Helpful Hints Writing Guide

Dear Listeners and Mentors-

We have been reading many powerful thought-provoking stories these past weeks through the Women Weave the Web campaign. Perhaps you have felt inspired to write your own stories or articles, weaving your own words into our global loom.

We are re-posting this Guide which you may find helpful as you write your own story or mentor a participant through writing theirs.

Join us as we continue to weave the web!

This short guide is intended to provide some suggestions that may be of benefit to those writing campaign assignments, but is also applicable to anyone wanting to share with a broad audience through writing and journal entries. It is based on previous participant experience, and from general involvement with the WP online community. It is by no means definitive or comprehensive, but may be of help when posting in your journal.

In being accustomed to writing concise, well-crafted, and descriptive reports, the writing of assignment submissions or journal posts provided a nice variation of writing for me. However, I continued to be very conscientious of syntax, form, and clarity in the entries while simultaneously expressing vision, action, and hope.  I wrote with the thought of needing to be a good writer with a great story.  In fact, this is not necessarily the case. Although I still believe clear, concise, decent writing has import, I came to realize that clear vision, action plan, and personal story is of greater benefit for this type of writing within the World Pulse Community. And so, the following Writing Guide was born:

Beneficial Elements for article submissions or posts:

-Expression of ambition, spirit, and hope
-A story of overcoming adversity, or attempt thereof
-Focus on singular idea
-Clarity of ideas, passion, and/or vision
-Feasibility of your project/idea/action
-Plan of action, and/or example of action
-Examples of completed or in-process projects/campaigns
-Exemplifying World Pulse as a whole, or a component thereof, while remaining true to self.

With those elements in mind, it may be that one comprehensive essay, story, or journal entry could be broken down into a number of different essays. Keeping a journal entry concise is beneficial for these reasons:

-It increases the probability of reaching a wider audience (ie: most people will naturally gravitate or read a shorter piece than a longer one).
-You will have a variety of journal entries in place of the one, longer entry. It is true that some stories or entries warrant more words. But I have seen a number of entries that very well could be split into at least a few, so I would consider each entry carefully.
-More attention can be given to each important idea within the original, larger essay.

It may also be of benefit to some journal entries or essays to ask specific questions or present an idea that spurs responses. In this matter, you may draw more replies or spark new ideas. At the very least you may broaden your community.

Above all, know that being true to yourself, with the knowledge that you will meet acceptance here in this community, will bring brilliance to whatever you write. And that light, dear sisters, will shine for all to see!

-via M.F.M. aka Cali gal Michelle for World Pulse

Michelle
aka Cali gal

Listener
Sister-Mentor
@CaliGalMichelle
facebook.com/caligalmichelle