The Power of Brain Dumping

When you were learning to write, your teachers probably shared information on how to brainstorm. I know, because I used them when I was a teacher. I had my students draw a cloud in the middle of the paper for the topic and lightning bolts coming from the cloud for possible main ideas. The raindrops represented the additional subtopics and details. Clever right? I thought so too. 😊 But here’s the thing sometimes my students would get so caught up in drawing perfection that they’d miss the mark on their brainstorming. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a great graphic organizer as a writing tool. However, I have found much more freedom and flexibility in “brain dumping”. Maybe you’ve heard of it? Brain dumping is just that, dumping everything that is in your mind onto paper. It doesn’t have to be organized in a specific way. It doesn’t even have to make sense. The only rules – 1) dump it all, and 2) don’t stop until you feel empty (or until the timer goes off)! After you’ve dumped all of your ideas around a topic, you can begin to look for themes and connection points. Use the recurring themes and related content to craft your writing. Don’t trash the unused ideas. They may be fruitful in other efforts.

In short, brain dumping is powerful because:

1)      It is not just for writing. Brain dumping can be used to bring clarity in many areas of life (career, decision making, event planning, etc.).

2)      1 brain dump = many options. Brain dumping often yields inspiration for new efforts and next endeavors.

How have you embraced the power of brain dumping?

4 Places to Build Your Writing Experience

So you want to write more, but don’t know where to start. Or perhaps you want to become a freelancer but don’t have a portfolio. Aside from your personal diary/blog writing, it is important to have experience in other areas. Here are four places to get started building your experience:

1.       Church – Many churches have moved to broadcasts and bulletins. Join the committee to be one of the writers behind the announcements.

2.       Local Magazines and newspapers – Most local publications are fueled by writers’ coverage of local events and happenings. Become a part of the writing community while learning how to target and write for different audiences.

3.       Nonprofits – Nonprofit organizations are sustained on great story telling. Sometimes the cause does not yield the income to hire a writing resource. Volunteer to help one out as part of their communications team.

4.       School – Take a writing course at the local community college. Another school angle is volunteer your writing services to help a teacher build their website or weekly bulletins.

Whatever you choose to write, do not let lack of experience stop you from moving forward. Exploring your options will help you determine what type of writing you are good at, as well as what type of writing you enjoy most. The more you write, the better you will be as a writer.

5 Ways to Make Money Writing

I used to write just for fun. Then I found out I could get paid to have fun. I’ve tried my hand at most of them.  Here is a quick list I put together of ways to make money writing:

1.       Become an affiliate marketer. This process requires you to choose products or services to promote. Your writing is centered on these items and includes links to them. Money is made by driving traffic to the site and people’s purchases there. I’ve done this briefly, but not full time to make a significant financial impact. Though I know writers that live off of it.

2.       Create/update resumes. Although I did spend a few years as a technical recruiter, I was writing resumes long before that. Actually, it was a skill passed down from my mom. She was a document superstar making even the most unskilled look desirable. I would recommend choosing a specific industry or niche for your services; it is difficult to write well for every occupation.

3.       Draft corporate communications (i.e. memos, emails). I’ve worked in several industries. They all have stuff to send out, whether internally or to a broad customer base. Somebody’s got to write it.

4.       Offer freelance writing services. Freelance writing services have cropped up in mass. Consider joining one of the online companies that allow you to share your services. I am a member of one and have made thousands of dollars over the past few years.

5.       Write term papers. I did this for a while in college. That was over a decade ago. But I’m pretty sure there are still people in college that hate writing papers and are willing to pay for it.

There are many ways to make money writing. However, I believe it is important to identify which one(s) work best for you. I’m sure you know that process comes with trial and error. Once you’ve found what works, stick with it.