Content Advice | Targa Media

Tips for Writing Every Day – an Update

by Maddie Gray | Sep 16, 2022 | Content Advice

Maddie Gray

Content Lead

Tips for Writing Every Day – an Update

Two and a half years have passed since my last “Writing Every Day” post. I still don’t write every day, but I’ve gotten a lot better! So, do the tips I gave you last time hold up? Is that how I cracked the code? Well, yes and no. Read on to find out what’s worked for me, and what hasn’t.

Outlining: It works!

My definition of outlining has changed a little over the years, but it’s still an important part of my daily writing. Sometimes I’ll put together a bulleted list to guide my writing sessions, but more importantly, I always know what I’m going to write before I sit down at my keyboard. This helps me prevent the panic and dread that goes with blank page syndrome. For me, this means when I’m making a to-do list, I don’t just put “Write” with an empty check box staring me down—I would say “Write list of blog post topics” or “Write ‘Tips for Writing Every Day’ Blog” or “Edit chapter four.”

Accountability: It doesn’t work!

Okay, okay, clarifying statement: it doesn’t work for me. I’ve tried buddy systems, I’ve done social media posts, I’ve kept track of streaks—and none of it helped me write any more frequently. I’m a perfectionist, so any time I had to tell a friend that I fell off the wagon, any time I missed an update, any time I broke a streak, I felt like a failure. The idea behind this one is that you’ll run from that feeling, but that’s not what happens for me. I just shut down. If I’m going to fail anyway, why try? That kind of motivation just doesn’t work for me.

Picturing your desired outcome: It doesn’t work!

Now, there’s nothing wrong with spending a little time getting excited about what you’re working toward, but on days when I don’t feel motivated, this doesn’t quite do the trick. When I’m not feeling it, I’m just not feeling it, and daydreaming about potential outcomes doesn’t solve the problem.

Don’t be too hard on yourself: This is essential!

I cannot stress this one enough. As you’re trying to build up your writing habit, you will fall off the wagon. You’ll have days that are too busy, days where you can’t work up the gumption, and a dozen other days where you just don’t write. That is okay. That is part of the process. You’re looking for a net gain of productivity, not perfection. If you missed a day, or a week, or a month, that is not a failure, that is just part of the process. Every day is a fresh start. After I stopped keeping track of every day I missed, I missed a lot less.

The real secret sauce

This simple step made all the difference for me: find your time. Forming habits really is all about routine. Write within the same time block every day. The block that works best for me is in the morning between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. I usually only write for an hour or two, but I leave a little buffer, so I can still get my writing in even if something comes up. I honestly couldn’t tell you why this works so well. Maybe it’s because it’s too early for interruptions from friends or family. Maybe it’s because I don’t have time to build up excuses. Maybe it’s because the type-A, planner in me finds satisfaction in knowing exactly what I’ll do when I wake up. Whatever the reason, this is it, this is the TL;DR. Find your time.

In the last two years, I’ve finished the biggest writing project I’ve ever started, I’ve participated in writing competitions, and I’ve written a handful of blog posts here, too. I am very proud of the progress I’ve made and the goals I’ve achieved thanks to this little habit-building exercise. If you want to start writing every day, do it. Start today and be kind to yourself if you fall off the wagon tomorrow. I know you can get back up.

Jason’s Take

I was just talking this morning to my 13-year-old about the cold and unforgiving nature of streaks. Maddie mentions that tracking writing streaks won’t work for her with consistent writing. Forgiveness and acceptance are tools that help to fuel creativity.

I still work every day to embrace the “crudeness” of the creative process. It’s not very linear for me. Approaching creativity doesn’t follow the same formula each time. This feels counterintuitive to our human nature as creatures of habit, but look how Maddie reconciles these rigid facts so effectively: She has created a window of time—early mornings—to allow her unpredictable creative process to take form and shape. She adds that “this has made all the difference” for her. So I guess our commitment of time is one predictable “constant” that the creative process affords us.

Audience Missing the Message Because There’s Too Much Message? Minimalism in Design

by Rachel Klein | Oct 2, 2020 | Content Advice

Rachel Klein

Art Director

Audience Missing the Message Because There’s Too Much Message? Minimalism in Design

I enjoy art and design in all its forms. Good design is so diverse and dynamic, it really does not have any rules. But if I could make a rule, or even just a case for minimalism, I believe it is central to effective design and viewer/user experience.

