Author Archives: schatzi

Writing Process Rule #2 – Dangerous Writing

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The writing process is a method used to complete a well-organized, creative, and publishable paper. There are adaptations for certain genres and forms, and five basic steps that should be taken in order to complete a well-rounded paper. This article will explain why you should not go through the steps in exact order, and how to accomplish this task.

One of the reasons why the writing process was developed was to help the majority of students understand how to create a paper and to explain the steps that were involved in this mysterious process. Authors were interviewed and their work habits were examined in order to come to this understanding. This format is effective, but most well-known authors don’t follow it exactly the way that it is prescribed. The reason for this is that there are exceptions to most writing formats, genres, and styles, as in life there are exceptions to most rules. The majority of students can now write effective essays and reports after extensive training and practice. Generally, they all look and sound the same, with minor variations. In order to emulate an accomplished writer, their style and inspirational genius needs to be captured and understood.  

Dangerous Writing

Due to the historical development of writing in American schools, it should come as no surprise that what is good for the masses may not be good for the individual. It was upon these roots of individual opportunity that America was founded. You, as an individual, should feel free to go beyond the boundaries that are set in front of you. It is in this self-actualization that the true writer is born. When this theory is applied to the writing process, you will be empowered to use all the tools at your disposal. If a stage of the writing process needs to be revisited or ignored to some extent, and it benefits you or the text, then so be it. If a writing stage needs to be redeveloped and returned to, and the final product is that more stunning and revelatory, then make it so. If you are inspired to jump ahead and write a few paragraphs of text and then return to the earlier stage, then for the good of story let it happen.  

Skipping on Steps

While walking down the stairs may not be terribly exciting, it could be! We are taught at an early age to be cautious and predictable while walking down the stairs, to respect them and fear them, that it is not profitable to be “unique” or “different” at those moments. But that is what is taught, not what could be, or maybe, what should be. So it is with the writing stages. Students are taught to follow the steps, but you as a writer need to explore and test your abilities and understandings, not just rely on a formulaic writing plan. In order to write dangerously, you must experiment and do what is not planned, but don’t abandon the potential and usefulness of the writing stages just because you think that writers should rebel.  

Common Steps to Skip While Writing

The brainstorm or organizer may be skipped…Inspiration comes to the writer at times beyond our control. At those times we need to drop everything we’re doing, and use it. If you are taking a shower, walking the dog, making dinner, or any mundane task, stop, run to the keyboard, and start typing. Usually at times like these a concept, image, or paragraph comes to mind. Skip to the rough draft and let it loose. This is dangerous writing because you are breaking conventional rules, but it’s unique and creative because you are accessing your genius, unlike the other 10,000 writers who stay where they are and continue taking a shower, walking the dog, or making dinner.  

The rough draft may have pieces already finished or half way completed. It many look like a checkerboard of thoughts. That’s acceptable during the writing process.  

The rough draft may be skipped…When you sit down to write with your organizer and brainstorm page in front of you, it’s important to “get in the zone.” When writing the rough draft, all of your analytical and creative skills must coalesce and guide you into writing. Make sure that the environment is conductive to this effort. There should be plenty of distraction-free time on your agenda, little noise, and all your paperwork placed out before you. If at any time during the rough draft stage your pen (or keyboard) lights on fire and you find your thoughts turning in other directions with an eloquence that comes from the gods, follow it. Let it guide you where it wants to go. This may be a side topic, a random excursion, an incoherent collection of ideas, or a well-formed draft on a dissimilar topic. You can always return to the original draft later, or even scrap it! The key is to be ready for inspiration when it comes and let it guide you when it knocks on your door.  

Another common step to skip is more metaphysical in nature. Time and space are relative to a degree, so by altering time, our space (steps) can be reduced. How many times have you started a paper, plodded through the writing steps, and pushed out a final copy right on time? Didn’t it feel wonderful? Of course not. Why the hurry? Poetry by nature is the true soul of all creative writing. Poets take years to finish one poem. They aren’t spending thousands of hours on it, but are forming the words into a declarative sculpture. Their attention to every single word is exhausting to the common person. But due to their loving care, the poem turns into a work of art. Our prose must follow the same path. Place it on the shelf for a year. What’s your hurry! Most writers will work like a machine and jettison their products out to the publisher on a regular schedule. This is imitating the student-teacher relationship. In order to write dangerously, you must skip steps of the writing process when there is the potential for greater yields.   

