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Writing ideas come to me at odd times. It is as if my imagination is saying, "Stop what you are doing and pay attention to me." My mind is on constant alert for ideas. When an idea comes to mind I write it down immediately and add it to a list. Then I check out the idea by answering these questions.1. Is this a common idea? Ideas often surface in different places at the same time. I do not want to waste effort an idea that has been extensively covered already. However, I will try to find a different slant - another way of writing about the same subject. Sometimes I am successful and sometimes I am not.2. Who am I writing for? I am a health and wellness writer and, from a logic standpoint, my work should apply to everyone. It does not. I must narrow my audience to sell books. My target audiences include Alzheimer's families and caregivers, hospice families and staff, elder care associations and Web sites, parents of teens, grade school kids, and health educators.3. Is my idea too broad, too narrow, or just right? Several years ago I write a communication guide for Alzheimer's caregivers. I was surprised when a reader thanked me for staying on topic. "You didn't stray once," she said. Authors risk losing readers when they write on a topic that is too narrow or too broad.4. Can I summarize my idea in a sentence? This is a crucial step. If I am unable to do this my idea could collapse like a balloon. While I am summarizing my idea I also consider the slant of my article or book.5. What are the sub-points of the idea? Research helps me answer this question. I check the Internet first (this can take hours), print out articles, read them, and categorize them. I read medical sources, such as JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association and interview experts. No research is wasted and I file related articles for future use.6. What is the estimated word count? Since people barely have time to read I limit my books to nine chapters, 10 at the most. If I do not have enough information for a book I will write an article on the topic. Some articles are extensions of books, such as the one I wrote about anticipatory grief and holidays. I try to limit my articles to 500 words.7. How long will writing take? Some articles almost write themselves. Writing a health article can take me one or two days. I usually finish a book in 8-10 months, though I worked on my anticipatory grief book for a dozen years.Answering these questions helps me to find new writing projects and I hope they do the same for you. Chasing down ideas is worth the effort. As you run after them you will discover new projects and yourself.Copyright 2006 by Harriet Hodgson
Article Source: http://www.content.onlypunjab.com
www.harriethodgson.com www.healthwriter.blogspot.com
Harriet Hodgson has been a freelance nonfiction writer for 28 years. She is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD is available from www.amazon.com A five-star review of the book is posted on Amazon. You will find another review on the American Hospice Foundation Web site under the "School Corner" heading.
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