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grailfinders · 3 years

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Fate and Phantasms Far Side #4: Hisui

That’s the trouble with twins; there’s always another one. That’s right, Magical-Biche is back for another Tsukihime build already, this time they made the more serious maid sister Hisui, She’s even less combat-oriented than her sister, but I’m sure you’ll figure out how to best use her skills.

Check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here! Take it away, Magical-Biche!

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Even though her sister was quite the easy build, Hisui was pretty hard to figure out. She doesn’t really have any combat abilities except for her weird hypnosis thing. Thankfully, DnD is a game about luck, most of the time, and we can actually build a character which heavily relies on being plain lucky. This build is obviously not as good as Kohaku, I think, but it should prove to be plenty of fun with how much we manipulate the dice. Let’s dive into the build!

Race and Background

Just like our sister, we are a variant human. We might have some psychic abilities, but we’re still mostly human. Being a variant let us have a +1 to dexterity and a +1 to wisdom. We are naturally someone that is used to manual labor, and we have a knack for understanding other people’s feelings. Being a variant human also gives us access to the most powerful feat of them all, lucky. This is going to be great help to mitigate our poor stats and our low combat capabilities. We can also get a free proficiency, and as we are quick to get an overview of our task, we take the proficiency in perception.

For our background, we are pretty straightforward. We are a simple guild artisan, a master of our craft, that is, cleaning and being an awesome maid. There is sadly no servant background, so that one will have to do. Being a guild artisan makes us quite insightful and persuasive, which fits our personality quite well, even though our bad charisma stat means we won’t be getting a lot of mileage from persuasion. We are also proficient with Tinker’s tools, so we can repair anything broken in the house we serve in. We also get the Guild Membership feature, which isn’t really lore-friendly, but it’ll have to do. We’re definitely members of the Misaki town’s shopping district association or something, after all.

Ability Scores

Next come our ability scores. And oh boy, we’re quite MAD (Many abilities dependant, if you didn’t know). As a skilled maid, we’re quite agile, and we’re getting our highest score into dexterity. We are also pretty intelligent, having been raised in a noble household with high-class education. We are also pretty crafty, so we should also have decent wisdom. Next, we will need a bit of constitution in order to live through our hard days as a maid. Finally, we sadly have to dump our charisma, even though we’re like the cutest character from the series, as we appear to be quite stern and cold. We also have to dump our strength; we are already agile, we don’t need that gorilla strength.

Class Levels

Monk 1: Our first monk level gives us our martial arts, giving us the ability to fight efficiently with our trusted broom (a quarterstaff, of course) and to slap as a bonus action. We also get our unarmored defense, which starts quite low, due to our bad stats. With point buy, we start with a measly 15 AC. Starting as a monk also gives us 2 proficiencies, and we’re taking acrobatics, to further increase our cleaning abilities, and stealth, so we can sometimes surprise people with our powerful hypnosis powers. We’re also proficient with strength saving throws and dexterity saving throws, two really useful options. We also get our monk weapons, that is, all simple weapons and shortswords.

Wizard 1: Yes, another class already! We become a wizard as early as possible so we have access to our spellbook to write spells in earlier. Wizards get the powerful ritual casting, useful to cast spells like alarm or detect magic. We also get arcane recovery, which for now only allows us to recover a single spell slot of first level. Our first spellcaster level gives us three cantrips. We are getting firebolt, a great way to (over)cook meat, and quite high damage while we’re at it. We also take mending, to repair anything our clumsy sister broke while trying to clean stuff. Last, we take shape water, which is overall really useful, but we’ll be getting the most mileage out of it by cleaning. We can also inscribe 6 spells in our brand new spellbook (that we have to buy, sadly): alarm, to protect our encampment and our home, catapult, so we can throw trash at people, color spray, Tasha’s hideous laughter, and sleep, our first hypnosis-like spells that all happen to be of the enchantment school. Last, we get our very own unseen servant, the actual incarnation of our sister, albeit more useful for home-related stuff.

Monk 2: Back to martial arts, our second monk level gives us our Ki, allowing us to sneak in a few more hits with flurry of blows, to get pretty defensive with patient defense and to get quite mobile for the rest of our turn with step of the wind. We have 2 ki points so far (one for each monk level, and we get them back by taking a short rest. We also get unarmored movement, increasing our movement by 10 feet, for now. Last, we may get the optional feature dedicated weapon, which is absolutely useless for us, since we don’t have any other weapon proficiencies.

Monk 3: Our third monk level gives us deflect missiles, a great way to mitigate incoming projectile damage and help with our survivability. But more importantly, we are now a drunken master, giving us plenty of luck-based abilities. For now, we only get a proficiency in performance, which can be used to pretend we’re just a harmless maid, and one with the brewer’s supplies… which is bad. We, Hisui, can’t cook anything, and brewing obviously counts as cooking. If possible, we should ask our DM if they are OK with replacing that proficiency with another one, like the carpenter’s tools. Finally, our subclass improves our flurry of blows with drunken technique, allowing us to move faster and to disengage when we use it, perfect for our concept of just evading hits instead of tanking. What’s more, we may get the optional feature Ki-fueled attack, which isn’t tremendously useful for us, since we can pretty much only trigger it with patient defense and step of the wind.

Monk 4: Unlike most classes, monk’s fourth level became quite crowded with TCoE. We, of course, get our first ability score increase, and we’re taking the most travelled road by taking +2 in dexterity. Next, we get slow fall, which is quite nice, but depends on how much our DM likes pitfalls. We also gain yet another optional feature, quickened healing, which greatly helps with our health, but depends one whether our DM allows it. Finally, let’s not forget that our only damaging cantrip gets its second damage die, making it a really great option to fight right now.

Monk 5: Our fifth monk level gives us our ever-important extra attack, which dramatically increases our damage output. Also, our martial art dice is increasing in size, meaning our unarmed strikes now deals 1d6 damage, a small but always welcome upgrade. Stunning strike, while not adding damage, can be used against low-constitution enemies to stun them. It adds another saving throw in our arsenal, as most enchantment spells won’t force constitution saving throws, even if our wisdom is quite low. Finally, we get our last optional feature: focused aim, which helps hitting things, and that’s about it. Great feature, but as with other optional features, it all depends on our DM.

Wizard 2: Now that we have our extra attack, we can finish our wizard training. Second level wizards grant us our school of magic, and we’re obviously an enchantment wizard, which will increase the efficiency of our enchantment spells and give us hypnotic abilities. First, as it is the case with all wizard schools, we are an enchantment savant, which is nice to learn new spells. We also get our main tool, hypnotic gaze. We can charm a creature in our melee range, but we need to use our action to maintain it. However, it gives time to our party members to reorganize and can prove quite useful in many situations. Furthermore, we finally look a bit like our final form, which can evade attacks like now one and hypnotize everyone. We also get two new spells, and we should be taking identify, to help sorting magical objects that may end up in our home or camp, and charm person, for obvious reasons.

Wizard 3: Third level wizards get the optional feature cantrip formula, letting us replace cantrips, which is… useful, but not too much, and optional. More important are the new level 2 spells we get! We’re taking Tasha’s mind whip, an offensive hypnosis of some sort, and Hold person, to further our crowd controlling abilities.

Wizard 4: Obviously, fourth level gives us another ability score increase, and we’re becoming a telekinetic, which gives us the mage hand cantrip and the ability to use it to shove people from afar with a bonus action, and we can forgo every component of the spell, as well as making the hand invisible. This is mostly used to push our opponent away from us, as we’re not exactly a great combatant. The feat also increases our intelligence by one point, which rounds it to 16. We also get a new cantrip, so we’re now able to cast gust, a great way to dust any surface and to shove people. Our two new spells are darkvision, which is kinda necessary as a human, and which allows us to patrol at night with ease, and mirror image, which adds to our already impressive hit-avoiding arsenal.

Wizard 5: Our fifth level in the wizard class gets us our third level spells! We obviously won’t go with fireball, as it cleans just a bit too well, but with counterspell, a great way to fight back when a dangerous artifact laying unattended at home releases it’s magic (it also happen to greatly increase our defensive abilities), and dispel magic, for similar reasons.

Wizard 6: Our final wizard level gives us our instinctive charm ability, crystalizing our cuteness into a weapon. We can now divert attacks to other people, provided that they fail on their wisdom saving throw and are not immune to charm. With that, lucky, our improved flurry of blows, deflect missiles and counterspell, we have quite an impressive toolbox to stay alive. Also, our only damaging cantrip gets its second damage upgrade. For spells, we’re taking stinking cloud: we’ve cleaned stuff for so long we can now materialize dirt and bad smells into a powerful spell. We also take remove curse, for similar reasons to the spells of our previous level.

Monk 6: Back to our final class, we get our Ki-empowered strikes, meaning our unarmed strikes are now magical. A bit late, and we already have magical damage from elsewhere, so it’s not too big of an upgrade. However, we also get a new feature which is actually two: tipsy sway. It allows us to leap to our feet, ending our prone status by using only 5 feet of movement, and to redirect attacks, which works similarly to our instinctive charm, but has different limitations and costs a Ki point.

Monk 7: Our next monk level grants us the ever-powerful evasion, letting us avoid most damaging AOEs without trouble. We also get a better grasp at how to charm people. Our stillness of mind lets us end a charm or a frightening status on ourselves as an action.

