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Personal Writing Magic

About the Author

• Ihave16yearsexperienceindesigningandwritingfortheInternet.

• IhaveanMAinDesignforInteractiveMediafromMiddlesex University in London but I’m not atechnicalperson. I’mawriterwhoenrolled togetovermyfearoftechnology,andbecauseIrealisedcreative people need the Internet as much as itneedsus.

• Mymain interest is people, and how we can usecomputers and the Internet to improve our lives.TheInternetisabrillianttooltohelppeoplereachandengagewitheachother,andIwanttomakeitaccessible for everyone. It saddensme thatmanysmallbusinessownersandcreativepeopleareputoffbloggingbecauseofthetechnicalside.Ifyou’reone of those people I want to show you how tooutsource technical issues confidently (and makesuretheygetdoneproperly)withoutoverwhelmingyouwithtechnologicalinstructions.

• I’ve written theses on how to build communities,increase user interaction and make the Internetexperienceenjoyable.Iloveputtingthisknowledgeto practice on my own blog and teaching otherpeoplehowtouseittotheiradvantage.

• My blog and writing has featured in print mediaandonline, and I’vewritten for someof themostpopularblogsontheInternetincludingProblogger,Copyblogger,ZenHabitsandmanymore.

• I’mmarriedwiththreekidsandrunmyownbusiness,soIfocusongettingresultsfastandsavingtime.

• After12monthsofstartingmyblogGetIntheHotSpot, Ibuilt itup tomore than1,500 subscribers,witharound5,800uniquevisitorspermonth from165 countries. As I write this it has more than3,600commentsfromengagedreaders-asteadilygrowingandappreciativecommunity.

• Mybloghasbroughtmefocus,clarityandconfidencein bothmy business and personal life. I want youtoexperiencethemanybenefitsandopportunitiesblogginghasbroughtmetoo.

• I‘vesleptfreeinGermany,runoutofmyroomnakedafterhavingaveryrealisticnightmareinGreeceandhitched rides on a fire engine in Turkey, a graveltruck in Zimbabwe and by donkey cart in Tunisia.I’ve traveledtheglobetospotanimals in thewildandendedupsharingmyhomewithscorpions,batsandbirds.

• IwritetravelstoriesonmyblogGetIntheHotSpot(www.getinthehotspot.com)aswellasforprintandonline travel publications. I live with my husbandand our three children in Queensland, AustraliawhereIhelpwriterstapintothepowerofbloggingat Successful Blogging (www.successfulblogging.com),takedailybeachwalksanddreamofzippingbacktoAfricaforanextendedsafari.

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Copright Notice

Copyright Notice

© Copyright 2011 Annabel Candy. All Rights Reserved.

The right of Annabel Candy to be identified as author and copyright owner of this work is asserted by Annabel Candy in accordance with Australian copyright laws, as determined by the Australian Copyright Council. Copyright extends to any and all countries in which this publication is purchased and/or viewed and/or read.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form by any means without the prior written permission of the authors, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover, other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

The purchaser of this publication indemnifies Annabel Candy and her companies, Get In the Hot Spot.com and Mucho Ltd, and the directors, officers, employees and agents of those companies, from and against all losses, claims, damages and liabilities which arise out of any use of this publication and/or any application of its content.

Please understand that there are some links contained in this guide that I may benefit from financially. The material in this guide may include information, products or services by third parties. Third party materials contain the products and opinions expressed by their owners. As such, I do not assume responsibility or liability for any third party material or opinions.

The publication of such third party materials does not constitute my guarantee of any information, instruction, opinion, products or services contained within the third party materials. The use of recommended third party materials does not guarantee any success and or earnings related to you or your business. Publication of such third party materials is just a recommendation and an expression of my own opinion of that material.

All trademarks and registered trademarks appearing in this guide are the property of their respective owners.

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It’snot justusbuddingwriterswhoare interested inpersonalwriting.Readersaretoo.Therearethousandsof people online right now seeking entertainment,escapeandemotionalrelease–andmanyofthemgetitbyreadingpersonalstoriesonblogs.

Lookatsomeofthemostpopularblogsintheworldandyou’llfindthey’repersonalblogs.Manypersonalwriting blogs like Dooce have become massive hitsbecause of the personal stories they share. Evenbloggers like Leo Babauta (personal development)DarrenRowse(blogging)andPenelopeTrunk(careers)whoaren’tknownfortheirpersonalwritingperse,haverisen to the topof their fieldbecause theirpersonalstorymadethemuniqueandinteresting.

