oneword is described by its creators as an application “dedicated to helping writers learn to flow.” Users are presented with a single word and given 60 seconds to write whatever comes to mind.

“The words chosen are usually very simple words—some profound, others mundane. It is our belief that even the most mundane word can inspire profound writing. That is not to say the we are expecting profundity—we are only expecting you to be inspired.”

It’s a simple idea with an even simpler execution, but the results can be surprising. And that’s what inspiration is all about: surprising yourself.

If you’re interested in seeing oneword in action, just head over to their website and start writing, or check out the work of others.

The post oneword: Don’t think, Just write appeared first on The Writer's Pulse.

Computer scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have developed a way to write using only the motions of your wrist.

It’s something for those of us who just can’t be bothered to type, let alone hold an actual pencil.

Users wear a glove containing sensors, which relay signals to a computer that converts wrist motions to text, allowing for simple writing “by air.”

Actually, this new tech was developed with smart phones, tablets and future technologies (like Google’s Project Glass) in mind, which typically lack proper keyboards or other input types. The ability to simply gesture into the air and “write” does away with the problem of clunky, external inputs altogether.

“The system offers a new interface for wearable computing applications. These are computer systems worn like clothes, which can be integrated seamlessly into the everyday life of the user.”

So maybe someday we’ll all write using our special wrist-writer thingies, and charge them with our fancy Power Felt t-shirts (that’s nanotech fabric, don’t you know).

Source: Writing Without Keyboard: Handwriting Recognition On the Wrist

Image credit: Volker Steger.

The post Scientists Develop “Airwriting” Glove appeared first on The Writer's Pulse.

Every writer has a process.

Here’s mine:

1. I sit down with an idea, see that blank screen, and say, “Oh no, I don’t know what I’m doing. Is this even going to work? I suck.” You know, the usual.

2. I write. If I need to do research (which is usually the case), I do that first. But the important part is just writing.

3. Once I’m finished and I’ve edited everything to acceptable levels (whatever that means), I sit back and say, “Oh, okay. That wasn’t so bad. Turned out pretty good, in fact.”

When I start my next project or article, it’s right back to “Oh no,” and the process repeats itself.

My point is, writing is a very imprecise, spontaneous, and unpredictable craft. And above all else, it’s specific to the individual. There aren’t any steadfast tips or tricks to getting it done. You just kind of do it.

More importantly, you do it your way.

That’s why I question a lot of the “advice” I see out there, and why I’ve always been uncomfortable doing the whole “writing tips” thing on this very blog (I’ve shied away from it recently).

Add in the fact that most of it is regurgitated, anyway, and there’s not much point. We’ve seen it all before.

Now, obviously, I’m not talking about grammar tips, the finer points of blogging, the technical stuff, or even articles on creativity and inspiration. Those are cool and can be helpful, in my opinion.

No, what I’m talking about are things like “10 Ways Your Writing Is Like A Coconut” or “How Writing Upside Down Covered In Peanut Butter Will Improve Your Sentence Structure.”

I’m guilty of doing that, too. But really.

Is it actually helpful?

I wonder…

Would writing blogs have helped Hemingway or Bradbury or Salinger become better writers?

Image courtesy HeatherHeatherHeather.

The post Why Most Writing Advice Is Bunk appeared first on The Writer's Pulse.

Do you edit while you write?

It’s a nasty habit.

Particularly during the rough draft, when your attention should be on content and getting words on the page.

Of course, there are writing programs that can help. They fade out lines you’ve already written so you can’t see them. It’s hard to edit what you can’t see.

But there’s an alternative, if you don’t feel like downloading or buying new software. In fact, you can do it in the word processor you’re using right now.

Just change your font color to white.

It’s a bit difficult typing blind if you’re not good at it, but like I said: You can’t edit what you can’t see.

If you catch yourself being too critical during the writing process, change your font color to white and just go blind for a while. Let the words fall out of your brain.

When you’re ready, flip the color back and check out the creative mess you’ve made.

The post Creativity Exercises: White Font, White Background appeared first on The Writer's Pulse.

You know what I hate about Internet Marketers?

Most of them are lazy.

They’re all about the “get rich quick” schemes, and that annoys me.

Because it doesn’t work that way.

Oh, and they write like this.

Which also annoys me.

Short sentences. One-line paragraphs. Fragments.

Squeeze pages.

Ick.

They think we’re stupid. And I don’t know; maybe we are.

I mean, it works. Otherwise, they wouldn’t do it.

But I also get tired of wannabe Internet Marketers who think autoblogs (a.k.a. spam blogs) and rewriting eBooks for fun and profit are good ideas.

They want shortcuts. They want to cheat.

They just don’t get it.

You want to know the key to successful writing online?

You write content that people find interesting and valuable.

You write content that you find interesting and valuable.

You put quality above everything else, and you acquire the patience of an Ancient Zen Master.

Because absolutely nothing worth having — or writing — comes easy.

Or quickly.

But don’t listen to me.

I’m not an Internet Marketer.

Image courtesy RyanRWarner.

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