Tag Archive for 'creative writing'

Writing services by Stone Age brains using speed of light technology

My writer's desk

My writer's desk

Writing services are the growth industry of the 21st century. The Internet is organised by the written word. Films and video have expanded massively but film and video cannot be interpreted by computers, human beings are needed to explain their content which can only be done through the provision of  writing services.

Writing services are therefore fundamental to the growth and development of the Internet which, in its turn, is arguably one of the most important industries today in our world. Since writing services must be provided by human beings, writing services is inevitably a hugely vital employment provider.

However, it is ironic that writing remains in the Stone Age in terms of efficiency when the system it services can handle the written word at the speed of light. Writing an article, short story or flash fiction takes a significant length of time because the process of thinking through creative projects is determined by the speed of our brains. Unfortunately, the speed of our brains has not been fundamentally enhanced since human beings first walked on planet Earth.

As an online writer, my income is very much geared to the volume and quality of my writings. The more I provide my writing services to the Internet community, the more money I am bound to make from the readers who are attracted to my site. But the quantity of articles and stories is quite simply limited to the number I can get out in one day which is currently about seven articles, at best, and, at worst, perhaps only two. If I could write ten times more articles and stories, I would earn ten times as much. Sadly, my brain would probably become superheated if I tried and the result would be gibberish - hardly a good writing service for my readers :-)

Speech recognition is perhaps a way forward but I have found all it does is speed up the process of typing. It introduces efficiencies into the writing process of first drafts without any doubt but editing and re-editing can be increased where the speech recognition software has got my meaning disasterously wrong.

Culturally, Westerners like myself are hugely challenged by people from the hitherto poorer countries, with their lower cost base, who have been rightly underbidding us and taking our job opportunities in many industries. Fortunately, for us, we Westerners have a strong advantage in the provision of writing services because of the subtleties required in the creative writing process.

So, whether you are thinking of becoming a writer and providing writing services or perhaps you are a small business that needs your hotel or other small business blog ghost written to attract more visitors to your web site, writing services is an industry that will remain important and probably grow massively over the next decade.

If you would  like to read more about writing and writing services, check out my other articles referred to on this page or search this site using the search box at the top of this page.

Good luck!

Bye for now

Rob

Rob Hopcott - online (Stone Age) author

Creative writing often springs unbidden when writing about story writing or other writings

Creative writing blocked? Writing about writings may offer release :-)

Creative writing blocked? Writing about writings may offer release :-)

Writers often complain that they have persistent creative writing block but for me writing about the process of writing or even writing about other writings I’ve done previously is often the best recipe for stimulating my creative story writing processes.

A good example is the postcard fiction writing help article I wrote on this site recently. At the time, because the ideas hadn’t been flowing, I’d not written a postcard fiction for some time .

However, while I was putting my thoughts in order to write my postcard fiction article, an idea for an intergalactic wife swap reality TV story popped into my mind. (Particularly appealing was the idea that the science fiction (sci-fi) postcard fiction actually consisted of two long distance post card messages.)

Sometimes, when I’m feeling tired and new story writing is the last thing on my mind, turning my hand to something more mundane such as a mini writing guide or online writing help is all it takes to set my creative writing juices flowing again. It seems that writing about writing or about previous writings actually stimulates the process of creative storytelling.

Hey ho! Since I’ve got a number of articles scheduled to be written on the subject of creative story writing, with a bit of luck an exciting new story might be stimulated too. I can’t wait :-)

Do you suffer from writers block? What solutions do you find?

Bye for now

Rob

Rob Hopcott - online writer

Creative writing and other cathartic story writings unclutter my mind says Rob Hopcott

Creative story writing unclutters my mind - so I can get on with new ideas for more writings!

Creative writing unclutters my mind - so I can get on with even more story writings!

Sometimes I think that creative writing and other writings are the cathartic release that keeps me sane (just about)  because, as I go through the day I have all these creative thoughts - some may call them mad - that niggle and niggle at me until I’ve written them down.

My problem is that my characters live with me all the time and I often find myself wondering how such and such fictional person would react in a given situation.

When there is an item on climate change, it reminds me of my fictional character The President of Earth.

A programme about good housekeeping makes me think about my fictional housewife character called Alice, her tidy habits and forensic approach to mysteries.

A feature on rural pubs brings Tom to mind seated in his storytelling chair amongst the dark beams swigging country ale.

Once my characters impinge on my day, they start to offer me their opinions and tell me stories.

At this point I usually find it better to give in and let them have their say because it is the only way to get them off my mind. Only the act of creative writing brings me cathartic release, unclutters my brain and lets me get on with life again.

So for me, story writing is a very compulsive activity. Story writing is the means of letting my many (daft) ideas have their say. My writings bring me a real release.

When stuff comes on the television that I think is ridiculous, instead of yelling at the TV or sending a letter to my local MP (which will be ignored), I write a story and put it online so at least I feel to have done something.

So thank you Creative Writing for the opportunity, through my online writings, to achieve a catharsis for my many thoughts.

How about you? Do you find creative writing compulsive? I’d love to hear about your story writing or other writings in the comments section below :-)

Bye for now

Rob

Rob Hopcott - online creative writer

Why write something new each day? Because it feels so fantastic!

I just read an article by Emma Darwin entitled the contemplative wolf which forced me to break away from my latest project of love which is my new online flash fiction site.

The target I set myself, three weeks ago, was to write a new flash fiction or short story each day for five days a week.

Each night, I read my pocket diary of story ideas so that, when I wake up in the early hours of the morning worrying whether I’ll make it up the creative writing tree for another day, I will have something to mull over.

Every morning, when I wake, after tossing and turning for much of the night, I keep my eyes closed going through my story options for the day, no matter whatever else is going on around me.

Sometimes the short story, flash fiction, or whatever comes refined after days of mulling over. Sometimes, it comes like a shaft of light shining into my soul.

Then, over breakfast, I’m pounding my laptop keyboard in the kitchen hoping I can get the words down before they disappear like the mists that drift across Exmoor each morning.

Finally, I can write ‘The End’.

I read it over aloud. I rewrite words and phrases. I put it away for several hours. Sometimes, I even get dressed before midday. Then I start putting it up on-line which gives me the chance to read it over again and still make some changes.

It’s the next moment that Emma Darwin describes so well.

The story somehow is suddenly born. It exists. It’s as good as I can get it - for now anyway - and to my best ability, it’s good enough.

I smile, leap of my chair and punch the air! Wow! (I really do).

In that moment it is crystal clear to me why I write, why I can’t stop and why I have set myself the task of writing a new story a day for as long as I can.

Yes, it’s scary. Yes, it’s hard work. Yes, it takes enormous effort. Yes I don’t know whether I will be able to do it again tomorrow.

But it feels so fantastic and I reckon Emma Darwin has described this feeling perfectly.

If you want to know why writing fictions is worth the effort and how it feels, check her article out.

Bye for now

Rob Hopcott

(online author - fiction - news)

How authors can get more online readers for their creative writing through innovative marketing

Here’s my latest (crackpot) idea about how to get more readers and marketing my free online articles, short stories, online novels and online novellas.

See what you think.

All comments are welcome :-)

Rob