If you have not read it yet, you can find here Part One of  “As a Writer, How to be Prolific”.

(4) Free associate. This can be important both in non-fiction and freer-content writing. Looking back, I realize I have been lucky to be an economist. To fulfill my function properly, I have been forced – although it’s been more self-imposed rather than dictated by my bosses – to compose an article on one aspect of the economy or another every day for years. That alone has helped me focus.

But there is another side-benefit to being an economist. My profession understands there are interconnections between everything, no matter how unlikely they may seem. Weather patterns in far off places cause certain commodity prices to move up or down. A shift in interest rates in Japan might send the greenback on a shuddering roller-coaster ride.

In my non-fiction writing, I employ free association all the time. It adds color and depth to my articles. For example, if I am writing a story about the latest retail trade numbers issued by the Census Bureau, I will often also mention what’s happening on the inflation front. If imported clothing prices are dropping, that might well influence buying patterns. Or if the price of gasoline is skyrocketing, there will be less money available to spend in other areas, such as on entertainment and meals out.

Or to make the article resonate on a more personal level, perhaps there should be a sidebar about my latest trip to the drug store during which I discovered, to my great chagrin and disappointment, the price of adult diapers had doubled. Yes, I’m just kidding, for now at least.

Blogging has changed non-fiction writing. There’s less emphasis on dry facts everywhere in the media. The shift has been towards expressing an opinion. Don’t be hesitant about speaking out.

(5) What may not be as obvious is the degree to which professional writers free associate in their fictional works as well. This leads to my next point: rely on your memory. Say you have a character in your story and you are having trouble bringing him or her to life. Let your mind roam. Think of an interesting anecdote that is revealing about your own personality or someone you know. You may want to change the names and alter the circumstances – after all, who wants to be sued? Then eagerly assign the incident to your “fictitious” players. It will humanize them and make them more believable.

A good imagination is a great quality to have as a writer. Where does it come from? How can it be strengthened? Nothing adds originality to your material like free associating. You are the only one with “your” thoughts in “your” head. If you can harness them and externalize them properly, then you’ll automatically come up with something fresh to say. Did you like my Pet Sematary reference in point (1)? If so, I have proved my point.

(6) Do your homework before you start writing. Have the research already under your belt. That way you will not be stopped in your tracks every time you want to add an embellishment. A corollary is to know your subject. It’ll provide you with confidence.

That is it for now. I am not going to agonize over additional points or force you to labor through more of my arguments. Let’s let this piece fly and see if she takes wings.

Perhaps you are still in doubt about whether or not being prolific is even a desirable goal. Consider this.

There’s an old saying that captures a basic truth – if you want something done quickly and right, ask a busy person to do it.

The title of this article, “As a Writer, How to be Prolific”, is presumptuous in several ways.

First, it assumes being prolific is something you, the reader who’s also a writer, might want to become. Maybe you’d rather doddle over your manuscript and revise, revise and revise again until it has reached “perfection”.

On many occasions, however, that’s not really the desirable approach. Especially if you are being paid for your material and a deadline is looming. Or perhaps you are doing something for a friend or colleague and feel a sense of responsibility to provide the final copy in a timely fashion. Or better yet, you simply want to get your words out into the public sphere as often as possible.

Second, I set a personal goal to produce this article rather quickly. If I am not able to pull it off, then I will be faced with an awkward question, “Do I know what I’m talking about?” So here goes. Let’s assume you do want to acquire a reputation for producing quality material in abundance.

The following are my suggestions on how to achieve your goal.

(1) Learn how to touch type. This may seem rinky-dink, but believe me, it’s not! To my mind this is absolutely crucial. It has been critically important in my own working life as a professional economist. It is (almost) never too late to learn. When I was in my early 40′s, I switched employers. I was moving to a new job where I would be doing a lot more writing. There was only one way I’d be able to keep up with the work load and that would be to transcribe my thoughts directly from my mind to a computer screen.

Consequently, I enrolled in a Saturday morning business class on keyboarding. After the three hour session, I’d go home and spend another hour practicing. I followed a daily routine during the work week of clicking away whenever I could at lunch time or after dinner. I started typing my way through Stephen King’s novel, Pet Sematary. By the time I was on page 100, the muscle memory in my dancing fingers was firmly embedded.

(2) Do not prevaricate. Take action. Sit down and watch your words appear on the screen. In the old days, such an affirmative step was known as putting something on paper. You have to begin somewhere. Leap in. Revise and polish later. Do this often enough, and you will discover your first drafts begin to take shape better than you ever thought possible.