Weallhaveastorytotellandmanyofushaveaburningdesiretogetitout.Writingdownwhat’shappenedtouscanbetherapeutic. It’sgreattogetthingsoffourchestandsharehowwefeelwithotherpeople.Itgivesusasenseofbeingpartofsomethingbigger,itlessensthelonelinessofthehumancondition.

Iwonderhowmanythousandsofpersonalstoriesneedtobetoldbutarestillsafelylockedawayinpeople’sheads? Like skeletons in the cupboard those storieswillrattleroundandkeepusawakeatnightuntilweletthemout.

Weneedtowritethemdownandsometimeswewanttosharethem,butit’sessentialtoatleastwriteyourpersonalstories,evenifyoudon’tmakethempublic.Otherwisethecreativeprocessishamperedbythoseghoststorieswewanttowritebuthaven’t.

Getting Your Personal Writing Noticed

There are thousands of personal blogs out there sohowdowemakeourpersonalwritingandour storystandoutamidstallthatnoise?Howdowemakeourpersonalstoryresonatewithpeople,makethemwanttoreadmoreandrecommendittotheirfriends?

5 Essential Personal Writing Tips

1. Get Up Close and Personal

Youhavetogetupcloseandpersonalifyouwanttoshineatpersonalwriting.Youhavetobehonestandreallyshareyourself.That’swhywhatshouldbeeasyissohard.

Mostofushatewritingaboutourselves.It’salmostasbadaspublicspeaking.Butyouhavetodoitbecauseyouhaveastorytotellanditneedstobetold.

People love reading personal stories and that’s whyblogshavebecomesopopular.Becausepeoplewantto know about YOU. No one wants to hear it fromcorporatewriters,paidstoogesorevenslickPulitzerprizewinnerseverytime.

Peoplewant to readpersonalwriting and storiesbyrealpeople,quirkypeople theycan relate to.Checkoutthecommentsonmypost35WaysIDon’tFitInifyoudon’tbelieveme.

Tobeginwithit’sallaboutexploringwhatyouknow,whatyouwanttosayandhowyou’llsayit.

2. Be Brave

Justdoit.Givefearthefingerandstartnow.Youmaynotknowwhatyouwanttowriteaboutorhowtowriteit until you start writing. So set yourself a workableroutineandsticktoit.

Writingeveryweekdayfor60minutesand,ifyouhaveablog,publishingoneblogpostaweekwouldbeagreatstart.

Accept that to beginwith yourwritingwill be rusty.That’s normal. They’re called first drafts. From thoseroughsentencesfinaldraftswillspring.

Professionalwritersareluckytohaveruthlesseditorsto

Essential Personal Writing Tips

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Private,publicoranonymous,bloggingoffersagreatwaytoorganiseyourwriting,getyourselfinthehabitofregularwritingandmanageyourstories.

Personal Writing Round Up

Ihopeyou’llgetintopersonalwritingbecauseit’sfunand therapeutic too. But you have to be brave andgiveyourselfaway.Sostophoardingwhatyou’vegotandshareitwiththeworldifyoudare.

Let’saimtomakeourpersonalwritingascompellingasfictionandevokefeelingspeoplecanrelateto.Yourreadersweren’ttherebutiftheyunderstandhowyoufelt,andifthey’veeverfeltthatwaythemselves,youbecomemorethanjustawriter,youbecomeafriend.

That’swhatputsthepersonalintopersonalwritingandmakesituniversallypopular.

That’s what makes readers love reading and whatmakesgoodwriterspopular.

Personal Writing Activity

pare,improveandfine-tunetheirwriting.Youprobablydon’t.Of course editing skills can be learnt too buteditingcomeslater.Firstyouneedtowrite.Personalwriting, like all writing isn’t about being perfect. It’saboutgettingstartedandhavingsomethingtoshowforit.

3. Ignore the Voices

YouknowtheonesImean.Thenegativevoicesinyourhead. I’m not even going tomentionwhat they sayherebecause they’renotgettingany space, timeorrecognition.Theydon’tdeserveit.

It’sourdutyashumanbeingsand fearlesswriters todrown those voices out nomatter how. Sometimes,singinghelps.Orreplacingthemwithpositivemantraslike“Ilovetellingmystory”or“IwritedailybecauseIenjoyit.”

Wine sometimes helps but that’s naughty. Have justoneglassifyoumust,butyoudon’twanttohavetoomuchtoooftenandenduplikeEarnestHemmingway.