There are other minor ways in which to skip steps of the writing process, but the reason for skipping remains the same: to follow your genius, or inspiration. In all likelihood, you will return at some point to your regular work and continue where you left off. But your writing will have improved for your current text and your overall ability will have benefited from the experience.    

Copyright 2009

Scholarship For College – How to Get a Scholarship

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The cost of going to college goes up every year. For many high school students, getting a scholarship for college is the only way to afford a higher education. A scholarship is one of the best forms of financial aid because it does not require any repayment. Students must do some research and apply for a scholarship as early as possible.

There are basically two types of scholarship: talent- or merit-based and need-based. Talent- or merit-based scholarships are awarded to students who excel academically or have a specific talent. They may excel in sports, play a musical instrument well, or participate in community service. Students who did exceptionally well in their high school academics and/or SAT’s may receive merit scholarships for college.

Students in need of financial aid to go to college may apply for need-based scholarships. There are many colleges that offer this kind of scholarship.

Every year there are millions of scholarships given out to college students and totaling billions of dollars. Students who are interested in getting a scholarship should research and determine what scholarships are available. The easiest way to do this is through an internet search for college scholarships. In most high schools, the school counselor or career center coordinator may have a compilation of available scholarships.

Scholarship programs for college come in many forms. The money you get from a scholarship is free college money and does not have to be repaid. It may be awarded to you in the form of a check or paid directly to the school. Scholarships are provided by different organizations including government agencies, charitable foundations, schools, universities, businesses, and even groups or clubs within the school.

Once you have identified possible scholarships, you must prepare a resume documenting your qualifications and accomplishments. For athletic scholarships, it is best for the athlete to approach the college coach. Be ready with your resume detailing your sports background, sports awards and honors, statistics, NCAA eligibility, etc. The college coach can make a recommendation for a college athletic scholarship based on your athletic information.

Scholarship for college is very competitive, with thousands vying for a single grant. As such, you must be able to show that you are the best candidate for the scholarship. A candidate with strong academic abilities and commitment to community service has a good chance of being awarded a college scholarship.

A number of scholarships are able to cover all the costs of higher education while others may cover only part of it. Nevertheless, a scholarship for college will help defray the cost of earning a college degree.

Quick Tips For Effective School Marketing

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Marketing is not a course that is required of education professionals. In fact, the process of marketing public schools to gain students is a fairly recent phenomenon. But with the advent of multiple education choices, public schools are now competing for student enrollment. Unfortunately, setting aside any part of a school’s precious budget for marketing activities is not easily done in this economy. Here are a few cost-effective ways that you can begin to effectively market your school:

Take ownership of your message-in many communities, the only way parents hear about your school is through newspaper and television stories or website forums. Are those outlets communicating the true story of your school? Most likely the answer is no. In fact, the information that is being reported is usually negative, sometimes misleading, even downright wrong. But if you’re not getting your message out there, then the image being created for your school is not the image you want. So to start the process, identify your message, clarify your goals, find out what it is that sets your school apart, then build your message around that.

Review marketing activities you’re already doing- You may not have launched a radio campaign, or created a direct mail piece, but you probably are already engaged in marketing activities. For a school, these are activities that showcase your school in a positive light to any potential school families. Things like school carnivals, community expos, even school newsletters and websites. When you’ve identified these activities, examine how they communicate the message of your school. Have they been effective in terms of attracting new families, creating multiple contacts (i.e., families who make follow-up calls or visits), creating positive press? Tailor all of your marketing activities in a way that they fit your school’s message.

Find no-cost ways to communicate your message-Get your teachers and staff into the habit of creating press releases about the exciting things going on at your school. Have a press release template available and assign someone to approve releases, then create an email list of media contact. Create partnerships with area businesses that can help promote your school.

