THE THREE “P’s” OF GETTING PUBLISHED With Writing Exercises (Part One)

What do the following have in common?

Tiger Woods - Golfer
Michelangelo - Artist
Samuel Clemens - Writer
Pittsburgh Steelers - Super Bowl Winners

If you answered: they all had/have to practice to achieve greatness, you were correct.

So, what so the next four things have in common?

1. A mother/father
2. A teacher
3. A winemaker
4. A corrections officer

I hope you answered: they all need patience to do what they do.

Now, one more time, what do the following have in common?

1. Mark Inglis - Climbed Mt. Everest
2. Red Sox - World Series Winners
3. Dave Hallum - Champion Sprint Kart Racer
4. Audie Murphy - WWII Hero & Actor

They answer I’m looking for is that they all had to persevere to achieve. If you wonder who some of these are, or why I chose them, just do a search on the Internet. You’ll find out why I choose them.

These are the basis for the class I teach, and the article I’m writing, on The Three P’s of Getting Published.

Practice:

By definition practice means:

1. To do or perform habitually or customarily; make a habit of
2. To do or perform something repeatedly in order to acquire a polish or skill.

Whoever said "Practice makes perfect", may not have been a writer, but their words fit the life of a writer. Sure we write because we love it. But we need to practice our craft all the more if we are to improve enough to get published. So, if that is your goal, I hope what I write here will help you achieve that goal.

I have many exercises one can use to practice writing. You might want to try some of them. They are not only good exercises, but they give you a variety of writing experience.

　

Of course, one way is the obvious one: you can write the same story or article over and over. It can get tiresome, but it’s what a writer often has to do. Especially if they face rejection in one market and need to rewrite the story for a different market that might want it from a different slant.

Another interesting way to experiment with the same story is to write it from different perspectives. You may write a story about a woman who is married to an alcoholic husband. Then, write it again from the husband’s perspective. Perhaps he wants desperately to save his marriage, but his demons are just too difficult to fight. Now, what about writing the story from the perspective of one of their children. Of course, this is just one example.

Writing exercise: Imagine a traffic jam on a major highway.

Write:
A fictional piece in first person
A fictional piece in third person
As though writing for a newspaper or magazine
With humor
With frustration
Another way to practice is to write about things that touch your emotions. In fact, I have no doubt to the fact that there are certain emotions that drive a writer to start writing faster than others. I personally find that when I am upset, I am driven to express myself on paper. Often no one ever sees what I write, but I find it therapeutic.

Of course, we’re not talking about therapeutic writing, we are talking about getting published. And once you are published, you want to continue to be published. To do that you have to make your readers feel. You must touch their emotions. Emotions like anger, fear, sadness and joy.

A person can be sobbing or laughing as they read a story. What you don’t want is for a story to leave them stone cold and emotionless.

I’d be plagiarizing if I used the excerpts I read when I teach this as a class. Of course, I shouldn’t have to. Most writers are also readers. However, next time you read, make a conscious effort to think about the parts that touch you in some special way.

Another form of practice is stretching yourself when you write. I mean to go beyond your comfort zone. It helps if you enjoy observing people, seeing those little things that make them stand out, or make them different.

Of course, it’s easy to write about a character modeled after someone you like. Now, try it with someone who irritates you in mind. Try getting into their shoes and write as though you are that person, doing whatever it is that irritates you most about them. I’m not talking only writing a humor piece where you exploit that person. I’m talking about a story that gives them heart, and perhaps explains their peculiar idiosyncracies.

Take time to do research so that you know as much about the person you hope to write about as you can. This is true even if the person is fictional. There still may be some things you need to know or understand about that person. Perhaps they grew up working in their family restaurant. Find out what that is like before you write about it.

Sometimes it also helps if you interview the person you are going to write about in your story. Yes, even when that person is inside your head. The best way to bring a figment of your imagination to life is to talk to them. Though, I suggest you do in when you are alone. This is especially helpful when writing a novel, because there are so many pages to fill with little tidbits about that person.

As I said, challenge yourself. There are so many ways, I won’t even try to list them all here.