Monk 8: The monk’s eighth level gives us our third ability score increase. We will increase our intelligence by two points, giving us a nice bonus to hit and saving throws for our spells.

Monk 9: At ninth level, monks get an improvement to their unarmored movement, allowing them to quite simply walk along walls and on top of water.

Monk 10: Tenth level monks get purity of body, making them immune to poisons and diseases. Poison immunity is quite useful to avoid traps and dangerous beasts, but that’s about it.

Monk 11: That monk level gives us the final drunken master feature we can get, drunkard’s luck. We can quite simply remove a disadvantage on a lot of rolls by spending two Ki points, which helps with both our damage and our survivability. Furthermore, we get two damage upgrades, because our damaging cantrip gets its final upgrade, and we can now use our quarterstaff with only one hand without losing damage.

Monk 12: Twelfth level in any class means ability score increase, and we luckily don’t rely on feats too much, so we are adding another two points to our dexterity score, meaning we now have a perfect dexterity score. A bit late, but it’s not the only ability we use to deal damage, so we can’t really help it.

Monk 13: Next monk level gives us the tongue of sun and moon… which are cool for roleplay purposes, but it doesn’t really fit our build and it doesn’t really help us doing anything. It might help to charm creatures which don’t speak common, so there’s always some use.

Monk 14: This is the reason we left the wizard class while only level 6. With diamond soul, we are now proficient with every saving throw, including constitution, great to keep our concentration. We can also re-roll when we fail a saving throw by spending a ki point. Combined with everything else, we’re now extremely hard to hit, and we’re not likely to lose our focus anytime soon. We also end up with a decent pool of 14 Ki points, and we add 25 feet to our movement while we don’t wear armor.

Pros: We are, first and foremost, pretty hard to hit, despite our low AC. We can deflect attacks, charm people and bind them. We also force varied saving throws, which is great to overcome some threats. Also, since we take a wizard level early, we can start collecting spells very early, despite being mostly a monk. That gives us access to most of the useful wizard spells, including both high damage ones like fireball and utility ones like all the detection spells.

Cons: However, we are dependent on way too many abilities and end up dumping two of them, if we use the point buy system. We’re also a melee spellcaster, and only really become good at it once we hit level 20. Being an enchantment wizard also means we have a lot of concentration spells and usually have to choose between mirror image and something else. We also have to hold back our intelligence until quite high level, making our (thankfully varied) saving throws easy to beat, and our attacks easy to avoid. Finally, our wisdom is pretty terrible for a monk and our very few features which use it will usually not be worth it.

#Tsukihime #D&D 5e #Hisui #dnd #Fate and Phantasms

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deathstakes · 3 years

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How to be Buffy Summers — A Slayer How-To Guide: Tips, tricks and wood chips.

PREFACE: So you want to be the Slayer, huh? Well, newsflash. Everyone wants to be the hero. In the movies, it is flashy and cool. Well, here is a newsflash. Slaying isn’t exactly glam-o-rama. The movies really pump up the whole what it is like to be a hero, and let me tell you, it isn’t as cute.

Disclaimer: You might have heard a lot from the fang-population. They like to spread their gossip faster than a bunch of ladies sipping their afternoon tea. I’m here to clear the rumours and give you the insiders scoop.

I am more than just the Slayer. I am also Buffy. They go hand in hand like…. Hands going in hand. I like my weapons as much as I love a good sale. There’s nothing wrong with liking pink, dressing cute and also being able to kick some major ass, and trust me, if you ever doubt it, I can show you what a Slayer really is.

TIPS, TRICKS AND WOODCHIPS

1. There is nothing fashionable about eye bags. Concealer is your best friend.

Patrol usually ends around 3 a.m, if the vampires aren’t biting much. If I am lucky, I get about four hours of sleep a night, and if I am even luckier those four hours are free of nightmares or weird, cryptic-y apocalyptic messages. Most of the time, I am not, and my dreams aren’t steamy with Swayze but the uglies, but we never go past second base because they always seem to die when they try to handle my stake.

Those sleepless nights are going to make you want to wear a caffeine drip. Speaking of, coffee will be your other best friend. Thank me later.

Oh, and you’re also going to need a concealer for the bruises. Trust me on this, you’re going to find bruises in places you didn’t even know you could have bruises. Those rough tumbles aren’t without consequence. Sure, they’ll go away in a bit, but in the meantime, do what Elsa said. Conceal, don’t feel. Cover it with translucent powder to really set it in and don’t forget to colour correct! This works for both bruises and for those vampire bites. Totally hickey-proof.

2. Sisterly duties.

Make sure Dawn is up for the school day. I used to get up much easier, in my opinion. Also, remember to pack a stake in her lunch and some holy water, just in case. You never know when she is going to need them considering she has a habit of getting kidnapped every other Tuesday. Replenish the supply every so often and get your witchy best friend to put in protection trinkets that you can slip into her backpack.

IMPORTANT: When it comes to her safety, nothing is off limits, at all. Monsters will play dirty if they have to, and the ones closest to you are the most susceptible. It’s a hard knock life.

3. Because this gig isn’t really big on the paying front, you also need a day job. Glamorous.

Remember that thing about how being a superhero isn’t like how it is in the movies. I was being dead serious about that. There isn’t a batmobile or really cool headquarters, unless you want to count the Magic Shop, and oh, that thing about getting paid? Hah. Yeah, you’re not really going to be rolling in the dough unless it is cookie dough. It is a whole, long-winded thing, so just make sure you have some resistance to temptation when you see a really, really good shoe sale. I am talkin’ goes with everything, cute but also practical heel. Don’t do it.

You might have to play pool shark, might need to flip some burgers and learn how to give your Buffy best smile while being dead inside, or you might need to bust an undercover demon black market. Get creative. Just don’t rob a bank. Morals still apply, you know.

TIP: Having a boyfriend who is good at forging credit cards is really helpful. Though, sometimes, he gets too crafty with the aliases.

4. Unchipped manicures? Puh-lease.

I’m going to give it to you straight, so it doesn’t get hard later on. You know that feeling of freshly painted nails? Don’t get used to it. There has yet to be a patrol that I go on that doesn’t end up with me chipping my polish.You’d think someone would get into the market for this stuff and break the bank, but nope. Well, considering I would probably be their only customer... Don’t even think about acrylics, who has the time and also, not great for grip. Gel? You’d think it would hold, but let me tell you, not even the best formula can stand against the roughest of tumbles.

Having pretty, polished nails was nice while it lasted. That isn’t to say I don’t do my nails, now, because I do. I’m not letting fangs take that away from me. They already took away my sleep.

5. Healing.

So, right about now, you might be starting to realize that being a superhero isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. So, let me throw in a decent thing. This isn’t to get recruits or anything. This job position is filled until further notice (or until I get the axe.) One of the good things about the gig is that you heal faster. That isn’t to say you don’t get hurt, because oh boy, do you get hurt. The pain aspect is still there, but you’ll heal a broken bone in days compared to weeks only to break it again. I’ve made with the stabby, and gotten out of the hospital the same night because I was healing quickly. Other than the limping, the bruises that go away in a day or two and the scars are barely there scars, you’re golden.

But that doesn’t mean that I am invincible.

If Slayers were invincible, I wouldn’t be here.

I still have my scars (the ones that can be seen) on my neck. From the Master, from Angel and those couple rounds with Dracula that I went, but that’s for another time. The naked eye can’t really see them, but get me under some great selfie taking lighting and it's there, just a sheen paler than my skin tone.

TIP: If you are trying to hide fresh ones, try scarves. Fashionable, but practical. Ascots if you’re into looking like Fred Jones, hubba hubba.

6. The weapon of the tongue. No, not that weapon.

Anyone can learn high kicks and how to throw a punch. Well, most anyone, anyways. But if you really want to know the inner workings of how to be Buffy, try me on for size. I only come in a small, though. When I do my rounds, I like to provide a double feature slayer combo, you know? Throw in a pun or two between my punches, give them a real show. You know why? It gets them going. It drives them crazy, and they get angry. That anger helps fuel the whole show. Also, I am great at talking circles, so sometimes, you just keep going and going and watch their undead brains try to scramble it together, and while they are doing that?

PRESTO-POOF-O.

It really is a Buffy skill, even if Giles doesn’t think so.

Well, except when it gets me in trouble because part of being me is realizing that my mouth speaks faster than my brain tends to comprehend and then it just becomes a whole intangible tangent that really shouldn’t even be called a tangent, because really, who---

7. Sacrificing fashion for slayage.

This one hurts me to write. This one hurts me because it is still something I struggle with, but what can I say? I’m a lifelong learner, dedicated to becoming the best. Nerd alert. There was a time when I used to dress cute. You know, the minis and the halters? The to-die-for booties? Well, guess what? Long gone are those days. Now, I aim for pr… for… prac… for practical. Sorry, it is still a touchy thing.

That doesn’t mean you still can’t dress cute, because you totally can. Have I given up my style? Nope, not a chance, and hey, sometimes my halters still see the life of patrol because I believe when we look and feel our best, we slay the best (Can I get an amen?) I wear booties all the time, but it’s because I know how to run in heels.

Body con dresses and tight skirts? Save them for a day you aren’t slaying, because otherwise, you’ll be sitting in a bank and suddenly be faced with a bank-robbing demon and you’ll have to slit your favorite pencil skirt with shears so you have enough leg room to fly-kick that ugly.

