Newsflash: Writers Write! Do You?

Guest post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess

When I was teaching writing classes the first question I asked the students was, "When is the last time you wrote something?" "What was it?" When no one would look me in the eye and very few people actually wrote anything down I asked, "What's the last thing you read?" It was usually rather eye opening that people in a writing class were not writing nor were they reading?! I mean, was I the only one in the room who did? 

Okay so now I'll ask you, fellow pet bloggers, "When is the last time you wrote (grocery lists don't count) and when is the last time you read?" Please say… "yesterday and yesterday… or today and today." Anyway, to be a writer, you simply must write. Whew. There I've spilled the beans and opened all the doors to my secrets of being a pet writer! 

Believe me, I know it's not always easy to write. You may not have time or don't know what to write about, or any other number of reasons why it just isn't getting done. I was recently re-reading the book, "If You Want To Write" by Brenda Ueland and it made me remember the simple art of keeping a diary. 

Here are some reasons that keeping a diary/journal/idea notebook will help spur your pet blogging imagination: 

• A journal is an always available source for ideas. Overhear a snippet of conversation someone was having with training her dog? Jot it down as a possible blog idea. (believe me you won't remember it when you get home) 
• Did your puppy or kitten do something absolutely adorable that you just want to write about and that you have photos to illustrate? Jot down your thoughts at the exact moment it happened — your spur of the moment ponderings will be the best for blogging about. 
• Were you in the pet food store and wonder whether chicken or beef or lamb or buffalo is best to feed your particular breed of dog? Ask a vet! Viola, another blog idea. 
• Thinking of giving into your children's begging for another kitten? Wonder what it will be like to introduce the kitten to your full grown cat? Blog about it. Blog during the introduction phase and keep up a running blog about how the relationship is growing. Jot ideas into your notebook so you don't forget once you get to the computer. 
• Writing ideas in a journal will help you sharpen your imagination, make you be more aware of what's around you and is a perfect receptacle for all of those ideas that you jotted down but though were rather stinky in hindsight… in the future those stinky ideas could bloom into beautiful blog posts. 

Where do you jot your ideas when they come to you? Paper and pen or in a memo to yourself in your smart phone?