You’llneedtowritesomethingtodiscoverwhatyourstoryis.Thenyou’llhavetorewriteittoworkoutwhyyourstory’simportant,andrewriteitagaintomakethestorycleartoyourreaders.

4. Keep it Simple

Some people are brilliant storytellers. They can hoparound fromoneevent to thenextwithease.Thereareafewtriedandtestedwaysoftellinganystory–includingpersonalones:chronologicalorder,flashback,andstartingattheend.Don’tworryaboutthatyetifitconfusesyouorworriesyou.

Justconcentrateontellingastoryfromthebeginningto theendandgettingpeopleengagedand feelingliketheywerereallytherewithyou.

5. Start a Blog

Yourblogdoesn’thavetobemadepublic,butifyoudo decide to go public with your personal writing,youmaywanttochangenames,placesorlocationstoprotecttheinnocent…andstoptheguiltyfromsuingyou.

Oryoucouldwriteananonymousblog.

Chooseoneturningpointorhugeeventinyourlifeandwriteaboutit.Imaginenoonewilleverreaditandreallyletyourfeelingsshow.

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important sentences in your story. Thefirst linegetsthereaderhookedandsetsthetoneforthestory.Thelast sentence wraps things up and gives the readerclosure.Trywritingthefirstandlastsentencesofyourstorybeforeyouwritethewholething.

2. Writing tone

Will the tone be humorous, descriptive, serious,confidentialordramatic?Imaginewho’sgoingtoreadthestoryandwhattonewillappealtothemthenstickwiththattonethroughoutthestory.

Youmaycombinetwotonesbutonceyou’vechosenthetoneitgetseasiertochoosetherightwordstousetotellyourstory.

3. Plotlines

Like other stories personal writing deals with thesefourelements:

• Who?

• What?

• Why?

• When?

Who-Eventhoughyou’rewritingyourpersonalstoryyoumightbefocusingonothercharacters.It’sprobablyyou, but if not, you need to decide who yourmaincharacteris.Theyareyourheroorheroineandneedtobekeptinthespotlight.Everystoryneedsamaincharacter,anobstaclethatcausestheirtransformationandanendresult.

What -We usually start writing with a clear idea ofwhat happened and what our story will cover. Butoftenotherideaspopupandwecangetdistractedsoyou’llneedtoaskwhatreallyhappenedeachtimeyouedit thestory.Canyouexplainwhathappens inonesentence?

Ohmy goodness, you are NEVER going to believethis!Sostartsmanyatruestory.

Butwhentellinginterestingnewshaveyoueversaid:

“Hangonaminute.Justletmestartfromthebeginningwillyou?”

Like that story about your cousin’s wedding whenUncle Harry ended up dancing on the table thenrunningoffwithoneofthebridesmaids?

Sometimesastoryisjusttoogoodtoshareonlytheedited highlights. To help your listener enjoy andunderstand what really happened you need to getthemcluedupon thebackgrounddetailsaswell astheactualpunchlineandthefinaloutcome.

Weallknowastoryhasabeginning,middleandendbutsometimes,becauseweknowitsowellorareinahurry to share it, a story spillsoutwilly nilly. Thenwehavetobacktrackbecauseweforgottomentionan important detail or introduce an important newcharacterproperly.

Storytellersneedtorememberthesepersonalwritingtips and include them in every single story,whetherwe’retellingitorally,orwritingittoshareonourblogsorelsewhere.

Memorable Personal Writing and Story-Telling Tips

1. Story Order

Every story needs a clear beginning, middle andend. Aswe getmore confident and experienced inourwritingwecanplayaroundwithplotdeviceslikeflashbacksorstartingourstoryattheendthenwritingabout howwe got to that point. But to begin withchronologicalorderisunbeatable.

The opening and closing sentences are the most

Storytelling Devices for Memorable Personal Writing

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5. Use dialogue

Dialoguecreatesimmediacyandgiveothercharactersavoicethatmakesthemreal.Usedialoguetochangethetoneorpaceofyourstoryandgivereaderscandidinsights.

6. Embellish where needed

Don’tbeafraidtoembelishyourstoryorexaggerateabit.Inreallifeweoftenunderplaystoriesbutpersonalwritingisnotthetimeforthat.

Embellished stories are still true, so don’t just writethat someone looked like awierdo. Tell us theyhadgoogleeyes, a festeringpustuleon theendof theirnoseandasnowdriftofdandruffontheirshoulder.

Creative embellishment is your job as a story-tellersoplayupyourpersonalstory–havefunwithityourreaderswilltoo.