That was a nice skirt, it was.

8. Accessorizing is important.

It is no secret that accessorizing can make an outfit go from nay to yay. Come on, that is a given. But, being the Slayer, there are some accessories I have to make sure that I am wearing at all times. Keeping a cross on you all the time would be too bulky, and it isn’t for the religious aspect of things, so what do I do? Cross necklaces, chokers, rings or little dangly earrings can be the perfect way of making a vampire weak in the knees. Also, punching with rings really hits differently. For them, not me.

Keep some scarves on you, too, because well, it isn’t any of my business what happens to your necks, fangy or not.

TIP: Scrunchies? Make great face flingers if you need a real quick distraction to get out of a fangy situation. Just some tricks of the trade, you are welcome.

9. That appetite.

Let’s get personal, here. You think that you’re going to do all that cardio and vamp-ass slayage and not feel like you could eat a horse? Oh, it’s bad. Sometimes, the first thing I do when I am done patrol is hit whatever place is open or go straight for the fridge. It’s never cravings for a salad, either, nope. It’s 3 a.m, and all you want is a stack of double chocolate chip pancakes, some sunny side up eggs, hash and extra greased up bacon, maybe even some triple scoop chocolate shakes.

Dawn says she always feels like she is interrupting the fridge and I when she walks in on us, because my head is just always sticking inside it, but what do kids know, huh?

Also… there is another kind of appetite. This is why this book isn’t in the kids section. We’re all grown ups here. Sometimes, all you need is to get rid of that tickle that seems to always find a place. It’s explosive until you give in and have to do something about it. It’s kind of why I prefer solo-slaying, it gets real intimate.

A low-fat yogurt does the trick, too.

10. Weapons, ooh.

So, we talked about the power of words, but here comes the good stuff. Let me tell you, nothing feels good as the first poof after a freshly shaven stake. I never thought I would ever admit to that, but here we are. It is important to always keep your weapons ready to fight like it was the end of the world, because most times? It is.

Try to keep a knife in your boots. Pockets are important because you can slip in stakes discreetly enough, but don’t make them too bulky. Keep important spells on your phone because you’re not carrying around books everywhere you go. Never forget your phone, your gloss, crosses and holy water. You know, the essentials.

My favourite weapon? My precious baby. My scythe. It looks sweet and is just as killer. I like it for its double functionality because it does both the beheading mucho smoothly and the point of the stake? Talk about hot.

…. Yes, we all get attached to our weapons.

As for guns, they are still pointless.

Keep your weapons hidden. Somewhere they won’t be found. I went through storing them in places I knew my mom wouldn’t bother looking (crosses and holy water vials between the bookshelves, stakes in the closet…) Maybe build a trunk for it, for all your storage needs. This is where I plug Xander Harris. He built me a beautiful trunk on my 21st birthday. Give him a call.

11. Do NOT sleep with vampires.

So, here’s the thing. I don’t want to be a hypocrite but, sometimes, I just have to say it. Do not sleep with the enemy. Here’s the thing. I get it. I know. There’s this whole mysterious aspect to it, and sometimes at the end of it all, you just want to knock your boots with someone, BUT DO NOT SLEEP WITH THE UNDEAD. It never works out good for anyone. There are too many complications, like the loss of souls and dignity. The only shaft they should be getting worked is the stake.

There are plenty of living, breathing, normal human fish in the sea.

Seriously, screw vampires. By that, I mean don’t.

This message was brought to you in part by the Learn from Buffy’s Mistakes Association, because clearly she never did.

12. Don’t let it turn you into stone.

I’m going to get real with you. Being the Slayer… it is so easy to cut yourself off. From the world and everyone around you, because you think that it is easier that way. That it’ll hurt less if you keep this unbudging wall between you and the people you care about. Somewhere along the way, the hard heartens from all the losses that turn you into a ghost of who you were. Somewhere along the way, you stop wearing your heart on your sleeve because you’re not that innocent or naive girl anymore.

Being the slayer… it makes me different. It makes me different in a way that I don’t think anyone will ever truly understand, even when they say they do. I’m not saying that because I think highly of myself or I am trying to keep people at bay. It is just the way it is. This is a fight that belongs to the Chosen One, even when she didn’t ask to be Chosen.

It is about trying to find that balance. For a long time, I cut myself off, and sometimes I still find myself having a hard time letting other people in because I tend to swallow in myself when things get hard. I don’t like putting that on other people… they deal with enough just by slayer association. Now, I try.

I try to embrace the way my emotions give me power, the way they make me feel, even when I feel the most vulnerable - even more than I am mid-battle.

13. Don’t fight it, just accept it. - stop being so hard on yourself, you’re one girl.

One girl in all the world...

I used to hate it. I used to despise Destiny and wanted to give it the finger. For a long time, I hated this life. Hell, there are still times when I wish I wasn’t ‘the One.’ Being the one sucks, sometimes. The losses, the sacrifices, the constant worrying about everyone around you?

It hits harder when I think about the ones I couldn’t save. Yeah, I saved a bunch of people, but what about the ones I couldn’t? That is on me and only me. This is the heavy, so-not-star spangled stuff that sleeps with me every night. The guilt. The could-haves, the should-haves…

I have grown from not accepting this role to embracing what I bring as the Slayer. I know I am damn good at it, total humble-brag. Hey, longest lived for a reason, okay. My stats are impressive.

Sure, there are days where my bones are downright tired. There’s an ache I can’t really explain, and hurt that never goes away and sits in my chest. I have to remind myself that if it is not me, then it is some other girl and I want to save that girl and have her live a normal life for just a little bit longer, you know? She might have something important to get to. She might be Dawn’s age. I could never do that to her.

Every day, I am doing the best I can. There’s only me, and sometimes, only me needs to cut herself a break. Just like most everyone needs to cut themselves a break, sometimes. Have a break, have a Kit-Kat.

*** BONUS TIP: Practice safe necks. Just, please, people. We live in Sunnydale, this should be obvious. Don’t give into Sunnydale Syndrome, have a little awareness.*

CONCLUSION: There you have it, folks. A little intel about the oh so (not) glamorous life of a Slayer. Not coming to a theatre nowhere near you because books on my life are enough, thank you very much. If you have any questions, please contact your local library or that idiot named Carver Edlund. Spam him, spam him good, maybe even send him some hate-mail while you are at it.

END NOTE: If Giles finds this, I repeat, I did not write this. This was written by someone else who knows way too much about me. Probably Dawn because she reads my diary all the time.

A Buffy Summers Publication ™

#✞ :: | ✦ ❛ Drabbles of the Chosen One

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richardrobertsimsuccessblog · 7 years

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How to Write Faster: 10 Crafty Ways to Hit 1,000 Words Per Hour

Yesssss!

The schedule gods have given you a break, and you have a rare hour to actually sit down and write. You could produce an entire blog post! An article! Maybe even a short book chapter! Your research is all done, so all you need to do now is write.

You apply ass to seat, fire up your laptop, start typing …

… and it’s like watching a video in slo-mo.

Once the hour is up, you do a word count — and let’s just say the final tally is less than impressive.

It’s time to pull you out of that rut. Here are ten ways to produce great writing in volume. Using these tactics, I can write a full 1,000-word article in under an hour; I bet they’ll speed up your output as well.

#1. Write Under Pressure (from Your Bladder)

When I’m on fire (or on a deadline) and don’t want to stop writing, I skip bathroom breaks until I’m done. Nothing speeds up your writing like knowing you’re on the verge of having a potty accident.

Being a 48-year-old woman, I have to pee every 30 minutes, so you can bet I’m writing scorchingly fast to make it to the next bathroom break; but if this isn’t the case for you, try quaffing a couple glasses of water before sitting down at your laptop.

Caveat: I am not a doctor and this probably isn’t the healthiest thing to do. In fact, I’ve heard of bladder infections being called “secretary’s disease” because they used to happen frequently to secretaries who held it in while they finished “just one more task.” Use this tactic at your own risk!

#2. Outwit Writer’s Block with This Old Journalist’s Trick

Instead of insisting that your facts and examples be all lined up before you put pen to paper, which leads to over-researching, try writing from your head. Get down what you know, and what you remember from your interviews — and drop in the term “TK” wherever you get stuck and need more information.

TK is journo-speak for “to come,” and it’s used as a placeholder for copy you’ll add later. The beauty of TK is that this combo of letters very rarely occurs in the English language — so once you’re done with your draft, you can do a search on the term in your word processing program and fill in the holes.

You’ll be surprised at how much you already had in your head, and at how much faster you can produce a piece of writing this way!

#3. Use Automation to Skip Two Million Keystrokes

Rewriting the same copy over and over, or playing the cut-and-paste game several times an hour, is a massive time suck. In the two minutes it takes you to type in your bio at the end of a guest post, you could have written the lede paragraph of a new post.

I use an app called TextExpander — which expands custom keyboard shortcuts into frequently used text — for common copy like my email sign-off, bio, mailing address, book titles, HTML codes, and words and phrases I use often in my writing. You can even use TextExpander abbreviations to insert images, the current date, and more. (Similar apps include TypeIt4Me for Mac and Breevy for Windows.)

As an example, when I type in “rren,” this pops up: The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success. That’s four keystrokes instead of 80!