While I’m sure many are bored with stark Scandinavian interiors and nonplussed by the squares of Mondrian, incorporating minimalism into your design thinking will lead to more streamlined message. One that your audience is going to comprehend quickly and easily recall.

Minimalism really took off post-World War II at the height of the modern art movement, and is still used to benchmark what is considered “modern” today. While minimalism is not the most exciting or flashy aesthetic, the principles of minimalism have had widespread influence on visual design across the board. When applied to graphic design the primary considerations are wide open negative space, streamlined content and functional visuals. Leaving off decorative elements and superfluous content that distracts from the message and frustrates the audience. The internet is a hectic and loud place with a lot competing for your attention, so when you land on a website that has an uncluttered and simple to navigate interface, you’re more likely to spend time on it. It is always tempting to utilize every precious inch above the fold, but does that actually pull your viewer in? Or does it send them clicking away from the noise without even bothering to skim over the excessive information?

Famous 1959 VW ad by Helmut Krone changed the advertising game. The Think Small campaign was sincere and relatable during a time when ads were typically full color fantasies.

Jason’s Take

Marketers and designers, please take this to heart. Negative space is the opportunity for your customers to fill in their own mental blanks. I love the psychology of it all, and your marketing message will resonate emotionally if the viewer can easily digest your message. I know, I know, your services are packed with so many amazing features and benefits. But the more you pack in, the more you’re monologuing instead of dialoguing. I really like Rachel’s perspective on this, and she applies the power of “negative space” to a variety of solutions, both on and off printed canvas.

The Ugly Stage: Part of the Creative Master Plan

by Maddie Gray | Sep 8, 2020 | Content Advice

Maddie Gray

Content Lead

The Ugly Stage: Part of the Creative Master Plan

It happens with every project. Every drawing, every painting, every story, every book—every blog post:

THE UGLY STAGE

You know, that period of time when you can’t even stand to look at your creation, let alone work on it?

We’ve talked about the benefits that come from finishing the projects you start (check out my blog post on that here,) but I thought I’d tell you a little more about how you can push through the ugly stage and finish what you start.

The Making of a Masterpiece

My sister, Kaylie, paints beautiful cityscapes.

She paints buildings and cars and people in just the right number of strokes. She gives you enough to see the life thrumming through the streets. Enough to capture the essence of the place without copying it inch for inch, and line for line.

It’s always amazed me. How she knows just which details to keep and which to leave out.

In my drawings, paintings, writings, and other projects, I always feel lost somewhere in the middle. When my drawing doesn’t line up with the reference photo, or my story isn’t conveying the mood I wanted—when it doesn’t come out the way it looks or feels in my head.

How does Kaylie know, from beginning to end, just where to put each shape, just where to touch paint to canvas?

Well, long story short, she doesn’t.

It’s not as if when she starts painting, she has an itemized list of exactly what she will do and in what order. She doesn’t have the hex code of each color mapped out, and the precise ratio of yellow and blue she will mix to achieve that particular shade of green.

It starts out scribbly. She fills in some of the shadows. Blocks out the basic shapes. She paints in layers. Adding color here. Another shape there. More shapes painted on top of that one. She follows her eyes, adding more value where things look flat. More color where they look dull. More detail where they feel empty.

But that’s the point. Along the way, parts of the painting did feel flat, dull, and empty. They didn’t look how she envisioned them.

Kaylie hits the ugly stage, too. But she’s painted enough to know something that the rest of us probably don’t.

Can’t Go Over It. Can’t Go Around It.

You’ve got to go through it.

I wish I could tell you that I’ve found the shortcut—the way around the ugly stage—but I can’t. The truth is, the ugly stage is a part of the process. The only way to make it out, is to slog through. Keep going even though you hate what you’re seeing. Keep going even if it seems like there’s no hope left for your project.

I can’t tell you how many drafts of essays and short stories I’ve pushed through, hating every word of them, only to turn it around with some merciless editing (eight drafts later.) You can bet that I wasn’t satisfied until I read back that eighth and final draft.

For me, it all comes down to self-doubt. I don’t trust myself to pull it off. I get so worried that the half-finished project before me is the best I can do that I want to give up. I’m working on building up confidence in my work, but that’s easier some days than others.

