Beating Writers' Block

If you own a website then you will find yourself quickly becoming a jack of all trades. Suddenly you are a writer, a promoter, a web designer, a programmer and more and all these jobs are things that you will not necessarily have any experience in to begin with.

This can show more than anywhere when it comes to writing. A website lives and dies by its content, and if you want people to come to your site the you need to have something to offer them which normally comes in the form of content - relevant and/or interesting articles and editorial that they can read and enjoy and that will bring them back to the page time after time.

At the same time it is also important that you provide lots of content from an online marketing perspective. This way you will be able to get links on other sites (in exchange for your writing) and you will be able to help Google search and index your pages so that people find them when they use the engines. You can of course use your web marketing services to handle this aspect for you, but in many cases you will find yourself having to write yourself at least some of the time. It is a part of web marketing, but also many other aspects of owning a website then.

So what happens when you find yourself looking at that empty page with the sound of the clock ticking loudly in your ear and your mind blanker than it probably ever has been? This is what's known as 'writers' block' and it's somewhat akin to 'the wall' for runners, or 'the yips' in golf - a psychological barrier that prevents you from doing what you want to do and that can become almost career-ending when chronic.

What you need to do in these cases is to find a way to beat the block and to get out of this cycle. Here are a couple of ideas.

Go Away and Come Back: Like anything, sometimes you need a break from writing. If you find yourself reaching burnout, then this won't be productive for anyone, and you're better going away to recharge and then coming back. Even if it's just a ten minute walk around it might help - but don't do it more than once or it will just become an excuse for procrastination (you will in all likelihood know when it has reached this point).

Change What You're Writing: If you article title is the 'the history of iron pipes' then there is probably a good reason for your writers' block - what you're writing is really boring. If you can't be bothered to write it though, imagine how other people are going to feel when they come to read it. You need then to make sure that you come up with a way to make your article more interesting. How about 'the history of the iron bar, told in rhyme'? Even if it's just for web marketing purposes, put some effort into making your articles interesting.

Look for Inspiration: If you really can't think of what to write or how to make it engaging, then you might want to take inspiration from other sites or magazines. Look for their titles, then just put your own spin on them.

Quite Exclusive The Writer's Life Is

Next to the defeated politician, the writer is the most vocal and inventive attention holder in the world. He sees hardships and unfairness, wherever he looks. There are many common complaints of a working writer but I believe the most lifelong horrifying expense involved in the writer's life is in getting out the words.

Creativity can have its own reward, but it doesn't pay the rent. A blank paper is the writer's greatest enemy.

It may come as a surprise to many of you who assume that a writer's tools are limited to paper, pencils and a cup of tea and may be a tweed sport coat for interviews, but it is much beyond that.

The problem from which all other problems arise is that writing takes up the time that could otherwise be spent earning a living, A beggar on the street seeing a writer shuffling towards him would dig deep into his rags to see if he can spare him a dime. The bank officer in the bank would hide under his desk to avoid getting the eye contact to the desperate figure, looking for something to tide him over until he completes a great novel. He knows that the man of letters is not worth the credit risk.

God knows! There is enough interference as it is. To the outsider, research, probably suggests a few hours in the library, a dozen phone calls and maybe that's all it is used to be. Today, however, writers are expected more than that, required to produce work that is totally authentic in all its details.

The writer in the throes of research can often be seen in some of the world's most uncomfortable and dangerous corners, in Beirut, in Mogadishu, in Iraq, in the furnace of Gulf, in the hot sand of Afghanistan. You would find him soaking up the atmosphere, couched intently over his notebook for long ages and a brief but costly check up in the hospital from those distant places. Choosing the best words to reflect his ideas, constructing sentences to yield profound meaning, juggling up words in the best place, are not easy tasks!

Every morning he gears up to start his work. The ream of blank paper awaits him. The pencils are sharpen once again, a further plunge into the flash pots, a trip, a new hobby, an old flame, a second honeymoon or whatever, for him there is nothing but to try again and again, to make things work. He is unwilling to compromise on quality of his work. Nothing less than the best works for him!

After accomplishing his objective of finesse in his writing, there is a big sigh of satisfaction and achievement. All those relentless efforts have paid off. His love for writing has earned him, appreciation, gratitude and happiness. Moreover, the journey taken to craft that remarkable piece of work helps to achieve new altitudes of self-transcendence.

So do you still believe that writer's life is effortless and painless? Think again!

Interpreter or Translator?

So you're thinking of becoming an interpreter. There are several things a person should consider about interpretation before deciding to make a career change; maybe most importantly, before starting down the interpreter path, be sure you understand the differences between an interpreter and a translator. This article provides some options for a person to consider before deciding to pursue a career as an interpreter or a translator.
 
An interpreter provides verbal language interpretation. They may provide in person interpretation - for a person who speaks one language into a second language for another person or audience. An interpreter may also provide interpretation services over the phone - relaying the message one person speaks in one language to another person in a second language. A translator, on the other hand, provides translation of written language. In other words, a translator may translate a book, newspaper, or computer manual into a second language.
 
Acting as interpreter or as translator both have their challenges. An interpreter must be able to think quickly in both languages - the language being spoken by the first person and the language understood and/or spoken by the audience (be that audience one person or several people). The interpretation must be almost immediate, so the interpreter must be comfortable with person-to-person interaction and not feel uncomfortable around groups of people. Interpreters must also be comfortable translating language spoken with a variety of accents. The person commissioning an interpretation in the morning may have a vastly different accent from the person commissioning an interpretation in the afternoon, so the interpreter must be able to change gears more quickly than a translator will need to. Interpreters need to be comfortable speaking both languages they are working with.
 
A translator has a few advantages over an interpreter in these situations. A translator, working with written languages, doesn't have the added distraction of vocal language accents. Writing style varies person to person and culture to culture in every language, but there is no pronunciation difference on a written page (or computer screen). A translator also has the luxury of time.
 
They don't have to interpret the language in real time - being a translator provides the opportunity to read through the writing and get an understanding for the overall context before beginning the interpretation. A translator can also pause to look up any words that may be unfamiliar to them in either language they are working with, where an interpreter must choose a word quickly and move on. A translator doesn't run the risk of falling behind, whereas an interpreter has to be careful to keep up with the pace. A translator can pause for a break; interpreters can't pause until the person they are interpreting for does. Interpreters may translate between two languages, or they may only translate into one.
 
An interpreter does have a few advantages over a translator. Because interpreters work in spoken language, grammar and punctuation are not concerns. An interpreter's work is also completed more quickly - usually once the presentation or discussion is over, the translation is over, too. A translator's work, on the other hand, has just begun once they have been through the material once. The translator must review and revise their translation for accuracy and adherence to grammar and punctuation rules.