TextExpander’s stats say I’ve saved myself from typing over two million characters, and have saved over 142 hours. Yes, that’s six solid days I’ve rescued from the abyss of needless typing.

One trick I learned years ago is to be sure the abbreviations you choose are letter combinations you won’t be using for anything else. For example, if you choose the word “address” to expand out into your street address, that will also happen when you write, “This blog post will address common time-wasters.”

Try repeating a letter at the front of the word instead. I use the combo “bbio” for my bio and “uurl” for my website URL.

Imagine how much speedier your writing will be if you can simply type fewer words!

#4. Turn Off the Squiggly Red Lines

You’re all in the zone, writing like your life depends on it — or like you have to pee really bad; see tip #1 — and suddenly you’re stopped in your tracks by a squiggly red line under a word. You pause to check it, and realize the program doesn’t recognize the name of that city in Germany you’re writing about.

So you right-click on “Nuremberg,” select “Add to Dictionary,” and …

… where were you again?

Your word processing program’s spelling and grammar checkers are just okay at checking spelling and grammar, but they are phenomenal at yanking you right out of your flow. I actually don’t mind the spell checker, but when I have the grammar checker on I find myself stopping every few minutes to yell, “Shut up, I meant to write it that way!”

Guess what? You have the power to switch off the checkers so you’re able to write without distraction. You can always run them after you’ve finished your writing if you need to.

#5. Invest in a Faster Pen

Like to write first drafts or take notes by hand? The Hack My Study site did a comparison on which pens are the fastest to write with.

Here’s a spoiler: Fountain pens are best for pure speed, but they’re also pricey and difficult to master. The next best option is a rollerball pen. These are less expensive, but they’re still fast because they create little friction on the writing surface.

The third best for speed is the gel pen, which is less expensive than the rollerball, and coming in dead last is the standard ballpoint pen — you know, the kind you pick up for free at your local bank or dentist’s office.

I can attest to the speed of the rollerball; a few years ago I decided to toss out every junky pen in the house and replace them with a few dozen of my favorite brand, the Pilot Precise V7 Rolling Ball Fine — blue for me, black for my husband, and red just because. That way, whenever I’m in the mood to write a draft or take notes by hand, I can reach into a kitchen drawer or my purse and be assured of pulling out a fast, smooth-writing pen every time.

Stocking up on quality pens is an investment (it costs around $20 for a 12-pack of the Pilot pen I use), but it’s worth it if it helps you write faster. Not to mention you’ll never again waste precious writing seconds furiously scribbling on a sheet of scrap paper to get the ink flowing in your cheap ballpoint.

#6. Do B-Minus Work

One of the chief habits that keeps you stuck in slow motion is editing yourself while writing. There’s nothing like agonizing over the perfect word in the middle of writing a blog post or article to keep you in perpetual “not quite finished” mode. (That habit, of course, is a consequence of perfectionism, another common bugaboo for writers.)

Value done over perfect and let the words fly. Give yourself permission to do B-minus work just to get the ideas down on paper, then go back and edit when you’re done. Chances are, you’ll discover your writing was pretty good to begin with!

The more you resist editing yourself as you write, the easier writing will become. The easier writing becomes, the more confident you’ll be. And the more confident you are in your writing, the quicker the process gets.

#7. Get Zen Before You Pick Up Your Pen

If your writing slows to a virtual crawl because you feel the need to check Facebook or answer an email after every sentence, you’ll love OmmWriter, a program that blocks out the files and applications behind the writing page to minimize distractions.

OmmWriter also offers a selection of calming background colors and music to keep you in Zen mode as you write, plus soothing sounds with each keystroke. I especially love the horizontal cursor (instead of the usual vertical blinking one) that seems to say “Write on” instead of “Stop writing!”

Ommwriter was free when I downloaded it several years ago, but is now a pay-what-you-want app; the average offering is $7.33.

#8. Stop Letting the Schedule Push You Around

Sometimes a little space is all you need to get perspective on a piece of writing that’s giving you fits, so you can get the words out faster.

An example: Last week I had scheduled myself to write an article for my website called “How Writers Waste Time by Saving Time,” about the dangers of cutting corners in your research and interviews. I eked out about 500 (crappy) words at a glacially slow pace before giving up; the article sounded more like a rant than a solid service piece, and I just couldn’t figure out how to fix it.

Then I looked over my ideas for future articles, and one called “Let Future You Handle Your Writing Problems” jumped out at me. I was inspired! I opened a new Word file, and that article — all 900 words — poured out of me in less than 60 minutes.

This week, I revisited the article I had been stuck on, and immediately saw exactly what the problem was and how to resolve it. An hour later, that article was done too.

If you have control over what you write and when you write it, this tip is for you: Stop being a slave to your editorial calendar. When you’re wrestling with a scheduled article or post, let it go. Scan over your editorial calendar and see if there are any post ideas that get you all fired up, and make the switch. You’ll find that the writing flows much faster that way.

#9. Play Games to Boost Your Words Per Minute

A big problem for many writers is that we think faster than we type. If your brain is churning out amazing ideas and perfect turns of phrase at a blazing pace, but you type slower than my husband trying to help me come up with a funny metaphor for something slow — you’ll finish out your allotted writing time with a only fraction of your page filled with, you know, writing.

Learning to type is a lot more fun than it used to be, with many sites offering free games, lessons, and tests to help you up your keyboarding speed. FreeTypingGame.Net has, among other goodies, a game called The Frogs Are Off Their Diet. A similar site, WordGames.com, offers hilariously titled typing challenges like Zombie Typocalypse and Type Type Revolution.

If you often find yourself writing on the go, seek out free apps that will help you learn to type faster on your smartphone or tablet. TapTyping is one example for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, and Typing Master is an app that works on Android devices.

#10. Gamble with Your Reputation

Feeling competitive? Challenge yourself to write your blog post, article, or book chapter in a (much) shorter amount of time than you normally would.

I did this once while working with a friend at a café and her jaw dropped open as she watched me complete an 800-word article in 30 minutes. (And yes, it was good!)

Even better, bet a friend something juicy that you can do it, or throw down the gauntlet on social media. The more people who see it and the harsher the consequences should you lose, the more likely you are to get those words down on the double.

On the low-pressure end, I also like to do mini challenges: I’ll see how much I can write in the five minutes while my tea steeps … in the two minutes before the microwave dings and my lunch is ready … while I’m on hold with AT&T before someone picks up. It’s incredible how quickly you can write when you have mere minutes to get it done.

Be More Prolific than You Ever Thought Possible

Fab news! It took me years to develop and learn these effective tactics for writing like a bat out of hell, but you can try them all on right now.

Feel free to combine tactics: Turn off the grammar checker, down a couple glasses of water, fire up Ommwriter, and use a text expander app to produce B-minus work.

Chances are you’ll boost your speed many times over, so you can do even more of what you love (hint: writing) every day.

Ready for the writing to simply pour from you? Set your timer and get started!

About the Author: Linda Formichelli has been a full-time freelance writer since 1997. If you’re marketing your butt off and getting nowhere, Linda’s theory is that it’s because you’re doing all the right things—and getting overwhelmed by it all. Instead, check out her upcoming Volume Marketing Challenge for Freelance Writers. During this fun, intense challenge, each week you’ll do the heck out of one type of marketing to reveal the one that will get you the most freelance writing assignments. Registration opens March 3!

How to Write Faster: 10 Crafty Ways to Hit 1,000 Words Per Hour

#Richard Roberts IM Success Mix #How to Write Faster: 10 Crafty Ways to Hit 1 #000 Words Per Hour

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williamlwolf89 · 4 years

Text

18 Writing Tips That’ll Actually Make You a Better Writer (2020)

If you search Google for writing tips, you’ll find a lot of big promises.

Here’s the truth:

There’s no magical writing tip, trick, strategy, or hack capable of turning a bad writer into a good one.

But if want to learn how to write better, if you’re looking up your writing game a level or two, a few good writing tips and tricks (combined with hard work) can help make it happen.

Here are eighteen such tips:

1. Find Your Unique Voice

Serious question:

If we all listen to the same experts and we all follow the same writing advice, how is it possible for anyone to stand out from the crowd?

The trap many writers, especially young writers, fall into is they believe if they mimic a popular blogger or writer, they’ll be popular too.

Imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, but it’s a no-win proposition. Even if you succeed, you’ll be indistinguishable from all the other parrots out there.

There’s only one you. You have unique DNA. Your hopes, thoughts, and dreams are unique. Even the face you make when you accidentally walk into a spider web is unique.

Want to stand out?

Develop your own writing style. When you sit down to write, tap into what makes you… well, you.

Learn More: In my guest appearance on the Biz Mavens’ podcast, I discuss the importance of finding your unique voice and offer three writing exercises to help you find it.

2. Edit Like Crazy

Many first drafts are clumsy, sloppy, and difficult to read. This is true for most writers — even experienced, well-known ones.

So what separates great writing from the nondescript?

Editing.

The hard part isn’t over once your first draft is complete; on the contrary, it’s only beginning.

To take your work to the next level, you need to spend just as much time editing your words as you do creating them.

It’s ruthless work. It’s kind of boring. But it’s vital.

Learn More: Proofreading: 7 Editing Tips That’ll Make You a Better Writer in 2020 will show you the editing secrets popular bloggers and writers don’t want you to know. And if you need some tools to help you, Grammarly and the Hemingway App are two good grammar checker options.

