A feast of learning

Phew!  There’s so much to learn out there!  Here’s some great stuff for you to get your writing teeth into:

1. What we can learn from group writing projects

Robert Hruzek (Middle Zone Musings) has just published the contributions to his latest group writing project, “what I learned from going on vacation”.  Writing for a group project can be a good way to generate new ideas for your writing and get your work highlighted on other people’s sites (plus with a light touch like Robert’s it’s also a lot of fun).  The involvement doesn’t just end there though - there’s a lot you can learn from checking out other people’s contributions - for this particular project you’ll learn about their reflections from going on vacation but you can also pick up tips and ideas about writing style, approach, tone, use of humour, inclusion of photos and so on.  If you’ve time it’s also worth trying to leave a comment on work you’ve enjoyed - you’ll be encouraging another writer and you might well find yourself a new reader (friend, colleague, ally, who knows?) into the bargain.  I’ve listed the contributions (mine included) at the bottom if you want to check them out.

2. What we can learn from our own blogging mistakes

Lorelle at Word Press has thrown down the challenge for blog writers to ‘fess up with their writing boo-boos, those howlers that you regret the minute you press “send”.  Mine tend to be homonyms (words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings) like “their” or “there” and “your” or “you’re”.  It’s one thing knowing the rules and another always following them, especially when we type fast (and don’t always save, print and edit?).  I liked the idea of the challenge as a way to turn a critical eye over your work, not to beat yourself up but to work out which errors you’re making on a regular basis, and what action you could take to cut them out in the future.

3. What we can learn from thinking and linking

Liz Strauss is inviting us to write link posts with a theme, telling a story perhaps, or what she calls (in the comments) “linking and thinking”.  This flows from the piece that I did on writing links post at the weekend, and it’s fun to see how our words and ideas can connect and take on new life like this… (though also a little scary to see my name linked to it in this way, if I were to be perfectly honest).  If you want to contribute - jump in!  You can check out the guidance here.

4. What we can learn from writing and learning together

An exciting new development for me, I’ve signed up as a contributing author to Joyful Jubilant Learning.  This is the most amazing community of writers, thinkers, coaches, doers, brought together with a commitment to share their learning together.  My first piece there was on unlearning the power of shoulds.  The “should” I want to unlearn in August is the one that goes something like “I should be able to do it all on my own”.  My intention is to allow myself to be inspired by the possibilities of working, writing, learning with other people.   Writing at JJL is:

“part of my unlearning - and relearning: to write, read and learn with others.  To share our words, our learning and our stories.”

I hope you enjoy the piece - and exploring the rest of the site.  Don’t forget to dig into the comments - that’s where a lot of the conversation, the fun and the learning takes place.

Enjoy the exploration, and the learning.

Group writing project: What I learned from vacations

Here’s the full list of contributions to the group writing project:

What I Learned from…

… Forcing Myself to Watch TV, by Genesis at At Home Mom Blog
… Small Indulgences, the Four Seasons, and Ice Cream Sandwiches: What I Learned From Vacation, by GL Hoffman at What Would Dad Say?
… in Sedona, by Troy Worman at Orbit Now!
… Vacations, by Pete Aldin at Freaked Out Fathers
… Have Kids Will Travel: What I Learned, by Joe of Fathered Five
… Zoning Out, by Sam Brougher at Forest Azuaran
… My First Vacation in a Wheelchair, by Lillie Amman at A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye
… an Unscheduled Trip to the Bottom of the Grand Canyon, by Mike DeWitt at Spooky Action
… from two weeks on Skye, by Joanna Young, at Confident Writing
… Summer Vacation, by Nic Darling, at Marketing Neophyte
… Becoming Exceedingly Rich, Travelling the World, Drinking Coffee and Blogging About It, by Markk, at My Opinions Are Important
… Holiday Time, by Benjamin Penfold-Marwick at Hello Internet

and finally –
… What I Learned From Just Hanging Around, by Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings

To get future articles you might want to subscribe to the free RSS feed. You'll find more writing tips in the Confident Writing archive. Thanks for visiting!

Related posts:

1. Learning to change the world
2. Learning how to write with aloha
3. Sunday links: new finds

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