There is always the option to revise. But I’d be cautious about being a fanatic about it. Make sure the flow is good and the grammar correct; that your arguments follow logically; and there are reasons for the reader to move from one paragraph to the next. But also keep in mind you’re not really likely to become the next James Joyce. Please, no hisses or boos here. I am only sharing a conversation I have with myself quite frequently.

(3) During your free time, read like a banshee. I am assuming, perhaps erroneously, that banshees are bookworms. I’m sure you get my drift in any event. Keep up with the news. The very good reason for this – beyond enjoyment and staying current – is my next point.

Stay tuned for Part Two, next Thursday.

Are you wondering what separates an amateur writer from a professional?

In fiction, either long-story format or shorter works, there are many answers:

• Research into the setting and background is certainly a key element.
• The use of language is another.
• Engaging characters that the reader becomes emotionally attached to is a third.
• Also add to the list the ability to write realistic dialogue.

From a purely technical standpoint, a key ingredient shows up in the flow:

• The way the words chug along. The inevitable manner in which each set of phrases, sentences and paragraphs follow one another.
• It’s also the surprises one encounters along the way.

So that is what I’m going to explore today, the latter two points, and how to make sure your writing has a professional gloss. And it is not about using big words or sounding smart. In fact, the very best writing comes across as so “whole”, it seems it must have been easy to write. One might even say there can be an innocence about it.

It’s similar to the best acting. Flawless. Perhaps the effect is better expressed as being natural. One does not see the artifice behind it. You forget the real-life actor and only pay attention to the character he or she is portraying. That is what you as an author want to achieve – a smoothness that’s deceptive. You want to trick the reader into not being aware of the effort behind the work.

The best writers will tell you they revise and revise and then revise again. They keep reading what they have written to make sure it sounds good in their own heads. Then they read it out loud, preferably to an audience. That’s when difficult or questionable phrasing becomes most apparent. If you stumble over a passage when speaking the words, it undoubtedly needs fixing.

It is also a good idea to have someone – who’s opinion you respect – go over the nearly final draft as well. They may spot something you have overlooked. I’ll certainly have my wife Donna read this article. She will offer suggestions and we won’t speak for a few days, but it will be worth it. Right honey? Sweetheart, where are you? Did she just leave the house and slam the door?

Often a word will have more than one meaning. You, the author, have used it in a certain context, knowing exactly what you mean. Someone else, who does not share your mind, may think of another usage and be baffled. Action passages are particularly open to misinterpretation. It is hard to compress a great deal of activity into a few sentences and confusion can be the result. If you feel you may have fallen into this trap, simplify and strive for clarity.

Now I come to a particular beef of mine. There is at least one sure give-away that a budding author is inexperienced. The old saying is true: everyone does have a story to tell. But please don’t do it with sentences that are simply a string of clichés.

When a tale unfolds through the use of every hoary old phrase imaginable, I quickly become bored. It’s hard not to fall into this trap. We use phrases in the vernacular to such a degree they spill out onto the page.

• “The sun appeared like a red rubber ball on the day Jesse hot-wired the Chevy.”
• “The squat pawnbroker was round as a beach ball with a bald pate that shone like a golf ball.”

Excessive appearances of the words “like” and “as” are sure signs you may be straying into banal territory. Try to catch yourself and offer the reader something new. For example,

• “The quarter-moon hung like an albino banana against a black-velvet background on the night Big Bertha met her myopic maker.”

Watch for the same word repeated over and over, maybe even within a single sentence. The beauty of the English language is that there are many alternative ways of saying the same thing. Words that are a little out of the ordinary, if repeated often enough, will reduce a reader to giggles each time they’re spotted. Nobody should “grimace” more than once in a novel or short story or undertake something – indeed, anything – with “concomitant” effects.

Now that I have exorcised those bees from my bonnet – whoops! – I mean hornets from my hairpiece, I would like to mention another of my pet peeves, plot lines which mimic other more successful stories.

I don’t want to read a story that simply tweaks the “Twilight” saga. Or plays a riff on the Hunger Games. Or turns a Shade of Gray into varying degrees of off-chartreuse or a deeper maroon. Those books have had their successful runs. Yes, their story arcs employ traditional themes, but they are combined in unique modern ways.

Do not give a vampire an extra fang and expect everyone to lap it up. Sorry again. “Suck it back with a right incisor.”

It is time to wrap up my rant with a quick summary: Simplify, strive for a smooth flow, avoid cliché phrasing and squeeze your brain hard until it spits out something original.

What right do I have to offer such advice? When I posed that question to myself, I was at first stumped. Then it came to me. If I had to choose an alternative profession I’d like to pursue, as opposed to being an economist, the answer is easy.

I think I’m ideally suited to be an “Editor of Unawkwardifying”.

*image via Google Images, found here, no known copyright.