Making Personal Writing Memorable

Wemightsay“you’llneverbelievethis,”butagoodstorytellermakespeople suspend theirdisbelief andcaptivatesthemcompletely.Agoodstorytellerwritesstoriesthataresomemorableotherpeopletellthemtoo.

Whatdoyou thinkare themost importantelementsaboutpersonalwritingandtellingyourstory?


Why -Whydoyouwant to tell yourpersonal story?What makes it important, memorable, interesting,funnyorpoignant?Howdoyouwantyourreaderstofeelattheendofthestory?Maybeyouwanttoinspirethem,shareamoralmessageormakethemlaugh.

Chooseyourwords toevoke feelingswithout tellingyourreadershowyouwantthemtofeel.Tohelpyourreaderexperiencewhatyouexperiencedyouhavetogivethemcluesabouthowyoufeltwithoutmakingitobvious.Remembertoshow,nottellyourreadershowyoufelt.

When-Somestoriesaresetinatimelesseraandananonyomousplaceandtheywork.Butusuallyit’sbestto set a clear scene and time to help your readerstransportthemselvesthere.

4. Rewriting

IntheessentialpersonalwritingtipsImentioned:

“You’llneedtowritesomethingtodiscoverwhatyourstoryis.Thenyou’llhavetorewriteittoworkoutwhyyourstory’simportant,andrewriteitagaintomakethestorycleartoyourreaders.”

Rewriting and editing is key. Even if you can tell agood story in the first writing it will always improvethemoreyouworkon.Greatstoriesandbookshavebeencarefullyconstructed,revisedandimprovedandit’sworthspending timeon. Idon’tknowaboutyoubutI’dprefertowriteonegreatstorythanseveralsosobooks.

Butputlimitsonrewrites.Don’tbeaperfectionistanddoquashyourinnercritic.Setatimelineforfinishingyourstoryorpublishingitonyourblog.Noneofusaregoingtobegreatwritersunlesswepracticeandkeepchurningoutnewwriting.

Remember no story is ever perfect and writers areoftentheirownworstcritics,butyourstoryneedstobe told so writing it down is a great starting point.Beforeyoustartwritingask:

What’sthemostimportantpointyouwanttomake?

What’stheeffectyouwanttohaveonthereader?

Thenkeepremindingyourselfofthosepointsareyouwrite,reviseandedit.

Writeabouta funnystoryor interestinganecdotethat you often tell people about. Focus on thestoryorderandcreatingastronghookandclosingsentence

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Personalwritingisoftentherapeuticaswellascreative.It can help you gain insight into who you are, whatmakesyouhappyandhowyouwanttolive.

Blogginghasbecomemypassionbecauseitlinksmythreelovesofnewmediadesign,teachingandwriting.Blogging is farmore than justa job. It’s thecreativeoutletI’vealwayscraved.

I’veprioritisedlifestylefordecades.IliveinagorgeousplaceandworkfromhomesoIcanspendtimewiththekids.NowIhaveajobIloveallthosethingscombinetomakemefeelfulfilledandcontent.

Ifeelluckyandnevertakethatforgrantedbecauseithasn’talwaysbeenthatway.

Forthefirst10yearsofmyadultlifeIwasn’tsurewhatto do when I grew up. Travel and teaching EnglishfilledthegapandpostponedthetimewhenIactuallyhadtogrowup.

ThenIhadababy,anotherbabyandanother.SuddenlyIwasamotherofthreebutIstillhadn’tworkedoutmyplaceintheworld.

Post-nataldepressionsetin.

Motherhoodisatimewhenmanywomenlosetrackofwho theyareand stop lookingafter themselvesandIwasnodifferent.SeanaSmith,co-authorofBeyondtheBabyBlues,says16%ofwomensufferfrompost-nataldepressionafterbecominganewmother.Manymorenewmumsendurestressandanxiety.

When I was depressed, although I ran a successfulbusiness and enjoyedweb design and copywriting Istillfelttheremustbemoreinlife.Iwasusuallystressedoutandgenerallyunhappy.

Thekidspulledmeoneway,thebusinessanotherandhouseholddutiesruledmylife.Therewasnotimetonurturemy creative inner child andbeme. Itwasn’t

that I’d forgottenwho Iwas,more like Ineverspenttimeworkingitout.

Iwasalmost40whenIrealisedIneededtoprioritisemyself and my writing. I vowed to liberate myselffromdrudgery,puthousework,laundry,shoppingandcookingonthebackburnerandmaketimeforwritingbecauseIneededtonurturemysoul.Ineededtofeelfulfilled.

