Taking Time to Share Faster on SearchWarp!
Posted: Monday, May 18, 2009
by Jean Purcell
OpineBooks.com
When composing articles for the SearchWarp writing community on-line, I often tend to write too fast and articles suffer for it.
Writing too fast can develop out of good intentions and positive feelings, like eagerness and excitement over sharing. It reminds me of an experience in sharing faster that happened when I helped train volunteers going overseas for a government aid outreach.
Once in the mountains not far from Washington, DC, a country team of volunteers began to get to know each other quickly. They were especially vocal and enthusiastic. The schedule was set and meetings began, with different aims for each.
The third day, a closing session was intended to allow the most meaningful opportunity to share what the experiences of training had meant to each potential team member. A trainer encouraged them to share what the pre-departure experience had meant to them.
The time became so meaningful to some volunteers that they shared many details about thoughts and feelings. Soon the schedule was lagging far behind, and a leading trainer piped up, "OK, that's good. But, we're running out of time. Let's share faster!"
The group broke into laughter. How do you "share faster"? The contradiction loosened any remaining tensions and did help soften the ornate sharing. I think, however, that some important sharing might have been missed due to the compressed time.
I often feel like those volunteers when writing SearchWarp articles. I want to share, but life seems to require that I share faster. What we are not supposed to do is to compose articles on the web site. SW advises us to use a PC word processing program for composing, editing, spell-check, and proofing. Then, we should copy and paste the text in the new article submission box on SW after log-in.
I do that, sort of. I write in MSWord and quickly read. I use spell- and grammar-check. I also do a word-count check, usually aiming for between 800 and 1,000 words. If composing on a BlackBerry notepad, the options dwindle. One cannot add legitimate words to BB's vocabulary.
Then I copy and paste and check the paragraph spacing, which usually needs adjusting. This process does not go far enough at the early stage, before copy-paste. Recently a little voice in my head tells me I'm tending toward sloppiness, for I tend to proof and spell-check after copy-paste, editing on line, including moving text around or deleting, spell-checking and proofing the entire article for the first time.
The upshot is that sometimes before the article is ready, SW has already received it from me, read and rated it, and maybe even made it public.
One time a low rating attached to one of my SW articles, written in haste. That taught me a lesson, or so I thought. Yet we tend to forget as time goes on.
Recently when posting "The Banquet of Life Essential," I fell back into old habits again. I had uploaded the new article from the BB notepad before going to the PC to get a better view. By the time I reached the PC, the article, submitted for featured columnist page, was public. Reading it showed me that the opening paragraphs were a bit pedantic, or what's the word: school-teacherish? You probably get what I mean. A quick on-line revision deleted early paragraphs, which the article never really needed.
That caused no big problem, yet I want get back my writer's self-control, a writing discipline that I find easier for a book than for strings of articles. I'll try not to fall back on my I'm-still-getting-over-winter-cause-I'm-really-a-warm-weather-person-so-I-think-I-have-a-right-to-cut-myself-some-slack-until-my-spring-energy-kicks-in excuse!
It's best not to make a promise on this, but to just do it. I'll try not to share quite so fast, and give time in word processing phase to do most of the work! Writing for SW is enjoyable. There is quick article placement and lots of opportunities for feedback. Those are two rewards I think most writers like yet cannot get with more time-intensive print genres.
SW allows writers a friendly platform, literally, for sharing information, ideas, inspiration, and stories! I've read a few featured SW writers that have shared how writing for SW has sharpened their skills over time and helped them build much more confidence as writers. Those things alone are worth the time it takes to try to do the best we can at any moment. Kudos, SW!
This Article has been viewed 1,263 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Great article. Well done.I agree. I often get so into an article I forget that spelling and grammar are important and often waffle. This gets me annoyed as I have OCD when it comes to grammar and spelling - when I was younger I was so bad I had to become obsessive.Anyway, you may see a contradiction and that is exactly what it is. I get into writing the article, I forget about the spelling and grammar then forget about the article to sort the spelling -strangely it works ok.Hi, Connor, glad to meet you. I agree with what you experience, because I know that forgetting to check spelling and grammar is a common thing among us writers. We just have to keep trying to build the habit. One day, it sort of gets there. Thanks so much for reading and commenting!
Thanks for the complements Jane. One of our greatest rewards on SearchWarp has been to watch so many writers come into their own while honing their writing skills. I'm with you... there are so many things I'd like to write about. Usually before I get one typed out I come up with a second, and then I'm uninspired to work on the first one. Unfortunately this often results in me not finishing either!Hi, Bruce, your experience with inspiration fleeing is one that many of us share, I think. I have had it happen, even in recent days. A good idea just flew out the window when I got distracted, and it never returned! One thing I love about SearchWarp is that beginning writers learn by doing and reading/commenting here. I've read comments that are so moving, and applaud those writers as much as I cheer for anyone. Thanks to Jean and you, and everyone at SW!
Hi Jane.Lately I've been working so much, 12 hour shifts, that I haven't had time to do a whole lot of writing. That is MY excuse!!It really is an ongoing turmoil. What can we do, other than keep plugging away?Enjoyable read.Hi, Ken - Thanks for your comments. Wow, with 12-hour shifts, you must just feel like only sleeping after those! I think you've got the essence of it, to keep trying, and even if you "write shorter" your ideas matter. Your work experiences or when going home or whatever could be good resources, possibly, for I bet your mind is always turning. I really am not a guru on this, for I find that when I get tired or have other things - called life! - happening, I write less for periods of time. But thank God for life! smile. I appreciate you, Ken, and your writing. Keep persevering as you are doing! Blessings, Jane
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.