On the days when you don’t feel like you can trust in yourself, in your talents, in your experience, in the projects you’ve completed in the past—trust the process instead.

Trust that the ugly stage will happen in every. single. project. Instead of dreading it, let it guide you. Find the things that don’t look quite right and the places that don’t match up with your vision. Tweak them until they do.

Maybe we shouldn’t dread the ugly stage or curse it when it rears its ugly head—maybe we should thank it for showing us the weak spots in our projects. Or, you know, something a little less cheesy.

Jason’s Take

My own experiences of “going through the creative process” take me all the way back to my High School days when I couldn’t decide whether to enroll in a Fine Art or Commercial Art elective course. At the time, I wasn’t even sure of the difference. For years I was satisfied with the answer: Fine Art is telling your story, and Commercial Art is telling somebody else’s story. Commercial Art felt to me like taking a safe high road where I didn’t have to invest my heart and soul into a “commercial” piece of art that was meant to tell somebody else’s story. Yes, for many years I was very content not to expose my personal thoughts and feelings on a canvas that would certainly be scrutinized. Turns out that I had it all wrong. Commercial Art was just as much about my personal experiences, beliefs, convictions and vulnerabilities as any fine art project would be. As I began “going through” every project instead of over or around, and began embracing the human experience of artistic expression, my “commercial art” projects began to truly resonate with my commercial audiences. Turns out that people are attracted to people and not products, proposals, pitches or promotions. I then extended my new-found discoveries out to my clients, encouraging them to also put their products and passions onto their own “ugly stage.” They in turn told a more personal and genuine story, became more vulnerable, and ultimately created emotional connections with their audiences.

Tips for Writing Every Day… from Someone Who Hasn’t Figured It Out

by Maddie Gray | Jan 16, 2020 | Content Advice

Maddie Gray

Content Lead

Tips for Writing Every Day… from Someone Who Hasn’t Figured It Out

Let me kick this off by saying: I don’t write every day.

Every year for at least the last three years (and probably longer) my New Year’s resolution has been to write every day, and this year is no different. One of these years, I’ll figure out just the right combination of stressors to follow through all year long. Then one year will turn into two, two into three, and on and on until I’ve collected my 10,000 hours and Malcom Gladwell classifies me as a writing master. Marketers, here are a few ideas for putting a writing structure together that feels very doable, and might even get you excited about creating consistent and meaningful content.

Why Write Every Day?

The truth is, writing every single day probably isn’t really necessary. That being said, there are only two ways to get better at writing: writing and reading. As a copywriter and aspiring author, improving my writing skill is important to me. When I set the goal of writing every day, at the very least I will write some. I’ll improve my writing. I’ll get better at my chosen craft.

For me, setting goals like this one helps me measure my progress in life. I won’t notice that I’m moving forward if I don’t have a to-do list filled with checked boxes. I know that for many people, goal-setting and resolutions aren’t necessary. They can feel the wind in their hair as they move through life, and they’re satisfied moving in whatever direction it blows them—they can feel themselves making progress without setting explicit benchmarks. That’s great! I wish I were a little more like you guys—but the rest of this post probably isn’t for you.

To my fellow goal-oriented folks—read on!

The new year has just begun, so it’s time to start brainstorming new strategies to keep the words flowing in 2020. If you guys are looking for ideas to keep yourselves writing new content, stories, poems, or the next big novel in 2020, here are some strategies to (hopefully) help you (and me) get there.

Outline

My biggest project right now is a novel that I’m trying to finish. I’m about half-way through my second draft, so I outline in a couple of different ways. First, I assign each chapter a different time frame. December 15-28, I will finish Chapter 10. Then, I make sure I know exactly what needs to go into each chapter: Character A needs to do X. Z needs to happen, and so on. This ensures that when I sit down to write, I can get right to it. So long writer’s block!

If you’re looking to create content for a marketing message, floor event flyer, or landing page, outlining is going to look a little different. Whether you commit to daily comments on social media posts, daily reviews in a social interest group, or just a tweet asking for your followers’ feedback. You can still plan out a time frame, but this time assign a different topic or blog idea to each date range. January 13-17, I will write the “My Writing Process” blog post.

