Miscellaneous

Skilled users of words—writers, wordsmiths, and penmen—this post is for you.

Writing Sparkle

Are you stuck on a writing project? Have you ever used a heuristic? Do you know what a heuristic is?

Previous to taking a course titled Efficient Business and Professional Writing, I didn’t know what a heuristic was. The knowledge has had an impact. A heuristic is a great writing aid—creative, nonfiction, business . . . It is a list of questions that help the writer get a better understanding of the topic. It can help get creative juicing flowing, as well as organize thoughts and content, make sure all relevant material is covered, and help generate new ideas about the topic.

Here is an example of a heuristic that I drafted up, without the answers. I knew I wanted to write a post about something from my resource page and decided on the idea of a writing aid—something that helps a person write. I was originally going to write about NaNoWriMo. So, I started by crafting the heuristic below:

Description:

  1. What is NaNoWriMo?
  2. How and why did it start?
  3. What does NaNoWriMo stand for?
  4. Are there similar writing programs?
  5. How does it differ from other writing programs?

NaNoWriMo Details:

  • Who needs NaNoWriMo? Who uses NaNoWriMo?
  • What are the goals of NaNoWriMo?
  • What is the power of NaNoWriMo? What are the benefits of NaNoWriMo?
  • When is NaNoWriMo?
  • How is NaNoWriMo structured?
  • Is it genre-specific?
  • Is there a cost?

Testimony:

  1. What are some examples of books finished and published as a result of NaNoWriMo?
  2. What have I heard other writers say about NaNoWriMo?
  3. What is my experience of NaNoWriMo?

Call to Action:

  1. What is the website?
  2. What are the benefits of this information to the reader?
  3. How and when to sign up?

I am using a heuristic for world-building in the new urban fantasy series that I’m creating. I have also used it for homework assignments, emails, and resumes and cover letters.

To recap a heuristic is a list of questions that help the writing process. Although I posed the NaNoWriMo questions, I didn’t answer them. NaNoWriMo—National Novel Writing Month—is an online writing challenge. I wrote my novel From the Ashes during NaNoWriMo. Many writers have had success taking part in NaNoWriMo.

I hope this information was interesting and helpful on some level.

Happy writing.

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