3. Supercharge Your Subheads

Most readers stick around for fewer than 15 seconds.

Heck, most will stick around for fewer than 5 seconds.

Why? Because readers are experts at scanning. They’ll click your headline, quickly scan your content, and — in only a few seconds — decide whether to stay or go.

Writing a great introduction is one way to convince readers to stick.

Another?

Write masterful subheads that create curiosity, hook your readers, and keep them on the page long enough to realize your content is worth reading.

Learn More: In The Ultimate Guide to Writing Irresistible Subheads, Gary Korisko shares the four ingredients of a killer subhead.

4. Write Like Superman (Or That Guy You Know Who Types Really Fast)

Whether you’re blogging, crafting short stories, working on a creative writing assignment for your high school English class, or writing the backstory for what you hope will be a bestselling non-fiction novel; most of us are limited in the amount of time we have available to write.

So, if you want more time to write every day, you only have three options:

Say goodbye to your family and lock yourself in a room;

Invent a time machine;

Learn how to write faster.

Your spouse and children won’t like the first option, and the second option requires plutonium.

But the third option? That’s doable.

Learn More: Want some actionable tactics to boost your writing speed and up your word count? Check out Linda Formichelli’s How to Write Faster: 10 Crafty Ways to Hit 1,000 Words Per Hour.

5. Craft Irresistible Headlines

Smart Blogger’s CEO, Jon Morrow, recommends spending at least 20% of your time on the headline for your content.

That isn’t a typo.

If you spend 10 to 20 hours writing an article, 2 to 4 of those hours should be spent writing and re-writing the headline.

Why so many?

Because if your headline sucks, no one is going to give your content a chance.

In short:

Headlines are important. Practice writing them so you get really, really freakin’ good at them.

It’s a writing habit that’ll pay off again and again.

Learn More: In How to Write a Blog Post in 2020: The Ultimate Guide, Liz Longacre goes over the 8 rules for crafting amazing headlines. And in 10 Ways to Exploit Human Nature and Write Amazingly Appealing Headlines Robert van Tongeren shares tips for writing irresistibly-clickable headlines.

6. Avoid Filler Words

Too many writers dilute their writing with weak, empty words that bring nothing to the table.

Worse?

They silently erode your reader’s attention — one flabby word at a time.

Spot these words and eliminate them from your writing.

Learn More: In 298 Filler Words & Phrases That Rob Your Writing of Its Power, Shane Authur shows you how to tone and trim your prose.

7. Write with Rhythm

You know short sentences and short paragraphs are your friends.

But that doesn’t mean every sentence and paragraph you write should be short.

Too many short paragraphs in a row and your writing will bore your readers. Too many long paragraphs in a row and you’ll overwhelm them.

So, mix things up.

Let the rhythm of your words dictate when each paragraph begins, and you’ll strike up the perfect balance between short paragraphs and long.

Learn More: In How to Write a Paragraph in 2020 (Yes, the Rules Have Changed), Mike Blankenship looks at why variation is important and offers a few rules of thumb to follow.

8. Kick Writer’s Block in the Buttocks

When you’ve been staring at a blank page for what feels like hours, writer’s block can seem insurmountable.

It’s not.

Savvy writers have a collection of tried-and-true techniques to bust out whenever writer’s block starts to rear its ugly head — techniques ranging from turning off social media to asking Alexa to play “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers.

If you want to be a better writer, find a writer’s block technique or two that works for you.

Learn More: Henneke Duistermaat has 27 refreshingly-original writer’s block techniques you can try. Pick a few favorites, and don’t be afraid to break glass in case of emergency.

9. Make Your Words Burst to Life in Readers’ Minds

If you aren’t using power words or sensory language in your writing, you’re missing out.

Smart writers and copywriters use power words to give their content extra punch, personality, and pizzazz. And great writers from Shakespeare to Stephen King use sensory words evoking sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell to paint strong scenes in the minds of their readers.

Both types of words are effective and super simple to use.

If you’re tired of lifeless words sitting on a page, try sprinkling power and sensory words throughout your content.

Learn More: Check out 600+ Power Words That Pack a Punch and Convert like Crazy and 581 Sensory Words to Take Your Writing from Bland to Brilliant. Besides being the definitive guides on their topics, they each offer huge, bookmarkable lists you can reference again and again.

10. Be Funny

Some writers won’t like this, but…

Your content can’t simply teach — it needs to entertain too.

Or, to put it bluntly:

If you don’t entertain while you inform, your audience will find a writer who does.

Thankfully, there are numerous ways you can make your content more interesting and entertaining.

The easiest way (and my favorite)? Sprinkle in a little humor.

Learn More: Marc Ensign’s How to Captivate Your Audience with Humor (Even If You Don’t Think You’re Funny) will show you how to be funny (without looking like you’re trying to be funny).

11. Write with Clarity

It doesn’t matter how amazing, profound, or revolutionary your ideas are, if you can’t express them in a clear, coherent way, you might as well have written them in an ancient language no one understands.

Ask yourself this question:

Could I explain my content to someone in one sentence?

If the answer is no, your work is probably too complex. It’s time to simplify.

Learn More: In 20 Rules for Writing So Crystal Clear Even Your Dumbest Relative Will Understand, Smart Blogger’s COO, Glen Long, shares his best tips for writing with clarity.

12. Master Transitional Words and Phrases

Do you want to keep your readers glued to your content?

Want your posts to be so effortless to read people can’t help but absorb every word as they glide down the page?

Experienced writers are meticulous about making each sentence flow seamlessly into the next, and they use transitional phrases to help make it happen.

If you want people to read your writing, from beginning to end, you need to do the same.

Learn More: Smart Blogger’s How to Use Transitional Words and Phrases to Make Your Writing Flow (with Examples) breaks down transitional phrases and how to use them to give audiences a smooth reading experience.

13. Learn SEO (Like a Boss)

Whether you write for yourself or as a hired hand, being able to create content that ranks on Google is a valuable skill.

(In fact, if you’re a freelance writer, companies and agencies will happily pay you extra for this skill.)

Consistently ranking on Google doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you understand the basics of SEO — keyword research, user intent, UX signals, etc. — and purposefully create content with SEO in mind.

If you already know the basics of SEO, you have a leg up on the competition.

And if you don’t know the basics, you need to learn them.

The sooner, the better.

Learn More: Brian Dean of Backlinko has a thorough SEO resource list you should read. And if you’re a total beginner, my friends over at Ahrefs have a newbie-friendly SEO guide.

14. Sleep With Your Readers

Remember when I said subheads should create curiosity? This is a good example.

What keeps your audience awake at night? What has them tossing and turning at 2 o’clock in the morning?

Answer this question and then write about it.

Follow this one writing tip and you could (almost) ignore the rest.

Learn More: “Sleeping with readers” is one of the metaphor examples Jon used in his epic article, Copyblogger Editor Admits to Sleeping with Readers and Recommends You Do the Same. For more insight into why knowing what’s keeping your readers up at night is so important, give it a read.

15. Keep an Obsessively Detailed Log Book

Record details of your writing sessions in a notebook. After a few weeks, look for patterns.

Are you more effective writing in the mornings? Afternoons? Evenings? Do your get more writing accomplished after your first cup of coffee or your fourth?

Find the method in your madness and use it become a better writer.

16. Just Open the Darn Document (Then Keep Going)

Oftentimes, getting started is the hardest part about writing. So, start small. Just open the Google Doc or Microsoft Word document. Then write your first sentence.

Momentum will take it from there.

17. Throw Linear Writing Out the Window

Remember the movie Memento (aka That movie from Christopher Nolan that told its story in reverse)?

youtube

If you’re stuck, try writing your piece of content in a non-linear order.

Don’t start at the beginning of your post. Start in the middle. Or the end. Start with your last subhead. Or your seventh.

In short, mix up your writing process.

18. Challenge Yourself to Write in Weird Places

Having a designated writing space (especially when you’re working from home) is important.

However, writing in different places from time to time can spark creativity.

Give it a try.

Learn More: For a deeper look into the 4 unusual writing tips we just discussed (plus 6 more), check out 10 Unique Writing Tips You Absolutely Won’t Have Heard Anywhere Else Before from Ali Luke.

Now It’s Time to Put These Writing Tips Into Practice

Most who read this post will smile, nod their head in agreement, and implement precisely zero of these writing tips.

But not you.

You know knowledge that’s not put into practice is wasted. That’s why you’ve already picked out a few favorites, and it’s why you can’t wait to start writing.

On their own, even the best writing tip is incapable of catapulting you to superstardom. But each of them, little by little, will help you hone your writing skills.

So, are you ready to be a better writer? Ready to take what you know about the craft of writing and turn it up to 11? Ready to go from a good fiction writer (or blogger, or freelancer, etc.) to a great one?

Then it’s time to get to work.

Let’s do this thing.

The post 18 Writing Tips That’ll Actually Make You a Better Writer (2020) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/writing-tips/

0 notes

claudeleonca · 5 years

Text

How to Become a Better Writer: 14 Tips to Up Your Writing Game in 2019

If you search Google for tips on how to become a better writer, you’ll find a lot of big promises.

Here’s the truth:

There’s no tip, trick, strategy, or hack capable of turning a bad writer into a good one.