Then outline what exactly you want to cover in that blog post. I don’t go quite as in-depth with blog posts as I do novel chapters—usually I’ll plan out my title and plot out my main points (often in the form of sub-heads) before I start writing. The hardest part of the task is coming up with a bunch of topics you feel excited about writing. So start today by eeking out 10 topics for your marketing campaign, landing page teaser, or social marketing strategy. You get the idea. Outline your timeline then outline your ideas. Don’t give the juices time to stop flowing.

Hold Yourself Accountable

I think this one is where I’ve fallen flat in the past. Last year, I tried calendaring my process. On the days I wrote, I sharpied a check-mark on the calendar. When I didn’t write, I drew an “X” instead. That worked fairly well for the first month or two, but then I stopped keeping track. I’d try to fill in the successes and failures two weeks later, and I ended up fudging the numbers more than I’d like.

Here’s my new (and not so revolutionary) idea that I’m considering for this year. Social media. The thought is that maybe if I can trick myself into thinking that other people depend on me writing every day, I’ll do it. For those of you looking to create more content for the purpose of increasing your social media or website presence, this is an easy box to check.

I think the trick with this one is balance. You have to find a way to motivate yourself to write, not to distract from it. If you get too hung up on checking each post for likes and comments, this might not be the way to go.

Here’s a good example: a little while ago I thought it might be a good idea to start a personal blog all about writing. I came up with a title, and I got all excited to share my writing journey with the world—and then I thought about it a little harder. Would adding an entirely new writing project to my plate really help me to finish my other projects? Probably not. It’s all about balance and what works best for you.

Maybe the best strategy is having a friend or loved one text you once a day to see if you’ve written yet. Maybe you just need to set an alarm on your phone, add a mark to your calendar, or cross an item off of your to-do list. Do whatever works for you (and experiment until you find out what that is.)

Picture Your Desired Outcome

This one is for those days when you have no motivation to write. It’s the last thing you want to do, you would rather go scrub the floor in the bathroom than so much as look at a keyboard. We all have those days.

The only thing that helps me get past those inevitable humps is a little bit of imagination. Think back to the reason you want to write every day in the first place. For me it boils down to this: I want to be a published author. I want the working from home in my pajamas, I want the book tours, I want the supplemental income.

When I’m feeling less than enthused about writing, I imagine what my life will be like after I am a published author. After I have all of those things I’ve been dreaming about. It usually does the trick.

Other things that work for me: force yourself to think about whatever you’re writing. You don’t have to go sit at your desk and start writing. Just make yourself think about it for a while. More often than not, I stumble across a solution to a problem or a cool sentence that I need to write down right away, before I forget. Guess what? You just wrote something. It counts!

Don’t be Too Hard on Yourself

Here’s the last and most important piece of advice I can offer you. Don’t take it too hard if you miss a day here or there. Don’t take it too hard if you totally blow it and don’t write for a month. If you are too hard on yourself, it will be almost impossible to get back in the writing groove. I already broke my streak. What difference does it make if I don’t write today? I’ve fallen into this trap many times. Try to remember this: the goal is not to be perfect. The goal is to write more.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s write more this year than last year. Create more content. Make more progress. Improve ourselves. Cheers to 2020—may it bring you writing success.

Jason’s Take

I think Maddie helped me crack the code. I discovered that my quick outlines for my blog posts doubled nicely as social posts, or contributions to conversation strings. Moreover, outlining helped me feel much less overwhelmed about writing. I love a blank canvas…that is, when I’m holding a sketching pencil, not a writer’s pen. I’m working on feeling more confident about creating words, like I currently am with doodles, diagrams and rough sketches. It will take some time, but a lot less time if I can commit to a little bit every day. This article has helpe me do that. Watch out, 2020!

Embracing Writing Rejection

by Maddie Gray | Nov 6, 2019 | Content Advice

Maddie Gray

Content Lead

Embracing Writing Rejection

Rejection letters are discouraging. Especially when they pile up in your inbox and far out-number the acceptances. Does that mean you’re a bad writer? No. Does it mean you should stop writing? Absolutely not.

But still, rejection is scary.

In relationships. In loan applications. In job applications. In… well okay, pretty much any kind of application. Rejection is scary because you want something: those sweet seven digits (ten with the area code,) that salary, the money to start your cute little bakery on the corner.

