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#WritingWednesday: Social Distancing and Productivity
Kelli Dolan
Have you been putting off projects because you just don't have time to get to them? Well, now you do! Seriously, this social distancing thing sucks. It makes us realize how much we actually like and appreciate our day-to-day routines, how much we miss our friends, and how easy it is to get stir crazy, but us staying home is helping. So, in the meantime, we might as well make the most of a bad ... ...more
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#WritingWednesday: Write More African American Characters
Kelli Dolan
In honor of African American Heritage week, I wanted to share a Writing Wednesday tip about writing African American characters well in stories. It’s very common for white authors to shy away from writing Black main characters, or even Black side characters, for fear of coming off as offensive or misrepresenting of African American culture. And yet, it’s perceived equally offensively by not ... ...more
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#WritingWednesday: Better Late Than Never
Kelli Dolan
Oh, the irony. In planning my posts yesterday, due to a very crazy week, I completely forgot it was Wednesday and therefore, didn’t give you a #WritingWednesday. But that got me thinking about a great tip. Too often I see writers dejected because they don’t have the time to work on their projects with the craziness that is life. In their dejection, they often make declarative statements like ... ...more
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#WritingWednesday: Find Your Atmosphere
Kelli Dolan
Where do you write? My go-to places are typically my book nook/office in my apartment or my favorite coffee shop down the street from my apartment. Do you listen to music? I've been on a lo-fi hip-hop kick lately to fuel my writing. I ask out of curiosity because atmosphere can play a huge factor in someone's ability to crank words out on the page or not. Some people love writing to music, ... ...more
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#WritingWednesday: Taking Constructive Criticism
Kelli Dolan
Sometimes one of the hardest things about writing (other than, you know, the actual writing) is sharing your work with someone with the intent of getting their honest opinion or having them edit the work. So, a big tip: learn to take constructive criticism. We can’t expect every word we put to page to be a masterpiece, and that’s why firsts drafts exist anyway. If everyone wrote the best damn ... ...more
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#WritingWednesday: The Art of Factual Writing
Kelli Dolan
One of the most difficult forms of writing is factual, truly journalistic writing. Finding a way to strike the right balance between facts and interesting storytelling takes time and practice. It’s especially difficult when having to write about a topic you’re unfamiliar with or feel as though you’re not the right person to speak on the topic. I still struggle with this kind of writing. I’m ... ...more
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#WritingWednesday: Write First, Edit Later.
Kelli Dolan
One of the biggest mistakes any writer can make—novice or seasoned—is editing as you go. The point of a first draft being is to be messy. Your first draft should be chaotic, make no sense, be riddled with mistakes, because the hardest part of writing is getting the complex thoughts in your head into a cohesive and coherent story or piece of content on paper. So no first draft should ever be ... ...more
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#WritingWednesday: Take Control of Inspiration
Kelli Dolan
We all know inspiration and motivation to write can be a fickle thing. That’s why when inspiration and/or motivation strike, grasp on to it as quick as you can. Unless you’re working or somewhere you physically under no circumstances can write, drop whatever you’re doing and write. If you’re just watching Netflix or doing some chores at home, stop and go write before you lose the idea. If ... ...more
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#WritingWednesday: Not Everyone Will Like Your Work, and That's Okay
Kelli Dolan
As writers, one of our biggest desire is to have our words and thoughts be heard. We want people to read our work (at least most of us do). Some people would rather sequester their work away for fear of people hating it or thinking it’s bad. I’m here to say: get over it. It sounds harsh, but it’s extremely important. Whether you want to write the next great American novel, inspiring and ... ...more
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#WritingWednesday: On Burnout
Kelli Dolan
Some of you may have noticed that I’ve been absent on Folkspaper for a few weeks. And for those of you that have joined the community between then and now, hi! I’ve been absentee because of writer’s burnout. Burning out is a very real thing in most hobbies or professions, when you do something so constantly that eventually it becomes hard to find the energy or motivation to continue one with ... ...more