Become an active member of your community – Most communities have events, business organizations, parks and rec activities, and neighborhood organizations. Search these out, create a master list, contact the organizers and find out ways you can participate. Have a float in a 4th of July parade, hand out popsicles at the weekly soccer club, or join the local chamber. Remember, public schools are non-profit organizations and many businesses offer special rates.

KCPE Exam – Should It Be Scrapped?

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The recent call by MP Jeremiah Kioni for the abolition of KCPE exams has generated a lot of controversy. KCPE exams were introduced in 1985 ostensibly to act as a screening tool for applicants to high schools. Those with the highest marks go on to secure places in national schools. Then there would be those who would have performed fairly well who will go on to provincial schools. The rest would end up in district, village or harambee schools. Still, the academic ambitions of a majority of the students would come to an abrupt end as there aren’t enough high schools in the country to absorb all the standard eight pupils. Whereas an exam system is supposed to test the knowledge and skills of a student, it is still a matter of debate whether KCPE exams meet these objectives. In most cases, it serves a screening tool to weed off students that the system does not want. This is certainly a grave danger that the country is putting itself in.

The first KCPE was topped by Naeem Samnakay, who went to top KCSE exams again four years later at the Alliance high school. He is currently a pediatrician surgeon in Australia. However, not many KCPE stars have had such an amazing success. Some have fallen by the wayside and failed to appear among the top students in KCSE. Could it be that KCPE and KCSE test entirely different skills and hence the difference in the charts. Do the exams measure critical reasoning, analytical thinking and creativity or is it simply a case of who can regurgitate the most information. These are serious questions that Kenyan educationists must answer if the exams are to serve any useful purpose. Otherwise the calls from the abolitionists will get even louder.

Find the Right Spanish Lesson Software Course – 4 Things to Look For Before Choosing a Course

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Finding the right Spanish lesson software course can be difficult and sometimes a challenge but thankfully you found the right place to get help and information that you can use. If you are wanting to learn this language for an upcoming trip or vacation then you will need to find a program that can teach you much faster when compared to more traditional ways of hiring a tutor or going to Spanish-speaking classes.

With all the options of courses that you can choose online, which one do you choose? Here are a few tips to help you find the right course for you. Most Spanish lesson software courses offer real help when it comes to understanding grammar, nouns, verbs and pronunciation of words. Keep in ming that choosing the most expensive course is not necessarily always the right program to choose.

Price

It does not matter if you have lots of money to spend or on a tight budget, finding the right program for the right price is important. Some courses range from $100-$400 and can even be higher than that. When choosing a Spanish lesson software course evaluate each course and find out what exactly you’re getting for that amount of money. If you are getting an interactive software program or if you are getting just the standard e-book. You want to ensure that you are getting real value for your money. Like mentioned before the most expensive program isn’t always right choice to make.

Instruction

If you are wanting to learn a new language you want to have fun doing it. Some courses use interactive programming. This type of programming uses pictures, games and other interactive tools to help you learn faster. Using a course that uses these types of tools will help with your learning and understanding of this language. Choose programs that use more than one tool to teach you the Spanish-language.

Grammar, nouns and verbs

Find a Spanish course that only teaches you Spanish words and phrases is going to be detrimental to your learning. Choose a program that teaches you grammar, nouns, verbs and phrases and proper pronunciation of Spanish words. Learning words only is not to going help you communicate properly when using the Spanish-language. When reviewing a program look for information that tells you that you will learn these important factors because if you do not people are not going understand what you are saying.

Conversational Spanish

Ensure that your program is going to teach you conversational Spanish. What this means is that you understand what people are saying to you and what you are saying to people. Basically you want a program that teaches you how to communicate back and forth in the Spanish language. If you don’t find a program that teaches you conversational Spanish you may want to avoid buying that course.

Finding a Spanish lesson software course should be easier now that you know what to look for. These simple pointers will should help you find the best course for your needs.

The Three Things Your Coaching School Didn’t Tell You About Making a Living As a Coach

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Have you ever wondered why such a high percentage of graduates from accredited coaching programs leave the profession in less than two years, and why so many coaches struggle to make ends meet?

