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Make More Money Writing About Yourself
By Dawn Colclasure
Mother may have told you, “Nobody likes a braggart.” But
when it comes to being a working writer, often the best
source for story ideas is that person you see staring back
at you in the mirror: Yourself!
So what do you, basically, and you, specifically, have to
offer to the reading public? Plenty. Whether it’s a topic
based on your gender, your experiences and your hobby, there
are tons of article, essay and story ideas lurking within
your life. The goal is to set out and discover what they are.
The first step in writing about yourself is making a list
of basic information about you. For me, it would be
something like this:
“I am a woman.”
“I am from a large family.”
“I am a daughter.”
“I am a sister.”
“I am an aunt.”
“I am a wife.”
Then come the specific things. Here again is my info:
“I am deaf.”
“I am a burn survivor.”
“I have overcome depression.”
“I know how to write (an article, book, etc.).”
“I can manage taking a long walk.”
“I know how to make a lasagna.”
Make a list of your special skills, what sets you apart
from the crowd, what unique experiences you’ve survived,
the lessons you’ve learned because of hard times and funny
stories your relatives have shared.
The point of these lists? You are narrowing down certain
aspects of yourself and your life you can share as a writer.
For example, take the statement “I am a woman.” How do
certain issues related to being a woman factor into the
writing? Well, you can write about your response, as a woman,
to certain historical periods such as when women won the right
to vote, or how you, as a woman, relate to a major news item
affecting women or feminists. Come from a large family? Write
about memories of wearing hand-me-downs, how your mother
managed to cook meals for an army on a budget, or the games
you and your siblings made up.
My experiences as a deaf parent were turned into an essay I
sold to Mothering Magazine. Having a very active toddler on
my hands inspired an idea for an article on “Toddler
Tornadoes,” which I sold to iParenting.
Other aspects about yourself can be turned into essay or
article ideas. If you are a certain race or a certain religion,
use this as a springboard for ideas. Married to someone of a
different religion than you? Write about it. If you have
overcome racism in the workplace, share your story with the
world. Let your obstacles, your emotions, and your skills
inspire readers and move them to ponder how they, too, can
relate to your very words.
Ultimately, you are also one thing you can always find ideas
to write about: A writer. Take your experiences as a writer
and write about them. Write about your freelancing methods,
your unique ability to land assignments, or your time-saving
strategies to write that next book, and find markets to submit
them to.
Take everything you have on the inside, as well as everything
you are on the outside, and ponder how each part of you and
your life can be turned into an article or essay you can sell.
Writing about yourself can help you turn a dinner disaster
into a funny anecdote, a religious dilemma into a thought-
provoking essay, and you’ll soon be on your way to turning
everything about you and your life into your next check.
BIO:
Books by Dawn Colclasure:
BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL: How We Survive as Writing Parents (http://www.booklocker.com/books/1743.html)
365 TIPS FOR WRITERS: Inspiration, Writing Prompts and Beat
the Block Tips to Turbo Charge Your Creativity
(http://www.filbertpublishing.com/tips.htm).
Her writing-related articles have appeared in Writing World,
Writing For DOLLARS!, Worldwide Freelance Writer, Absolute Write,
Writer2Writer and The Writer Within. Being a deaf person has helped
her to land article assignments with the newspaper SIGNews, and
being a curious sort has inspired her to write and sell articles
to markets such as Succeed Magazine, American Fitness, and Home
Education Magazine. Her interests in the paranormal led her to
write the nonfiction book, Spook City, due out in October. You
can read more about Dawn on her Web site:
http://dmcwriter.tripod.com/
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