arguments that would augment the writer’s position. It’s a way to get readers to give you new ideas and arguments and to improve your piece in all sorts of ways. A responder’s job is to patch any holes, reinforce main ideas, and make everything seem as air tight as possible. So it is imperative to choose a responder that is knowledgeable about the topic that you have written. After this step is done, take a break. A responder’s mind will now be exhausted of any new ideas.

Popularity: 12% [?]