But if you’re looking to improve your writing skills by 5%, if you want to go from average to good or even good to great, a valuable tip can help make it happen.

Here are fourteen such tips:

1. Find Your Unique Voice

Serious question:

If we all listen to the same experts and we all follow the same advice, how is it possible for anyone to stand out from the crowd?

The trap many of us fall into is we believe if we mimic a popular blogger or writer, we’ll be popular too.

Imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, but it’s a no-win proposition. Even if you succeed, you’ll be indistinguishable from all the other parrots out there.

There’s only one you. You have unique DNA. Your hopes, thoughts, and dreams are unique. Even the face you make when you accidentally walk into a spider web is unique.

Want to stand out?

When you sit down to write, tap into what makes you… well, you.

Learn More: In my guest appearance on the Biz Mavens’ podcast, I discuss the importance of finding your unique voice and offer three exercises to help you find it.

2. Edit Like Crazy

Many first drafts are clumsy, sloppy, and difficult to read. This is true for most writers — even experienced, well-known ones.

So what separates our writing heroes from the masses?

Editing.

The hard part isn’t over once your first draft is complete; on the contrary, it’s only beginning.

To take your work to the next level, you need to spend just as much time editing your words as you do creating them.

It’s ruthless work. It’s kind of boring. But it’s vital.

Learn More: 7 Editing Tips That’ll Make You a Better Writer (with Examples!) will show you the editing secrets popular bloggers and writers don’t want you to know.

3. Supercharge Your Subheads

Most readers stick around for fewer than 15 seconds.

Heck, most will stick around for fewer than 5 seconds.

Why? Because readers are experts at scanning. They’ll click your headline, quickly scan your content, and — in only a few seconds — decide whether to stay or go.

Writing a great introduction is one way to convince readers to stick.

Another?

Write masterful subheads that create curiosity, hook your readers, and keep them on the page long enough to realize your content is worth reading.

Learn More: In The Ultimate Guide to Writing Irresistible Subheads, Gary Korisko shares the four ingredients of a killer subhead.

4. Write Like Superman (Or That Guy You Know Who Types Really Fast)

Most of us are limited in the amount of time we have available to write.

So, if you want more time to write every day, you only have three options:

Say goodbye to your family and lock yourself in your office;

Invent a time machine;

Learn how to write faster.

Your spouse and children won’t like the first option, and the second option requires plutonium.

But the third option? That’s doable.

Learn More: Want some actionable tactics to boost your writing speed? Check out Linda Formichelli’s How to Write Faster: 10 Crafty Ways to Hit 1,000 Words Per Hour.

5. Craft Irresistible Headlines

Smart Blogger’s CEO, Jon Morrow, recommends spending at least 20% of your time on the headline for your content.

That isn’t a typo.

If you spend 10 to 20 hours writing an article, 2 to 4 of those hours should be spent on the headline.

Why so many?

Because if your headline sucks, no one is going to give your content a chance.

In short:

Headlines are important. Get good at writing them.

Learn More: In How to Write a Blog Post in 2019: The Ultimate Guide, Liz Longacre goes over the 8 rules for crafting amazing headlines. And in 10 Ways to Exploit Human Nature and Write Amazingly Appealing Headlines Robert van Tongeren shares tips for writing irresistibly-clickable headlines.

6. Avoid Weak Words

Too many writers dilute their writing with weak, empty words that bring nothing to the table.

Worse?

They silently erode your reader’s attention — one flabby word at a time.

Spot these words and eliminate them from your writing.

Learn More: In 297 Flabby Words and Phrases That Rob Your Writing of All Its Power, Shane Authur shows you how to tone and trim your prose.

7. Write with Rhythm

You know short paragraphs and white space are your friends.

But that doesn’t mean every paragraph you write should be short.

Too many short paragraphs in a row and your writing will bore your readers. Too many long paragraphs in a row and you’ll overwhelm them.

So, mix things up.

Let the rhythm of your words dictate when each paragraph begins, and you’ll strike up the perfect balance between short paragraphs and long.

Learn More: In How to Write a Paragraph in 2019 (Yes, the Rules Have Changed), Mike Blankenship looks at why variation is important and offers a few rules of thumb to follow.

8. Kick Writer’s Block in the Buttocks

When you’ve been staring at a blank page for what feels like hours, writer’s block can seem insurmountable.

It’s not.

Savvy writers have a collection of tried-and-true techniques to bust out whenever writer’s block starts to rear its ugly head — techniques ranging from brisk walks to asking Alexa to play “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers.

If you want to be a better writer, find a writer’s block technique or two that works for you.

Learn More: Henneke Duistermaat has 27 refreshingly-original writer’s block techniques you can try. Pick a few favorites, and don’t be afraid to break glass in case of emergency.

9. Make Your Words Burst to Life in Readers’ Minds

If you aren’t using power words or sensory language in your writing, you’re missing out.

Both types of words are effective and super simple to use.

If you’re tired of lifeless words sitting on a page, try sprinkling power and sensory words throughout your content.

Learn More: Check out 600+ Power Words That’ll Pack Your Writing with Emotion and 581 Sensory Words to Take Your Writing from Bland to Brilliant. Besides being the definitive guides on their topics, they each offer huge, bookmarkable lists you can reference again and again.

10. Be Funny

Some writers won’t like this, but…

Your content can’t simply teach — it needs to entertain too.

Or, to put it bluntly:

If you don’t entertain while you inform, your audience will find a writer who can.

Thankfully, there are numerous ways you can make your content more interesting and entertaining.

The easiest way (and my favorite)? Sprinkle in a little humor.

Learn More: Marc Ensign’s How to Captivate Your Audience with Humor (Even If You Don’t Think You’re Funny) will show you how to be funny (without looking like you’re trying to be funny).

11. Write with Clarity

Ask yourself this question:

Could I explain my content to someone in one sentence?

If the answer is no, your work is probably too complex. It’s time to simplify.

Learn More: In 20 Rules for Writing So Crystal Clear Even Your Dumbest Relative Will Understand, Smart Blogger’s COO, Glen Long, shares his best tips for writing with clarity.

12. Master Transitional Words and Phrases

Do you want to keep your readers glued to your content?

Want your posts to be so effortless to read people can’t help but absorb every word?

Experienced writers are meticulous about making each sentence flow seamlessly into the next, and they use transitional phrases to help make it happen.

If you want people to read your writing, from beginning to end, you need to do the same.

13. Learn SEO (Like a Boss)

Whether you write for yourself or as a hired hand, being able to create content that ranks on Google is a valuable skill.

(In fact, if you’re a freelance writer, companies and agencies will happily pay you extra for this skill.)

If you already know the basics of SEO, you have a leg up on the competition.

And if you don’t know the basics, you need to learn them.

The sooner, the better.

Learn More: Brian Dean of Backlinko has a thorough SEO guide and resource list you should read. And if you want to learn what not to do, check out Jon’s 6 SEO Mistakes That’ll Make Google Hate You Forever.

14. Sleep With Your Readers

Remember when I said subheads should create curiosity? This is a good example.

What keeps your audience awake at night? What has them tossing and turning at 2 o’clock in the morning?

Answer this question and then write about it.

Follow this one tip and you could (almost) ignore the rest.

Learn More: “Sleeping with readers” is a metaphor Jon used in his epic article, Copyblogger Editor Admits to Sleeping with Readers and Recommends You Do the Same. For more insight into why knowing what’s keeping your readers up at night is so important, give it a read.

You Now Know How to Become a Better Writer (but Knowing’s Just Half the Battle)

Most who read this post will smile, nod their head in agreement, and implement precisely zero of these tips.

But not you.

You know knowledge that’s not put into practice is wasted. That’s why you’ve already picked out a few favorites, and it’s why you can’t wait to start writing.

On their own, none of these writing tips will catapult you to superstardom. But each of them, little by little, will help you hone your craft.

So, are you ready to be a better writer? Are you ready to get 5%, 10%, or 15% better? Ready to go from a good writer to a great one?

Then it’s time to get to work.

Let’s do this thing.

About the Author: When he’s not busy telling waitresses, baristas, and anyone else who crosses his path that Jon Morrow once said he was in the top 1% of bloggers, Kevin J. Duncan is the Blog Editor for Smart Blogger.

The post How to Become a Better Writer: 14 Tips to Up Your Writing Game in 2019 appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/how-to-become-a-better-writer/

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heliosfinance · 7 years

Text

23 Ways To Earn Extra Cash For Christmas

We are officially in November and only seven weeks away from Christmas. Seven weeks! Can you believe it?!? I don’t know about you, but time seems to go much faster for me once the busyness of the holiday seasons hits. That means those seven weeks are going to be up before we know it. If you’ve yet to save anything for Christmas, you still have plenty of time to earn some Christmas spending money.

Whether you're trying to avoid more debt, save and earn to buy something bigger than usual, or do something unexpected for your family, now's the time to get to work! Here are 23 ways to earn extra cash for Christmas this year so that you can have the holiday season you want, not just the one you see on Instagram.