The sad reality is there are three things your accredited coaching school didn’t tell you about how to thrive financially as a coach. Find out what these three things are, and what you can do about them to end the struggle and catapult your coaching profits.

Three Costly Mistakes Coaches Make

1. Charge too little.

I know, I know. When you first start out, you’re told to price your services low to attract clients. In theory, this sounds good. In practice, however, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.

Here’s why: When you charge next to nothing for something, your market perceives the value of your product or service as being too low. That translates into your value as a coach also being viewed as low. The same with giving something of value away, without asking anything in return. The likelihood of it being appreciated or used is low.

Why is that? There’s an energy of lack associated with charging too little for your coaching services. Often potential clients who seek out the lowest priced coaching services aren’t looking for the highest return on their investment. They’re coming from a place of lack and looking for the cheapest price.

And here’s the rub. Those very same clients who congratulate themselves for shopping around and finding the lowest-paying coaching services are the same ones who will turn around and demand the most from you. They will repeatedly cancel appointments, have a thousand-and-one excuses for not completing their homework, call in-between appointments with crises, and inundate your in-box with questions.

If you are feeling desperate to fill your coaching roster that’s exactly the kind of client you will attract to you – desperate.

2. Provide only coaching services.

One of the biggest mistakes coaches make right out of coaching school is to focus exclusively on setting up their coaching packages. The problem with this is that coaching packages are typically the highest priced services in a coach’s arsenal.

So what happens if you are a new, inexperienced coach and you start promoting your coaching at the $300 – $400 per month price range? Do you think people will happily turn over their hard-earned money just for the opportunity to work with you? Of course they won’t.

People don’t trust what they don’t know. If you are an unknown entity fresh out of coaching school, you will have to create multiple price-point options for your potential clients to choose from, in order to make a living as a coach.

What that means is that you will have to create services AND products that are lower on the price-point scale. This will give your potential clients the opportunity to try you out and get to know you through your lower-priced products and services, before they sign up for one of your higher-end coaching packages.

3. Create passive revenue income.

Yikes, what is she saying? Creating passive income is a detriment? How can she be saying that? Passive income is all the rage! You’re right, it is. However, it’s not for you, at this time. Here’s why.

When you’re first starting out as a coach, you want to create leveraged, not passive revenue income. Passive revenue means: create once; sell once.

Leverage revenue, on the other hand, means that you put in a certain amount of hours and you get a very, very, very good return on your investment over time. Leveraged money can increase the amount of money and the amount of profit you can make from your product. Leveraged revenue means: create once; repurpose multiple times.

That’s why it’s so important to create both services and products at multiple price-points that you can leverage multiple times in multiple ways.

I’m not here to bash what they tell you in coaching school. In fact I think coaching schools, especially the accredited ones, provide much needed valuable guidance, insight, and information. However, if you want to actually make a living as a coach, and not have to supplement it with outside resources, then you must look beyond what they are teaching your in coaching school. The three things you have learned in this article will give you a jump-start on making your dream a reality, and get you well on your way to building a business that provides you with the lifestyle you want.

Education – Are You Investing in Yours?

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“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” – Sydney J. Harris

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” – William Butler Yeats

“Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” Malcolm Forbes

I have always loved taking classes, attending lectures and seminars, reading and, lately, attending a plethora of teleseminars. Have you noticed that there are more right now than ever?

Yes, I would agree that I am a strong proponent of lifetime learning and education.

My family has even expressed concern that I spend too much time and money on books, teleseminars and information products. Therefore, I was delighted to hear John Childers, while being interviewed by Armand Morin the other night, tell about one of the most useful tips an early mentor of his had shared with him.

Childers said that this man had told him that one of the reasons starting businesses fail is that rather than spending money on advertising, they wait until they have made some money (which they don’t without getting the word out). He said that it is the same with education and learning. Many people plan to wait until they have money before investing in their continuing, lifetime learning and education.

He and Armand both stressed that those who succeed have invested time, money and effort in educating themselves. Now, I am not suggesting that you spend thousands of dollars in furthering your education. But I am proposing that you find ways to learn, learn and learn more from the experts.

