Permission is given to reprint the following articles, provided that the following contact information is provided in its entirety. 

© by Bonnie Budzowski, President of InCredible Messages, LP. 
Visit  www.IncredibleMessages.com or contact Bonnie at info@IncredibleMessages.com. 

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Worried You Don’t Have the “Gift” of Writing?

By Bonnie Budzowski
President, InCredible Messages, LP

Many of us look at our writing and feel dissatisfied.  Each piece takes a long time to write, and then we find awkward sections, longwinded descriptions, tangents, and mistakes.  To top it off, our writing sounds stuffy, scholarly and boring—not at all like we mean it to sound.

When you feel dissatisfaction like this, it’s tempting to decide you just don’t have the writing “gift.”  Perhaps nature gave you a good mind for numbers or good people skills, but not good writing skills.  Perhaps nature shortchanged you—but perhaps not!

Most of us sit down at a keyboard and expect to compose a finished piece of writing.  In fact, this expectation is utterly unrealistic.  Professional writers invest time and effort into developing their skills, just like you invest time and effort into developing skills in your specific area of expertise. 

Think about this: 

•  Can you imagine a concert composer sitting at a piano, expecting a complete and beautiful symphony to simply fall out? 
• Can you imagine an artistic photographer expecting to take a few snapshots and produce an award winning show?
• Can you image an actor showing up with an outline of his lines and expecting to deliver them perfectly?

Successful composers, artists, and actors—even engineers and corporate executive teams—all schedule time to tinker with their work.  All artists practice to explore and discover themes, to develop and allow their work to evolve.  Artists play with the elements of their art, and they think nothing of the throwing the bad stuff away. 

Engineers and corporate decision-makers engage in various forms of tinkering as well.  An engineer worth her salt generates many potential approaches to solve a complex problem before she chooses the best one.  Corporate and non-profit executive teams devote time to brainstorming and strategy sessions.  Lots of ideas get thrown away at these sessions.  In many ways, problem solving sessions are practice sessions.

Maya Angelou, known throughout the world as a “gifted” writer, said the following:
Some critics will write 'Maya Angelou is a natural writer'—which is right after being a natural heart surgeon.

Like a good surgeon, a good writer studies the elements of his craft and practices the finer nuances.  While neither surgery nor writing may be your profession, chances are that good communication is vital to your success.  It’s in your best interest to devote some effort to develop your writing skills. 

When was the last time you allowed yourself to tinker with writing?  To explore ideas with pen and paper or keyboard?  To throw something you’ve written away, simply because you were tinkering?  No matter where you stand in terms of natural talent, you can move from your current level of writing skill to a higher one.

Maybe you don’t have the “gift” of writing.  That’s no excuse to sit passively while poor writing skills sabotage your success in the profession in which you DO have a gift.

Following are some exercises to tinker with your writing:

• Explore a non-fiction books you have found particularly helpful. Read the first chapter with the sole purpose of discovering what the writer did well.  Notice how the work is structured.  Notice the headings and the length of the paragraphs.  Notice the word choices the author made.  Make notes about what you learn in this process.
  
• Write a short article (500-700 words) to explain something you know how to do.  Write a sloppy first draft and then go back to make your work easy for the reader to follow.  For example, do you know how to put a garden to bed for the winter?  Mingle effectively at a networking event?  Throw a great Super Bowl party?  Coach an employee with a performance problem?
  
• Start a journal.  Whether your journal is about a hobby, your work life, your spiritual life, or your life as a parent, writing in a journal is a great way to improve your ability to express yourself on paper.  Devoting a simple ten minutes a day can make a real difference.
  
• Read a book on writing.  Here are a few of my favorites:
  • Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark
  • Writing on Both Sides of the Brain by Henriette Anne Klauser
  • Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.

Permission is granted to reprint this article when the following contact information is included: © 2011 by Bonnie Budzowski, President of InCredible Messages, LP. For more free articles, go to www.IncredibleMessages.com or contact Bonnie at info@IncredibleMessages.com.

When it’s time to create “killer content” in a book or speech that establishes credibility and boosts your revenue, Bonnie Budzowski is the perfect resource.  An expert in communication, Bonnie specializes in coaching authors and speakers to organize & express thoughts in ways that capture attention, sell their ideas, and move people to action.  Bonnie helps her clients build content with less time and angst than they dream possible. 

Bonnie Budzowski is Founder of inCredible Messages, Past President of the National Speakers Association, Pittsburgh Chapter, and Past Managing Editor of Speaker Magazine.

If you’d like to sell your ideas, boost your influence, or advance your career through a book or presentation, call Bonnie at 412-828-1629, bonnie@inCredibleMessages.com or visit her website at www.inCredibleMessages.com. 

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