The idea of someone saying no to what we want? And not just someone, but the one person in the whole world who can actually give it to us? Well, it freaks us out.

Why else would your heart threaten to self-destruct when you approach that handsome guy across the room? Why else would your words come out in the wrong order at that crucial moment in your proposal meeting? Your brain starts chanting in time with your heartbeat: don’t mess up, don’t mess up, don’t mess up, don’t mess up, don’t mess up.

Sometimes you mess up. And you get rejected. Sometimes you don’t mess up. And you still get rejected.

Sometimes you mess up. And you get rejected. (Turns out guys don’t like it when you say the same sentence over and over again in some sort of strange, anxiety-induced trance. Your car’s been impounded because you forgot to pay your bill? No loan for you!)

Sometimes you don’t mess up. And you still get rejected. (You nailed that interview. Who wouldn’t want to hire you? What? The other interviewee went to Harvard? The Harvard? Ouch.)

Rejection’s Many Forms

Let’s back up for a second. This article isn’t about rejection as a whole, it’s about writing rejection. So, what does rejection have to do with writing? Well, if you’re asking this question, I am going to assume one of three things:

You’re not a writer.
You’re new to the writing game, or you treat writing as a hobby.
You are the best writer in the history of the world and no one ever says no to you. Ever. Every word you’ve ever written was penned in gold and you roll in piles of royalty money and post the videos on Instagram. I also don’t like you (out of pure, bitter jealousy.)

Whether you’re a one, two, three, or you’re skimming through this because you know exactly what writing and rejection have in common—I have two words for you: rejection letters (they’re mostly emails now, but still.)

If you’re trying to get a poem, story, novel, or article into the world for public consumption, you have to send it to magazines, journals, agents, publishers, and the like. They decide whether or not they want your writing, and they send you one of three letters:

An acceptance letter – you’re in! You’ve done it! You’re officially a published writer. Go buy yourself some candy to celebrate.
A positive rejection letter – this is the “we’re sorry, we have determined you’re your story/poem/article/novel is not a good fit HOWEVER…” letter. These get into the nuts and bolts of why you were rejected, so you can make the necessary edits to your piece. Sometimes they even give you complimentary morsels to soften the blow or assure you that you nearly made the cut.
A generic rejection letter – the cut-and-paste, carbon-copied, worst-case scenario. You didn’t make it. Thanks for submitting! Have a nice life.

Let’s Run the Numbers

In my time as a writer, I have received all three of these letters with way, way more generic rejection letters than anything else. Let’s see the totals, shall we?

Total Submissions: 108
Rejections: 106
Positive Rejections: 9
Acceptances: 2

That’s right, approximately 98% of my submissions have resulted in rejection letters. 92% of those rejection letters were generic, no-special-time-given rejections. From those numbers, I sound like a terrible writer. Maybe that’s even what some of you will take away from this: “Wow, why have I been wasting my time reading something written by an objectively terrible writer.”

Here’s the thing. In writing, especially creative writing, there’s no such thing as objective. J.K. Rowling was rejected by twelve different publishers before someone decided to give Harry Potter a chance, and that’s one of the most popular series of all time.

Writing is not a numbers game.

Rejection is Part of the Process

Rejection will always be a big part of writing. That isn’t a bad thing. That just means your intense, gory horror story won’t end up in a light-hearted magazine for pre-teens. Rejection makes sure that your writing will end up where it belongs. Sometimes rejection helps you realize that your story needs another round of edits.

Rejection is just another part of writing. Like editing, re-reading, proofreading. That process can be difficult.

It’s subjective. It’s frustrating. It’s discouraging.

But if you keep writing, keep submitting, keep getting up after a rejection letter addressed “Dear Writer,” knocks you down—

It’s satisfying. It’s invigorating. It’s the best thing in the world.

Jason’s Take

I wish I had begun to recognize the power of “humanizing” our stories as early in my career as Maddie has. As a marketer, the importance of vulnerability rings true. I realized over many years that I could buffer criticism by omitting that which was personal to me. I justified that my responsibility was bigger than weaving in my own story. I’ve since recognized this flaw, and am owning up to my convictions. When we weave our personal story into our marketing and brand message, we create the glue that our audience so much needs and deserves. Marketing messages and stories must be relatable; they must be human. That leap of faith takes courage, and practice.