The great news is that with the information – almost overload – available today, we have no excuse for not learning. Not only is the Internet loaded with great articles, well-researched and written e-newsletters and reports, the teleseminars are terrific ways to attend a seminar without paying for travel and overnight expenses. And, most of these are now recorded as MP3s which can be downloaded and listened to, time and time again – no long distance phone charges.

And, don’t forget our public libraries. The books, tapes, CDs and use of computers are there for us to learn from. It is almost too easy! I wonder if that is why more people don’t make use of these incredible opportunities that available to all of us – whether we have extra funds, or not.

I know that you are looking for some new quotations about education, and I found some great ones:

  • “Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know.” – Daniel J. Boorstin
  • “The most important function of education at any level is to develop the personality of the individual and the significance of his life to himself and to others. This is the basic architecture of a life; the rest is ornamentation and decoration of the structure.” – Grayson Kirk
  • “Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.” – B. F. Skinner
  • “An education isn’t how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It’s being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don’t.” Anatole France

So, my question for you is, “What have you learned lately?” I remember the late Leo Buscaglia sharing that every night at dinner his father would have each of them answer the question, “And, what did you learn today?”

Let me leave you with one more quotation to think about. Erich Fromm wrote, “Why should society feel responsible only for the education of children, and not for the education of all adults of every age?”

Stop “Cardio” Training For Mountain Biking!

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Let me ask you a question – Do you want better cardio? Or do you want to be able to ride harder, faster and longer on the trail? Think these two goals are the same thing? Perhaps not…

One of the toughest things I face when bringing new and improved training concepts to the mountain biking world is trying to work around the large amount of confusion that surround certain terms. For example, when you use the terms “aerobic training” and “cardio training” interchangeably then my call to avoid excessive aerobic training seems odd.

Once I explain that aerobic training is just a specific type of cardio training and there are other ways to work on your cardio then my suggestions make more sense.   I’ve recently realized that it is time for me to take on two new terms that need clarification on their real meaning – cardio training and endurance training. In most people’s books these two terms mean the same thing but once you understand the difference between them you’ll start to see the impact it has on your training approach.   Cardio training is any exercise that increases your heart rate, gets you breathing heavier and directly increases the strength of your cardiovascular system (heart, lungs, blood vessels). This type of training can consist of a variety of things, from short interval to long base mile workouts. Cardio training focuses specifically on improving your measurable markers of cardio capacity. While an important part of specific endurance training it is only part of the picture, though.  

Endurance training refers specifically to any training that allows you to “endure” longer on the trail. In other words, any type of training that results in you riding harder, faster and longer on your bike is endurance training. Endurance is also very specific to what and how you ride – technical east coast cross country riding requires different specific endurance than bombing some SoCal downhill runs.   As I’ve mentioned in my presentations of the MTB Performance Wheel, cardio training is only one of eight training components that affect your specific endurance on the trail. I also include Bike & Equipment Set up as a “spoke” on the MTB Performance Wheel but since it is not a true training component I am not including it on this list:  

1. Strength
2. Power
3. Mobility
4. Cardio
5. Nutrition/ Supplements
6. Recovery
7. Mindset
8. Technical Skills  

As you can see, mountain bike endurance training requires a much broader view of training than simply focusing on the cardio component. However, this is not the approach that mountain bikers have been taught. Because of the influence that road riding has had on our sport we have been told that working on cardio IS working on specific endurance and the other 7 training components are deemphasized or forgotten altogether.  

This view that increased VO2Max or other markers of cardio endurance will automatically equal better specific endurance on the trail has had a very heavy influence on how mountain bikers in every discipline have approached training. From the advice given to newbies (if you want to get better then just ride your bike more) to the advice given to world champs (base miles are needed in the off season) it is readily apparent that the cardio training mindset has taken over our sport.   Here is the problem with this approach, though – the fact is that there is much more to mountain bike specific endurance on the trail than cardio capacity. Let me give you two examples to illustrate my point…

First, consider what happened to Lance Armstrong when he ventured off his road bike. Lance is widely considered to be one of the greatest endurance athletes in history, boasting a VO2Max that is among the highest ever recorded. His domination of the Tour de France speaks to his otherworldly cardio capacity, yet when he trained for and ran a marathon he got beaten. He did not get beaten by one or two world class runners, either – he got beaten by a lot of “regular” people. If cardio capacity was the biggest determining factor in sport specific endurance then why didn’t he do better?  