My awakening didn’t happen overnight. It took 40yearsandhelpfromTheArtist’sWaybyJuliaCameron,a book I recommend to anyone who needs helpdiscoveringorrecoveringtheircreativeself.

Personal Writing and Self-Discovery

Forbetterpersonalwritingithelpstoknow:

• Whoareyou?

• Whydoyouwrite?

• Whatdefinesyou?

• Whatdoyoustandfor?

Howcanyoureallytellyourstorytoyourreadersunlessyouknowexactlywhatyourstoryis?

Personal Writing Warning

Therearemanygreatreasonsforpersonalwriting:

• It’sfun.

• Itgivespeoplethefeelingofreallyknowingyou.

• Itmakesyouseemmorehumanandhelpspeoplerelatetoyou.

• Itletsyoutakeatripdownmemorylane.

• It captures people’s imagination and evokes theiremotions.

Personal Writing and Self-Discovery

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Butbeware.

Personalwritingisgreatunlessyougettoopersonal.Youdon’twanttoscareyourreadersandshouldneverusethemasadumpingpointforyourpain.Personalwriting isabout sharingyour story, it’snota therapysession.

Alotofthewritingyoudomaybesomethingyoucanneversharewithanyone.Thepointofthatwritingistohelpyoulearnaboutyourselfandgrowuntilyoucanwrite agoodpersonal story thatenlightens youandyourreaders.

Need more help finding out who you are?

ReadmypostsHowToWorkOutWhatYourDreamIsandWhattodoWithYourLifeifYouDon’tKnowWhattoDo.

CheckoutTheArtist’sWaybyJuliaCameron.

Otherwise remember to take time to do thesepersonal writing exercies and try to hang out withothermotivatedwriters.


I’ve suggested fun personal writing exercisesbeforehere,butI’vegotmorequickideasbelowforexploringwhoyouare.

Theywon’thelpyoufindoutwhoyouareifyou’rereally lost but if you’re on the right track you’llenjoydoingthemandgettoknowyourselfabitbetterthroughwritingthem.

Takeamomentforyourself,sitdownwithanicecupof teaandrelaxwithapenandpaperwhileyoudothem.Youdeserveit.

1. Choose 10 adjectives that describe you: 5Strengthsand5Weaknesses.

2.Chooseanexperiencethatshapedwhoyouaretodayandwhatitrevealedaboutyou.

3.Chooseonepersonwho’s influenced you andwhatthatrelationshiprevealedaboutyou.

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It’sthedetailsthatmakeastoryfeelrealsoifyoucan’trememberthemmakethemup.Exaggerationispartofthestorytelling,don’tunderplayyourstory.Feelfreetoembellishit.

“Fillyourpaperwiththebreathingsofyourheart.”

WilliamWordsworth

Asapersonalwriter,yourgoalistocreateasharedemotionalexperiencewithyouraudience.

Pathosdescribesyourabilitytoevokereaderemotionsbuttodothatyouneedtobeawareofthewiderangeofemotions,decidewhichemotionstoevoke,andpracticeevokingtheminyourreaders.

Startwithyouremotion.Whatmadeyousad,angry,embarrassed,cringe,laugh,scared,proud,happy,jealousorworried?

Nowchooseastorypeoplecanrelatetowithuniversalexperiencessuchaschildhoodpets,school,teachersoryourfirstkiss.

Forgoodstorytellingeverystorymusthaveabeginning,amiddleandanendwithastartingpoint,impactandendresult.

Nowthinkabouthowtoconveythattoyourreaderthroughthestorywithoutexplicitlytellingthemhowyoufelt.

7 Top Personal Writing Themes

Chooseoneofthesetogetyoustarted:

• aperfectplace;

• anembarrassingmoment;

• aproudmoment;

• exhilaration;

• funnytimes;

• someonewhoinfluencedyou;

• anobstacleovercome.

Whatmakesastoryfeelrealandbringsittolife?

7 Top Personal Writing Themes


I’mpublishingshortexamplesofmyownpersonalwritingonmyblogGetIntheHotSpot.Willyoujoinme?

Justchooseoneofthesethemesthenwriteyourstoryandpublishitonyourblog.Ifyou’dliketosharethelinktothisbooksoyourreaderscanjoinintoo.Pleasetweetmethelink(@getinthehotspotorshareitonFacebookathttp://www.facebook.com.getinthehotspot).ThatwayIcanreadyourstoryandpromoteit.

There’snoneedtowriteanythinglong,justhavefunwithyourpersonalwritingandseewhatyoucomeupwith.

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