Why Writers are Good Marketers

by Maddie Gray | Jul 12, 2019 | Content Advice

Maddie Grey

Content Lead

Why Writers are Good Marketers

Writers and marketers are constantly thinking about what they say, and how they say it. They are always considering what motivates their audience and how best to connect with them. Both skills require the same vein of thinking. Turning your marketing skills into writing skills (or your writing skills into marketing skills) just requires a little bit of practice and maybe an attitude adjustment (Yes, you can write! Yes, you can build a successful marketing campaign!)

Marketers and writers have a lot in common. And no, I don’t just mean because they both write. Sure, writers churn out books, poems, articles, and essays while marketers type away at headlines, catchy blurbs, website content, and blog posts—but writers and marketers have more in common than their constant content creation.

I started out in writing. Before I really learned to write, I’d put together “stories” by drawings pictures and scrawling a few misspelled words on the same page. In the third grade I wrote a comedic super hero series not-so-subtly influenced by Dave Pilkey’s Captain Underpants. In the fourth grade I thought I’d be a publisher, and in the fifth an author. When I turned fourteen, I finished my first full-length novel. Since then I’ve published a poem and a short story, and I’ve graduated with a degree in creative writing. Long story short, I live and breathe writing, and I have my entire life.

When I started at Targa Media (as a copywriter—surprise, surprise) I knew all about writing and basically nothing about marketing. I’ve been picking up marketing tips from the Targa team, reading marketing blogs and books (thanks Seth Godin,) attending marketing conferences, and basically learning all that I can, however I can. Guess what I’ve learned? If you can write, you’ve got some potential as a marketer. If you can market, you’ve got some potential as a writer. I’m not saying that you can pick up either skill overnight, but in either case a lot of the same rules apply.

AUDIENCE IS EVERYTHING

A product or service can be marketed a thousand different ways. There are millions of poems about love out there, and all of them say something just a little different. For writing and marketing, audience drives how you say what you say.

Creating a marketing campaign for hunting rifles is one thing if you’re targeting avid marksmen—it’s another if you’re targeting vegetarians with no shooting experience. For one, you would focus on the benefits of this gun over the others on the market, focusing in on all the little things that matter to an experienced gunman. For the other, maybe you focus on ease-of-use and less kickback. Rather than using imagery related to hunting, you focus on home security or recreational shooting ranges.

Writing an article about photosynthesis for grad students studying biology is going to look a lot different than an article about photosynthesis written for elementary school students. The first would discuss how chlorophylls use sunlight to turn carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. The second might provide only the basics: plants use the sun to make food.

Motivation, age, and education are important factors to consider for both marketers and writers. Creating a marketing campaign without an audience in mind will lead to a bland, overgeneralized marketing strategy that falls flat and doesn’t really appeal to anyone. Writing without considering your audience can hurt your authority (don’t address grad students like they’re sixth graders) or prevent your readers from understanding and connecting with your content (don’t address sixth graders like they’re grad students.)

WRITE BETTER. MARKET BETTER.

In marketing, the goal of a campaign is fairly standard. Increase awareness, increase purchases, increase followers, increase clients—in one way or another marketing serves to make a business more successful. Writing can serve many purposes—to entertain, to persuade, to inform.

If you are a marketer and you are looking to improve your writing, think of every blog post or essay as a marketing campaign. What features and benefits can you use to drive your point forward? Think of your outcome (check out our blog on outcomes HERE) as your thesis statement and your features and benefits as your supporting points. If you are a writer looking to become a better marketer—flip the metaphor. You’ll be creating marketing campaigns and collateral in no time.

Jason’s Take

You may find it surprising that I’ve hired more “writers” than “designers” at Targa Media. This has most likely been a subconscious decision, but after reading Maddie’s article, I understand better why I have done so. Writers are storytellers who are almost always thinking about “motivation.” Writers must anticipate the motivations of their target audience, and create stories, characters and plots that resonate with that audience. That’s a powerful marketing skill, and not always as fine-tuned with us designers who are often more driven by concepts like “expression” or “craftsmanship.” Clearly everybody has their specialty, but for a small marketing firm like Targa Media we all wear a variety of hats. The most important of those hats is the one that helps us understand customer motivations. And THAT hat is often worn by our go-to writer—and marketer, Maddie.