Second, consider the opposite story of Mark Weir. Known around the world as one of the premier endurance riders in our sport Mark had his VO2Max tested and found out that it was rather ordinary. In fact, rumor has it he was told by the docs performing the test that based on his results he would never be a great endurance athlete. Instead of accepting it Mark went on with his dream and the rest is history. If cardio capacity is the biggest determining factor for mountain bike endurance then why is Mark able to excel despite his relatively low test results?   The reason that Lance can’t dominate every endurance sport he competes in and that Mark can kick the tails of riders with better “cardio” is because much more goes into mountain bike specific endurance than one over emphasized component. Your strength levels, technical skills, nutrition and everything else I listed above goes into it as well. The real trick to consistent returns on your training time is to identify the weakest of those eight training components and focus on it. While counterintuitive at times, the only way to strengthen a chain is to work on the weakest link – anything else will not result in a stronger chain.  

The reason that it is important for us separate these terms is because it will have a major impact on your training paradigm. Remember that you do not want better cardio; you want to be able to ride faster, harder and longer on your bike. These are two different goals and need to be looked at as such. As long as your paradigm is influenced by the notion that unless you are emphasizing cardio training then you aren’t working on your mountain bike specific endurance you will struggle to fully understand what it takes to be the best mountain bike rider you can.

Language Exchange – Learn Tibetan by Sharing Your Language

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Are you a student who wants to learn Tibetan? Do you have what it takes to share your own language? Are you willing to learn another language by sharing your own? If your answer to these questions is a big yes, then you are welcome to join language exchange program.

Language exchange sites are great places to learn Tibetan and other languages while teaching your own. It is one of the most effective methods to learn since it also involves teaching someone what you know, in this case, your native language. Before joining one, learn more about it here.

How it works

Language exchange sites are like social media sites. To become a member, you just need to sign up with your contact information specifically your email address where the site and other members can contact you. The major difference though is that the purpose of language exchange is not just to socialize but to learn another language.

Once you are a member, you can start searching for language exchange partners who are interested in learning your language and who can help you learn Tibetan. You can add as many language partners as you want as long as they can help you learn Tibetan. When your list is complete, be ready to schedule sessions with them.

Some reminders before signing up

While language exchange seems like an avenue to socialize as you meet numerous language partners, take note that there are some members who do not have the same intentions as yours. They may be more inclined to socializing rather than learning new language. Hence, there are some security issues involved. Remember that people you meet online may not reveal their true identity. So here are some of the most important reminders before joining:

1. Avoid giving your complete contact information such as address and telephone number. Your online contact information such as your email address should be enough for other members to reach you. Remember that your main goal is to learn Tibetan and not to have many phone pals.

2. Avoid meet-ups. Meeting with your language exchange partners may not be a good idea considering the fact that not all of them are who they say they are.

3. Report any sessions which made you feel uncomfortable or threatened. Don’t take this issue for granted. While your goal is to learn Tibetan, it is not right to take any vulgarism or intimidation from any of your language exchange partners. On first instance, reach out to the language exchange site administrator.

While language exchange may be a great source of information if you want to learn Tibetan, finding good references such as Tibetan textbooks are still the best option available. For one, they are more reliable. Second, there are no security issues involved.

Writing Process Rule #2 – Dangerous Writing

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The writing process is a method used to complete a well-organized, creative, and publishable paper. There are adaptations for certain genres and forms, and five basic steps that should be taken in order to complete a well-rounded paper. This article will explain why you should not go through the steps in exact order, and how to accomplish this task.