Quick Navigation

1. Teach English As A Second Language

2. Sell Study Guides

3. Fill Out Online Surveys

4. Become A Brand Ambassador

5. Fiverr

6. Agent Anything

7. Do Tasks On Amazon Mechanical Turk

8. Become A Website Tester

9. Participate In Medical Studies

10. Search The Web

11. Drive For Uber Or Lyft

12. Be A Task Rabbit

13. Become A Postmate

14. Sell Crafts On Etsy

15. Sell on eBay

16. Sell On Amazon

17. Write For Money

18. Become A Virtual Assistant

19. Babysit Or Housesit

20. Become A Dog Walker Or Dog Sitter

21. Hang Christmas Lights

22. Design Websites

23. Video Editing

Profit From Your Knowledge

If you excel academically in any one area you may be able to earn some extra cash from your knowledge with these ideas.

1. Teach English As A Second Language

Are you a native English speaker? Do you have a college degree? Even better, are you a teacher? If so, you can earn great money teaching English in your own home to foreign students online. You simply login at your given appointment, and teach! It's that easy. VIP Kid is a service that connects English speakers with those looking to learn. It can pay really well if you push yourself to teach often! Check out VIP Kid here.

2. Sell Study Guides

StudySoup is a site where students can buy other student’s notes, study guides, and even webinars. If you’ve been taking excellent notes and excel in any area academically you might want to try giving a shot at profiting from the work you’ve already done.

Perform Micro Tasks/ One-Off Jobs

These type of jobs are perfect for anyone who doesn’t want to feel tied down with a side job and wants a super flexible extra income schedule.

3. Fill Out Online Surveys

Online surveys aren’t going to make you oodles of money. But if you’re looking for something that is really easy, flexible, and won’t eat up much of your time, you may be able to earn a little pocket cash before Christmas rolls around.

Here are some survey sites to check out:

Survey Junkie - One of the best online survey sites that pays for filling out surveys.

Pinecone - You can earn $3 per survey you complete

Opinion Outpost - You can earn cash for filling out surveys

Swagbucks - You can get a $5 signup bonus for signing up here.

4. Become A Brand Ambassador

As a brand ambassador you can earn $15-$20 per hour by attending events on behalf of a company and passing out free items from the company. Melanie suggests to start your search by looking up “Brand Ambassadors (In Your City)” on Facebook.

We've also put together a list of brand ambassador jobs right here for you:

var options = { container : "zipsearch_container", jobs_per_page : '5', search: 'Brand Ambassador', }; zipsearch.init(options); .zr_job{border:1px solid #eee;padding:12px;margin-top:20px;margin-bottom:20px;box-shadow:1px 3px 4px 0 rgba(155, 155, 155, 0.2)}

5. Fiverr

Fiverr is a site where you can offer almost any service you can think of starting at $5. No matter what your skillset there’s a chance someone on Fiverr will want what you offer. After you land a few clients and receive high ratings you can then start increasing the price of your service. Check out Fiverr here.

6. Agent Anything

Agent Anything is a site that outsources small tasks but is tailored to local students. You can find a wide variety of tasks to perform at varying pay rates.

7. Do Tasks On Amazon Mechanical Turk

Mechanical Turk is a site set up by Amazon that allows users to perform “HITs” which are small micro tasks. While each task might not pay a lot many take only minutes to do. Here’s a list of HITS worth looking at. You can read our full guide to making money on Amazon Mechanical Turk here.

8. Become A Website Tester

Did you know that companies will pay you to test their website for usability? You can sign up with a place like UserTesting.com and earn up to $10 for each website you test. Most tests take less than a half an hour to do.

9. Participate In Medical Studies

You can contact the psychology department of your school to see if there are any medical studies you can participate in. This could earn you anywhere from hundreds to thousands. One of our friends did this for an experimental cast. He had to get his leg casted and wear the cast for a week. He was paid well over $1,000 for his time!

10. Search The Web

Two sites that I’ve uses for years to earn extra cash for Christmas are Swagbucks and Inbox Dollars. Both of these sites will award you points for searching the internet, filling out surveys, playing games and more. Inbox Dollars also has a feature where you can “read” emails for money. While neither of these sites will make you rich I easily earn a couple hundred from each throughout the year with very minimal effort. You can sign up for Swagbucks here. And you can get $5 from Inbox Dollars by going through THIS link. (Do note that you need to earn a minimum of $30 with Inbox Dollars to request payment.)

Driving Or Delivering

If you like to drive and have spare time these side jobs will suit you!

11. Drive For Uber Or Lyft

If you live in a city where on-demand ride shares are popular and you have a car you can drive for Uber in your spare time. We recently read how Sam from Financial Samurai was able to make $100/hour with Uber. And Harry at the Rideshare Guy regularly averages over $18/hour.

Plus, a lot of these sites offer cool bonuses!

Drive For Uber: Uber is the biggest company for ridesharing, and they offer bonuses from time to time. Get started driving for Uber here.

Drive For Lyft: Lyft is the #2 ridesharing company, but they are gaining ground. Right now, they are offering a $300 sign up bonus after you complete 100 rides. Sign up and get the bonus here.

Deliver For UberEATs: If you're unsure about having people in your car, what about delivering food? Try out driving for UberEATs and just deliver food. Sign up for UberEATs here.

12. Be A Task Rabbit

Task Rabbit is a place where you can find small errands and tasks to do for others in your area. These tasks can be all sorts of things including taking someone to the grocery store or even helping someone moving.

13. Become A Postmate

Postmates is a service will pay you up to $20 per hour to deliver food. You can check on their site to see if they need drivers in your area. Another similar company is DoorDash, which we just reviewed here.

Make Money Selling

If you’re good at finding deals, have a source for wholesale products, or are crafty enough to make your own products here are some selling ideas to try.

14. Sell Crafts On Etsy

If you make homemade products like crafts, candles, clothes, soaps, or jewelry you can set up an Etsy store and make your handmade items. You will need to market your business to draw customers into your store, but Etsy is huge during the holiday season.

Check out Etsy here and get started.

15. Sell on eBay

At one point Robert was making around $3,000 per month selling on eBay as a side business. He scoured garage and estate sales and bought the items he thought would bring a profit.

Every year, hot toys, consoles, and other things hit the store shelves. If you're savvy, you can spot these items, buy them early, and then resell them for huge profits on eBay as it gets closer to Christmas.

Get started on eBay here.

16. Sell On Amazon

Amazon’s FBA service has become quite popular with side hustlers and small business owners. With Amazon FBA you can send in products directly to Amazon (for a small fee) Amazon will store your inventory, ship when it’s purchased, and handle returns on your behalf. You, of course, will need to find a source of profitable products to make this work. I tried my hand at Amazon FBA this year and almost everything I sent in sold within a month.

Freelance Income Ideas

Freelance income is my favorite source of active income. As a freelancer you can turn your skills into a very profitable side business.

17. Write For Money

There are a ton of ways to earn money by writing. And the good thing is that once you find yourself some clients the income is pretty immediate. Here are 14 ideas to make money by writing. If you want to do this full time (or a big time side hustle), consider taking this class on how to get paid to write.

18. Become A Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants do things like setting up appointments, editing blog posts, posting on social media and more. If you’re skilled in several areas and want a flexible side job that you can do from home, start contacting businesses who may need your help and pitch your services. You can also set up a profile on a place like UpWork, just don’t take less money than you’re worth.

Two areas that are booming right now for virtual assistants are proofreading and transcription services.

Many bloggers and authors leverage proofreaders to check their grammar and more. You can learn how to be a proofreader and find jobs here.

If you're a fan of podcasts, you've likely heard the term "show notes". Well, these are basically a transcription of the podcast. With the rise of video and audio shows, transcription services are at an all time high. Learn how to transcribe and get jobs here.

19. Babysit Or Housesit

Tried and true, babysitting and housesitting are known ways to earn some extra income. During holiday breaks when kids are out of school babysitting is more in demand. Plus, many parents will have work holiday parties, or simply will need a break! Take advantage and earn some extra money.

20. Become A Dog Walker Or Dog Sitter

While you wouldn’t traditionally think that dog walking or dog sitting is a profitable side business endeavor, it really can be. Especially in the colder fall and winter months. Many dog owners are willing to pay to have their pooch walked on a daily basis.

21. Hang Christmas Lights

Here’s an idea specific to Christmas – advertise a Christmas light hanging service on Facebook or Craigslist. Many busy and/or older people would love to decorate, but can't do it anymore. You can help them, and get paid for it!

22. Design Websites

If you’re good at graphic design you have a skill that is in demand. To make good money from your skill you just need to make sure you’re marketing your services to the right people.

23. Video Editing

If you have video editing skills put them to use and offer your services to those who need them. Video content is becoming increasingly popular on the internet and you could help everyone from small businesses to popular bloggers. Pick a market and pitch your services.

You Still Have Time to Earn Cash for Christmas

There are millions of way to earn extra income. If you took any some of these ideas and spend a few hours per week on them you should be able to earn enough cash to cover your Christmas expenses this year.

Also, remember, you can use a cashback credit card to earn extra cash on the gifts you'd normally be buying. I bring this up because some credit cards sweeten the deal right before the holiday season. Check out these top cashback credit cards to see if it makes sense.

Do you actively earn extra cash for Christmas or save all year?

The post 23 Ways To Earn Extra Cash For Christmas appeared first on The College Investor.

23 Ways To Earn Extra Cash For Christmas published first on http://ift.tt/2ljLF4B

0 notes

annegalliher · 7 years

Text

How to Write Faster: 10 Crafty Ways to Hit 1,000 Words Per Hour

Yesssss!

