Some time back (ahem…) I was invited on a blog hop. So I’m hopping on, tagging, to inspire more (timely) hopping now that spring has sprung.

What am I working on?

I’ve got several projects on the go at the moment, which is very normal. I’ve got a branding and web design project, my lovely regular coaching clients, as well as several other things. As far as writing is concerned, I blog weekly at this site, less regularly on this blog, and also write for Discordia and Hacking Happiness.

I’m very curious about the human condition – what motivates us, why we (often) act irrationally, how we search for meaning and create meaning in our lives. I write a lot about the art and science of communication and always with the view to motivating somebody to read what I’ve written and then go and do something – anything – a little differently, with more bravery and more heart.

How does my writing style differ from others in my genre?

There’s a trend towards conversational copy writing, which is great, because life’s too short for dry, verbose writing. It’s also a great idea to add some personal details or stories to your business blog posts and articles because it makes your message far more relatable and understandable. Humans have always swapped stories and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t do this in business, too. But I’m also keen to be professional, which means trustworthy, reliable, and demonstrate integrity. So there’s definitely a line that I won’t cross in my writing, regarding too-personal stories and expletives (which I can’t help dropping in my courses or face-to-face with clients who I’m sure don’t mind).

There’s something very seductive about reading others’ intimate stories. It can be very healing and inspiring to hear people talk about dark times and how they overcame. But it’s not appropriate for me to write about here, or anywhere else where I hope someone may be a perfect-fit client and hire me.

Why do I write?

I’ve always been a massive reader. I was banned from the school library in year two, because they thought it wasn’t good for my social skills. Mean!

I love that feeling of real communication – when you look into someone’s eyes and you know that they’ve got you. Writing is just the same, but the scale is potentially far greater, especially in the online arena. It took me some time to get into blogging. I was blogging on behalf of clients for years and years, as well as other copy writing work and thought, “what’s the point?” I wondered if anyone cared, or if the world didn’t have enough bloggers already.

But I kept finding myself composing blog posts in my head when gardening. I have a large, rambling garden and I’d be plucking weeds and tweaking my perfect headline, crafting opening lines, shuffling words, until I thought ‘Enough!’ It’s time to blog. If your stories keep swirling round and round your skull, it’s time to free them.

How does my writing process work?

I’m a bit haphazard and I certainly don’t require particular conditions to write. When I first started working in public relations, I couldn’t believe how noisy it is and how I could possibly concentrate, be creative and write. I quickly learnt how.

I tend to jump around a bit as I’m warming up – I might open several documents, Google something, start (or continue) an article, and then jump to another one, but that only takes 15 minutes or so before I get some momentum and then I’ll write until it’s done.

Personally, I find it highly effective to try to come up with the headline or hook first. It makes the writing flow faster and easier. Of course, it doesn’t always happen.

I try to leave a gap between writing and editing of at least 24 hours and resist the urge to edit as I write. It’s hard to fight the temptation to research a gap in your knowledge as you’re writing – I’ll leave a note in the midst of my draft telling myself to confirm a fact or look up something or to add a quotation for more credibility. The rhythm or flow of writing is important, and this is hard to instill if you’re always stopping and starting. Also, you’re got your own personal momentum to safeguard, so I try to keep on keeping on, even if I’m feeling unsure of myself.

If it’s for a client, I will do one edit and revisit the brief to check I’ve covered everything, before sending the first draft for their review.

I enjoy editing just as much as writing. It’s really satisfying seeing something become clearer, more compelling, and more colourful. A big part of editing is non-attachment to your words. Oftentimes, you’ve got an interesting idea or insight or particularly delightful turn of phrase that you’re really pleased with, but it doesn’t fit. Learning how to be ruthless and thick-skinned is essential for any writer to cultivate. You can always park these bits into a clean document and riff off them later, to see whether they’re big enough to carry a new article or blog.

So tell me in the comments below, why do you write?

I nominate Charlotte Calder and Nicole Leedham for this blog hop – over to you guys!