How to Write Stuff - A Writing Guide (Sort Of)

Enjoyed reading your hub. It is refreshing in its directness. While I do most of these, I write what I like to write so I need to really focus on what people like to read. The problem is the top topics are not in my sphere of interest. Ahhh, as you've said there's always a way with these stuff.

Good 'STUFF' here John!

I enjoyed the few pointers, and stuff!

Lawrence

John, this is some pretty funny stuff! How do you come up with this off-the-wall stuff, anyway?

Thanks for the laugh. It lightened me up from the stuff I'm doing at work right now.

I do agree with you. I can recommend to read this book (it's short, but very effective. It made a lot of difference to me). Understanding that one writes for himself gives a certain feeling of freedom. I like to frame the question "For whom do I write?" (translation "Why do I bother writing at all?") as "What's my agenda?"

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Anyway, this is the quote:

“The Audience. Soon after you confront the matter of preserving your identity, another question will occur to you: “Who am I writing for?”

It’s a fundamental question, and it has a fundamental answer: You are writing for yourself. Don’t try to visualize the great mass audience. There is no such audience – every reader is a different person.”

William Zinsser “On Writing Well”

I have read your stuff writing about stuff. I don't use the word "stuff" in my writing often, but when I do, I do so for the triple F emphasis. In spoken language, however, "stuff" has its place as a filler or a crutch if you wish.

As far as writing advice goes, I agree with you, there is too much advice and too much writing, but not enough reading. Writing is more fun because it is a process in which one is an active participant just like in speaking or playing a video game.

Reading, listening, or watching TV, on the other hand, are passive tasks and that is why it is harder to follow, have interest, fully engage.

There is a clever observation - "why listeners get more tired than speakers when it is speakers who do all the work?"

I believe at one point any writer or person who writes is confronted with the question "For whom do I write?" (apart from what? and how?)

Long time ago, I got over those question by writing an article "Creating a Vision - It's All in My Head" and a few days ago, after a long, long, long period of publishing nothing, I wrote "You've Got a Message Re: Pressing Matter".

Essentially, everybody writes for himself. There is no such thing as an audience.

There is a lot of good stuff in your article. Although you incorporated an amusing twist, the final message came through loud and clear. I really enjoyed reading this.

You made me laugh! What a great article on stuff and all so valuable. This is great "stuff"!

If I surround myself with a theme then I can write about it but the most magical writings I think are just put upon us and amaze us when it is done. Maybe that sounds a bit conceited but I think you know what I mean. That is the joy of writing about "stuff" I think. lol

Great way to write. Sometimes you got to make stuff up.

Love your reply, John. Long-winded, too long? Nah. How long is a rope? I've always heard that a rope is 2 x 1/2 its length. (Probably just long enough to hang oneself.) Love ya.

Great motivation! My favorite sentence is "When all else fails, make stuff up!" Obviously, you have a high regard for stuff. Who else can show us how important stuff is?

Oh, John, stuff it! No, I didn't really mean that. In fact, I don't think I've ever taken the time to tell you how much your friendship means to me. I love being around good writers like you who can tell us how to write stuff. My training, other than in creative coercive advertising to sell stuff, was mostly in writing serious stuff, and it's been a hard pull to try to get some of the stuff, uh, starch out of my collar. This stuff is great, my man! Keep it up.

The comment in my mind was, "This is some really cool stuff!", but then I saw Ericdierker already used it.

I write all kind of stuff. It all depends on the stuff that's going on in my mind.

Jodah, you've made me smile!

Great article about writing stuff. Lately, my writing stuff has been slacking, but I really need to gain interest in it once again. Thanks for the inspiration.

Wow! This is an amazing stuff. It filled my whole stuff with cheers. Thanks, John, for this wonderful entertainment and illumination.

Loved your take on writing stuff, enjoyed reading your poem.

The funnest part of writing is seeing what "stuff" is going to come out today. Too much planning would spoil the fun. You go in with a skeleton of an idea, then flesh it out. Great work.