You apply ass to seat, fire up your laptop, start typing …

… and it’s like watching a video in slo-mo.

Once the hour is up, you do a word count — and let’s just say the final tally is less than impressive.

#1. Write Under Pressure (from Your Bladder)

#2. Outwit Writer’s Block with This Old Journalist’s Trick

You’ll be surprised at how much you already had in your head, and at how much faster you can produce a piece of writing this way!

#3. Use Automation to Skip Two Million Keystrokes

As an example, when I type in “rren,” this pops up: The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success. That’s four keystrokes instead of 80!

TextExpander’s stats say I’ve saved myself from typing over two million characters, and have saved over 142 hours. Yes, that’s six solid days I’ve rescued from the abyss of needless typing.

Try repeating a letter at the front of the word instead. I use the combo “bbio” for my bio and “uurl” for my website URL.

Imagine how much speedier your writing will be if you can simply type fewer words!

#4. Turn Off the Squiggly Red Lines

So you right-click on “Nuremberg,” select “Add to Dictionary,” and …

… where were you again?

Guess what? You have the power to switch off the checkers so you’re able to write without distraction. You can always run them after you’ve finished your writing if you need to.

#5. Invest in a Faster Pen

Like to write first drafts or take notes by hand? The Hack My Study site did a comparison on which pens are the fastest to write with.

#6. Do B-Minus Work

#7. Get Zen Before You Pick Up Your Pen

Ommwriter was free when I downloaded it several years ago, but is now a pay-what-you-want app; the average offering is $7.33.

#8. Stop Letting the Schedule Push You Around

Sometimes a little space is all you need to get perspective on a piece of writing that’s giving you fits, so you can get the words out faster.

This week, I revisited the article I had been stuck on, and immediately saw exactly what the problem was and how to resolve it. An hour later, that article was done too.

#9. Play Games to Boost Your Words Per Minute

#10. Gamble with Your Reputation

Feeling competitive? Challenge yourself to write your blog post, article, or book chapter in a (much) shorter amount of time than you normally would.

I did this once while working with a friend at a café and her jaw dropped open as she watched me complete an 800-word article in 30 minutes. (And yes, it was good!)

Be More Prolific than You Ever Thought Possible

Fab news! It took me years to develop and learn these effective tactics for writing like a bat out of hell, but you can try them all on right now.

Feel free to combine tactics: Turn off the grammar checker, down a couple glasses of water, fire up Ommwriter, and use a text expander app to produce B-minus work.

Chances are you’ll boost your speed many times over, so you can do even more of what you love (hint: writing) every day.

Ready for the writing to simply pour from you? Set your timer and get started!

0 notes

alanajacksontx · 7 years

Text

How to Write Faster: 10 Crafty Ways to Hit 1,000 Words Per Hour

Yesssss!

You apply ass to seat, fire up your laptop, start typing …

… and it’s like watching a video in slo-mo.

Once the hour is up, you do a word count — and let’s just say the final tally is less than impressive.

#1. Write Under Pressure (from Your Bladder)

#2. Outwit Writer’s Block with This Old Journalist’s Trick

You’ll be surprised at how much you already had in your head, and at how much faster you can produce a piece of writing this way!

#3. Use Automation to Skip Two Million Keystrokes

As an example, when I type in “rren,” this pops up: The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success. That’s four keystrokes instead of 80!

TextExpander’s stats say I’ve saved myself from typing over two million characters, and have saved over 142 hours. Yes, that’s six solid days I’ve rescued from the abyss of needless typing.

Try repeating a letter at the front of the word instead. I use the combo “bbio” for my bio and “uurl” for my website URL.

Imagine how much speedier your writing will be if you can simply type fewer words!

#4. Turn Off the Squiggly Red Lines

So you right-click on “Nuremberg,” select “Add to Dictionary,” and …

… where were you again?

Guess what? You have the power to switch off the checkers so you’re able to write without distraction. You can always run them after you’ve finished your writing if you need to.

#5. Invest in a Faster Pen

Like to write first drafts or take notes by hand? The Hack My Study site did a comparison on which pens are the fastest to write with.

#6. Do B-Minus Work

#7. Get Zen Before You Pick Up Your Pen

Ommwriter was free when I downloaded it several years ago, but is now a pay-what-you-want app; the average offering is $7.33.

#8. Stop Letting the Schedule Push You Around

Sometimes a little space is all you need to get perspective on a piece of writing that’s giving you fits, so you can get the words out faster.

This week, I revisited the article I had been stuck on, and immediately saw exactly what the problem was and how to resolve it. An hour later, that article was done too.

#9. Play Games to Boost Your Words Per Minute

#10. Gamble with Your Reputation

Feeling competitive? Challenge yourself to write your blog post, article, or book chapter in a (much) shorter amount of time than you normally would.

I did this once while working with a friend at a café and her jaw dropped open as she watched me complete an 800-word article in 30 minutes. (And yes, it was good!)

Be More Prolific than You Ever Thought Possible

Fab news! It took me years to develop and learn these effective tactics for writing like a bat out of hell, but you can try them all on right now.

Feel free to combine tactics: Turn off the grammar checker, down a couple glasses of water, fire up Ommwriter, and use a text expander app to produce B-minus work.

Chances are you’ll boost your speed many times over, so you can do even more of what you love (hint: writing) every day.

Ready for the writing to simply pour from you? Set your timer and get started!

from Internet Marketing Tips https://smartblogger.com/how-to-write-faster/

0 notes

heliosfinance · 7 years

Text

23 Ways To Earn Extra Cash For Christmas

Quick Navigation

1. Teach English As A Second Language

2. Sell Study Guides

3. Fill Out Online Surveys

4. Become A Brand Ambassador

5. Fiverr

6. Agent Anything

7. Do Tasks On Amazon Mechanical Turk

8. Become A Website Tester

9. Participate In Medical Studies

10. Search The Web

11. Drive For Uber Or Lyft

12. Be A Task Rabbit

13. Become A Postmate

14. Sell Crafts On Etsy

15. Sell on eBay

16. Sell On Amazon

17. Write For Money

18. Become A Virtual Assistant

19. Babysit Or Housesit

20. Become A Dog Walker Or Dog Sitter

21. Hang Christmas Lights

22. Design Websites

23. Video Editing

Profit From Your Knowledge

If you excel academically in any one area you may be able to earn some extra cash from your knowledge with these ideas.

1. Teach English As A Second Language

2. Sell Study Guides

Perform Micro Tasks/ One-Off Jobs

These type of jobs are perfect for anyone who doesn’t want to feel tied down with a side job and wants a super flexible extra income schedule.

3. Fill Out Online Surveys

Here are some survey sites to check out:

Survey Junkie - One of the best online survey sites that pays for filling out surveys.

Pinecone - You can earn $3 per survey you complete

Opinion Outpost - You can earn cash for filling out surveys

Swagbucks - You can get a $5 signup bonus for signing up here.

4. Become A Brand Ambassador

We've also put together a list of brand ambassador jobs right here for you:

5. Fiverr

6. Agent Anything

Agent Anything is a site that outsources small tasks but is tailored to local students. You can find a wide variety of tasks to perform at varying pay rates.

7. Do Tasks On Amazon Mechanical Turk

8. Become A Website Tester

9. Participate In Medical Studies

10. Search The Web

Driving Or Delivering

If you like to drive and have spare time these side jobs will suit you!

11. Drive For Uber Or Lyft

Plus, a lot of these sites offer cool bonuses!

Drive For Uber: Uber is the biggest company for ridesharing, and they offer bonuses from time to time. Get started driving for Uber here.

Drive For Lyft: Lyft is the #2 ridesharing company, but they are gaining ground. Right now, they are offering a $300 sign up bonus after you complete 100 rides. Sign up and get the bonus here.

Deliver For UberEATs: If you're unsure about having people in your car, what about delivering food? Try out driving for UberEATs and just deliver food. Sign up for UberEATs here.

12. Be A Task Rabbit

13. Become A Postmate

Make Money Selling

If you’re good at finding deals, have a source for wholesale products, or are crafty enough to make your own products here are some selling ideas to try.

14. Sell Crafts On Etsy

Check out Etsy here and get started.

15. Sell on eBay

At one point Robert was making around $3,000 per month selling on eBay as a side business. He scoured garage and estate sales and bought the items he thought would bring a profit.

Get started on eBay here.

16. Sell On Amazon

Freelance Income Ideas

Freelance income is my favorite source of active income. As a freelancer you can turn your skills into a very profitable side business.

17. Write For Money

18. Become A Virtual Assistant

Two areas that are booming right now for virtual assistants are proofreading and transcription services.

Many bloggers and authors leverage proofreaders to check their grammar and more. You can learn how to be a proofreader and find jobs here.

19. Babysit Or Housesit

20. Become A Dog Walker Or Dog Sitter

21. Hang Christmas Lights

22. Design Websites

If you’re good at graphic design you have a skill that is in demand. To make good money from your skill you just need to make sure you’re marketing your services to the right people.

23. Video Editing

You Still Have Time to Earn Cash for Christmas

Do you actively earn extra cash for Christmas or save all year?

The post 23 Ways To Earn Extra Cash For Christmas appeared first on The College Investor.

23 Ways To Earn Extra Cash For Christmas published first on http://ift.tt/2ljLF4B

0 notes