One of the reasons why the writing process was developed was to help the majority of students understand how to create a paper and to explain the steps that were involved in this mysterious process. Authors were interviewed and their work habits were examined in order to come to this understanding. This format is effective, but most well-known authors don’t follow it exactly the way that it is prescribed. The reason for this is that there are exceptions to most writing formats, genres, and styles, as in life there are exceptions to most rules. The majority of students can now write effective essays and reports after extensive training and practice. Generally, they all look and sound the same, with minor variations. In order to emulate an accomplished writer, their style and inspirational genius needs to be captured and understood.  

Dangerous Writing

Due to the historical development of writing in American schools, it should come as no surprise that what is good for the masses may not be good for the individual. It was upon these roots of individual opportunity that America was founded. You, as an individual, should feel free to go beyond the boundaries that are set in front of you. It is in this self-actualization that the true writer is born. When this theory is applied to the writing process, you will be empowered to use all the tools at your disposal. If a stage of the writing process needs to be revisited or ignored to some extent, and it benefits you or the text, then so be it. If a writing stage needs to be redeveloped and returned to, and the final product is that more stunning and revelatory, then make it so. If you are inspired to jump ahead and write a few paragraphs of text and then return to the earlier stage, then for the good of story let it happen.  

Skipping on Steps

While walking down the stairs may not be terribly exciting, it could be! We are taught at an early age to be cautious and predictable while walking down the stairs, to respect them and fear them, that it is not profitable to be “unique” or “different” at those moments. But that is what is taught, not what could be, or maybe, what should be. So it is with the writing stages. Students are taught to follow the steps, but you as a writer need to explore and test your abilities and understandings, not just rely on a formulaic writing plan. In order to write dangerously, you must experiment and do what is not planned, but don’t abandon the potential and usefulness of the writing stages just because you think that writers should rebel.  

Common Steps to Skip While Writing

The brainstorm or organizer may be skipped…Inspiration comes to the writer at times beyond our control. At those times we need to drop everything we’re doing, and use it. If you are taking a shower, walking the dog, making dinner, or any mundane task, stop, run to the keyboard, and start typing. Usually at times like these a concept, image, or paragraph comes to mind. Skip to the rough draft and let it loose. This is dangerous writing because you are breaking conventional rules, but it’s unique and creative because you are accessing your genius, unlike the other 10,000 writers who stay where they are and continue taking a shower, walking the dog, or making dinner.  

The rough draft may have pieces already finished or half way completed. It many look like a checkerboard of thoughts. That’s acceptable during the writing process.  

The rough draft may be skipped…When you sit down to write with your organizer and brainstorm page in front of you, it’s important to “get in the zone.” When writing the rough draft, all of your analytical and creative skills must coalesce and guide you into writing. Make sure that the environment is conductive to this effort. There should be plenty of distraction-free time on your agenda, little noise, and all your paperwork placed out before you. If at any time during the rough draft stage your pen (or keyboard) lights on fire and you find your thoughts turning in other directions with an eloquence that comes from the gods, follow it. Let it guide you where it wants to go. This may be a side topic, a random excursion, an incoherent collection of ideas, or a well-formed draft on a dissimilar topic. You can always return to the original draft later, or even scrap it! The key is to be ready for inspiration when it comes and let it guide you when it knocks on your door.  

Another common step to skip is more metaphysical in nature. Time and space are relative to a degree, so by altering time, our space (steps) can be reduced. How many times have you started a paper, plodded through the writing steps, and pushed out a final copy right on time? Didn’t it feel wonderful? Of course not. Why the hurry? Poetry by nature is the true soul of all creative writing. Poets take years to finish one poem. They aren’t spending thousands of hours on it, but are forming the words into a declarative sculpture. Their attention to every single word is exhausting to the common person. But due to their loving care, the poem turns into a work of art. Our prose must follow the same path. Place it on the shelf for a year. What’s your hurry! Most writers will work like a machine and jettison their products out to the publisher on a regular schedule. This is imitating the student-teacher relationship. In order to write dangerously, you must skip steps of the writing process when there is the potential for greater yields.   

There are other minor ways in which to skip steps of the writing process, but the reason for skipping remains the same: to follow your genius, or inspiration. In all likelihood, you will return at some point to your regular work and continue where you left off. But your writing will have improved for your current text and your overall ability will have benefited from the experience.    

Copyright 2009