This hub is stuffed with excellent stuff to stuff into a useful article that will benefit the readers as they stuff more knowledge into their overstuffed brains! :)

Spot on Jodah....lots of -uff to go around and I write most of my work in just this way :D

Angels are on the way to you this afternoon ps

This article had lots of energy and was lots of fun to read. Good stuff!

Really helpful and funny!

I used to plan a lot before writing. But it didn't work out so well. So now I plan after I am done writing, which is a whole lot better and easier.

Gonna start a guild. The Guild of people who like to write stuff;-)

I hope not. As long as it doesn't make you go to sleep before you get to bed!

Thank you for your kind comment, John. I've just finished the latest 'Take a Word' so I hope you've got time to take a look and that it lives up to your opinion of my work!

Have a great Sunday! (or is just about done for you?!) Anyway, enjoy!

Ann

Interesting article. IT's important just to write about "stuff" every once in a while. Writing is an adventure, it doesn't have to be perfect the first time. Especially with NaNoWriMo around the corner, it's great to be able to write about the stuff we love without worrying too much about perfection, and the more we write the better we get.

My mind is so full of stuff, mostly rhyming words. Sometimes I just stuff it all and start over again, but pretty soon I'm back to rhyming. It's like my angel cabinet, there's no more room, yet every time I see another angel, I want more of the angelic stuff. It's like what my mother always said, " Stuff won't make you happy. " That's true in a sense, when I overeat and I feel stuffed, I'm unhappy. I like the stuff you write...

Great stuff, John! This all makes such sense and the humour is great. I like taking words and analysing them, as you know from my 'Take a Word' series, and this is a light-hearted resumé of all that confusing advice available. I'd sooner read yours as it's all we need!

I often find that if I'm not sure how to tackle an article, I just start writing and it goes off on its own. They're often the best ones, strangely, so why plan?!

Have a great Sunday!

Ann ;)

You write some good stuff here, Kohn, including the poem.

Hello John - I write stuff. I have written lots of stuff. Plan, what is a plan?

Very creative, fun piece of writing here. This needed to be said, and you said it. We all have our own techniques. As Theresa and you point out, we often have an idea of a destination, yet end up elsewhere.

LOL@Jodah

please teach me how to write for cash!

Hahaha, I love this one, John! Yes, there's so much stuff to write about and I like your approach here. Your poem is creative as always and a delight to read.

I do have a lot of "stuff" in my mind but not sure anyone would want to read about it LOL. However, as you say, we can add so much interest really to any topic to ensure that whoever reads will be entertained or maybe even learn something new.

What usually happens with me in writing is that I "think" I have a good topic to write on and then I get started going in one direction, and then later just out of the blue it begins to take on a whole new aspect that is far removed from my original idea ...thank goodness!

Peace and blessings

Thanks John. Al very useful ideas. I remain the creative type. I know of forms and structure... I grew up with them and do believe they work. Yet I must create. I follow my inner Sun and go where She takes me, with a sense of destiny yes, but not much. I don't encourage too many to do this.

Nice poem about stuff. A very pleasant weekend to you and family.

I took off writing this morning with nothing but a song lyric in mind. I ended up miles away from the original thought but with page filled with some serious stuff. Probably nothing I'll publish. It's that kind of serious. Thanksgiving is coming soon up our way, and that, of course, means turkey and stuffing. Have a great day/night John.

There is a cool journalism trick for writing - start with Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How

If you include the 5 'Ws' whenever you write, you will have a good foundation for writing stuff.

Random stuff writing can only improve your skills! Good hub!

Very fun. Loved your poem that found numerous ways to rhyme with "stuff". It was stuffed with stuff.

I laughed out loud when I read the title. Great stuff here, filled with valuable stuff for any writer or writer wannabee, and a great reminder that you, my friend, are a creative, writing machine.

Lots of cool stuff here Jodah. I love some of the images too.