Embracing the Random: Various Writing Tips

By: Margaret Huntley

I usually pride myself on the organization of my writing. My mind typically flies all over the place, and writing is where I sort out those thoughts into coherency. But for this blog I wanted to share a sort of messy array of various writing tips. They all pertain to writing and they are all (in my opinion) very useful, though other than that they share no unifying quality to make an articulate blog post.

So please join me in embracing the random:

• Read a Diverse Set of Authors: While the publishing industry is making progress in the way of celebrating texts from a diverse set of authors, there is still a long way to go. Making a point to read texts by authors of colour, authors who are members of the LGBTQ+ community, or authors of other minority groups that you may or may not be a part of, is so beneficial. Not only does it help them succeed in a society that stacks the odds against them, but it broadens your understanding of people who are different from you. And understanding people is a great foundation for writing.
  

• Read Your Work Aloud: This is a pretty popular editing tip, and for a good reason. Reading aloud helps you catch errors in your writing that are easily glossed over while reading in your head. I want to expand on this tip by encouraging you to read your text out loud after the editing is done as well. I started reading my finished stories out loud to my boyfriend as he is a very slow reader on his own. While doing this, I realized that reading my completed stories out loud helped me solidify them as an actual story, and not just something I threw together on my keyboard.
  

• Write What You Feel: I’m actively exercising this tip while writing this blog. I don’t feel like organizing one cohesive thought, so I’m writing this miscellaneous list. But this tip goes beyond my personal blog posts. Writing what you feel can mean writing a story that conveys a particular emotion, or it can mean writing something that you just think would be fun to write. Your writing will be better when you are excited about it than if you try to force something that you’re not feeling.
  

• Ask for Help: Asking for help is not something I really like to do. Taking that first step is pretty difficult, whether it’s asking about a job, asking for someone to edit your work, or asking to run your ideas by someone. Despite the fact that each instance of asking for help makes me nervous and reluctant, I’m always grateful that I did in the end. I’m confident that the same will be true for you.

I hope you were able to get something out of my various writing tips, unified only by their mutual disunity. 

How to Rediscover the Joy of Reading When You're Burnt-Out

By: Margaret Huntley

I think it’s safe to say that all writers began as avid readers. Just as all painters look at other pieces before painting their own piece, all writers read the works of others before crafting their own work. You’d be hard-pressed to find a writer who has never enjoyed reading. 

River Street’s talented junior copywriter, Margaret Huntley.

From a young age I always loved to read. However, recently I have found myself not desiring to read as much as I used to. Fortunately, in my university program I am forced to read anyways, but without this imperative I know wouldn’t be reading nearly as much as I should be. In the back of my mind I know it is important to read so that I can improve my craft, but I just find myself very unmotivated. I think that this is at least partially due to the fact that reading just feels like work now. 

When I was in high school, I worked as a cashier and after a long day at work, it made sense for me to come home and read on my downtime because reading was nothing like what I had spent my entire day doing. But now that I am a full-time student, after a long day of reading over drafts, novels, and essays the last thing I want to do is read more. Especially if my motivation for reading is so that I can be better at my career. I’d much rather do something unrelated like scroll through social media or talk on the phone with friends, neither of which are inherently bad, but they shouldn’t replace reading altogether. 

Now, I don’t think that there is anything wrong with not wanting to have your job bleed into your personal hobbies (there’s a good reason that I didn’t scan things when I got home from work in high school). However, it’s different when your favourite hobby has become your career. After all, I chose to write as a career because I love reading and writing and wanted to keep doing that. 

I’ve spent enough time talking about a problem, so I think it’s about time I start discussing a solution. When I was a kid, I read books not to analyze or dissect the plot points, but just for the pure entertainment, but I still learned without even realizing it. I learned things like what aspects of a storyline are most compelling, what character details are realistic, what genres I’m comfortable with, and so much more. As a kid I learned this without even thinking about it because I didn’t put any pressure on it to be “for work.” I just read for fun and learning was a natural by-product. 

This is precisely the resolution to the issue I have described. If I think of all reading as work, then it will always feel like work and I won’t want to do it anymore. But when I choose to read on my own time, for the sole purpose of entertaining myself, then I will have fun while unconsciously learning, just like I used to. So, if you find yourself facing the same problem that I have been recently, then I advise you to stop thinking so much and just read!