How to be a Contrarian Writer - and What You Have to Gain

This next tip may well be one of the simplest and most unusual snippets you're ever likely to come across, yet its value is clear, undiminished and can have immense implications! You'll understand the utter truth and power of the approach I'm suggesting in a moment. However for now, the best way to be a writer is quite simply...

...don't!

Yes, that's right, especially when your strongest desire is to be a writer, simply don't try to be a writer!

A compelling idea perhaps?

So how should you act? What should you do?

Answer: on top of everything else you may think about during your creative expeditions, when you don't have to deal with any self-imposed pressure of trying to be "a writer", you can just relax and focus on your writing. When you're "centered" on your writing, you'll most likely create material that is worthy of your readers' attention, and then, hey presto: welcome to the club dear writer.

So just be yourself: think about what you want to say, then say it - on paper, on-screen, or talk into a microphone, or make a video clip, or jump in deep and commit to all of those activities.

Start from where you are - from nothing, then just write; you can edit and correct minor errors later.

Whatever the tools used, the key techniques are similar.

Seriously. Forget all the huff and fluff that surrounds the mystique of writing.

Instead, simply concentrate your energies and enjoyment on how to:

• Tell a riveting story, or
• Create a compelling, informative article, or,
• Write interesting, absorbing web content, or
• Blast out a convincing press release that has uncommon pizazz.

Then delight how everything else can fall into place.

Consider the following guidelines:

• Simply "record" your thoughts in the early stages of your draft. Don't be too concerned about quality, just strive to export the gist of your message or story out of your head and into a retrievable format.
• Thoughts have a habit of being particularly fleeting - if you wait too long or ponder over how you should say something, or get interrupted, you can lose the idea - forever! Consider how when the celebrated poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge was writing his expansive poem, Kubla Khan, he could visualize his entire poem. With much excitement, Coleridge naturally set to work immediately with the goal of recording the entire verse while still fresh in his mind. However, he was soon interrupted by a visitor and had to put aside his poetic labors for a few hours. Later, Coleridge was horrified to discover that he was unable to sufficiently remember or rekindle his earlier thought-stream and so the poem that held such initial promise remains unfinished. When we read the initial mesmerizing paragraphs, we can get a flavor of true creative genius while under the spell of laser sharp focus.
• So first off, plan to get "the big rocks in first", and clean up later.
• Ideally, write every day - about what holds your attention at the time - ideally at least 1000 words.
• Keep a notebook and pen or pencil close by for quick and easy access at any time of the day or night. Why? The more you write, the more likely your greatest ideas may come to you at unexpected times. When your innermost creative inspiration visits, be ready.
• Don't make excuses (I've come up with many in the past - some really good ones, at least I thought so at the time :-) Don't play that game: just do it!
• Make the time. Switch off the TV. Shut the door. Protect your writing space. Educate those closest to you about your need for undisturbed privacy during the time you set aside to write.
• What I've found is that if you really, really, really love "thinking on paper", whether you use real paper or an electronic screen, you'll always have "enough" time. How: we organize our lives around what we love to do. 
• If you have trouble controlling your environment - or if your environment or certain people seem to control you, hand the problem over to your intuition and trust your inner powers to help provide the right solution for you. While easy answers don't usually come  easy, there are always alternatives; always a solution - somewhere.
• Practice developing patience and perseverance.
• When starting to write, don't "wait" for inspiration: just relax and commit to build your word "bricks". Creativity has a habit of appearing as you need that something extra sooner or later to help you finish the "building."
• If the kind of inspired thinking "doesn't come", then finish without it. Why: you may find later that when you re-read what you've penned, inspiration was there all along, with you every step of the way.
• Key tip: whatever you create issues from within you: don't wait or expect for so-called external influences, or the writer's "muse." Newsflash: you are the writer's muse!

Trust me: if you want to write and have reached this point, you already have all you need to make a start on a new and exciting interest or career.

Start now; start today. Soon enough, you'll be writing 4000+ words a day and look back on 1000 words as "play time"

Most of all: have a blast!

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