Writer's Block...

[Shui Tora]

My Sensei has asked me to write an article for a local newspaper... I have called it; " The First Mudansha View " as my Sensei mainly writes, and I'm not a black belt yet, so hence the title...

Thing is though; I don't know what to write about!

I know that there are to be about three topics per paragraph...

Paragraph one: Intro / Past history of MA

Paragraph two: What Karate Means to me (see extract below)

Paragraph three: ?

With the last paragraph, should I talk about Master G. Funakoshi saying that; " when you begin Karate, you are stepping through the gates of learning? " And what I aim to do in the future? As well as cross-training and meeting others in different styles of Karate?

Then how should I round it all up?

Here is the second paragraph...

Karate-do means a lot to me. In one way it is something that I enjoy, a sport; yet in another, something that will (and has) helped me out in difficult situations. Karate is one of those “hobbies” that if you are willing to put time and effort into learning something completely new; then you’ll gain something out of it. It isn’t a style that you can just turn up every so often and still expect to increase in rank. People think that Karate is all about striking and trying to knock out the opponent, in a way; yes but that isn’t always right. There is a lot more to learn about Karate, I have only scratched the surface, and I aim to continue to look deeper into what karate-do is really about, and what it is to be a real Karate-ka. Attitude helps, and so does discipline. Bowing after a Kumite match to your opponent shows discipline, and etiquette. Bowing when you come into the Dojo shows respect to your Sensei: and your discipline to not using techniques for other than self-defence. If your heart is not in it, then why continue on?

As you can see; there is still some more to add in... But that is the basics...

Any thoughts / suggestions are welcomed! And I'll post the final article up when it is finished!

Cheers!

[Killer Miller]

Tips on writing articles - and I've done a lot of writing in my day:

1. Quiet

2. JUST TYPE...! What ever comes to mind, just put it down.

3. Re-Read it and see if it makes sense, add what you forgot to add, etc.

4. Condense the article down into readable bites - insert paragraph breakes, add pagargraph titles if necessary. Get rid of uneccessary adjatives and what nots...

5. Spell check.

6. Have someone else read it for content.

7. Make corrections.

8. Publish the article.

This formula will never fail you. If you worry too much about what you are going to write, you will NEVER write it. Writing is kind of like the zen mind dumping concept. Just type and let your thoughts flow... You can fix everything else later on.

- Killer -

[cathal]

Your second paragraph covers a great deal of ground. You may want to separate it into at least three smaller paragraphs. Flesh out your ideas that you're estblishing in those statements, as this will provide a more coherent essay.

I suggest first paragraph just introduce the main topics. The middle topics explain what you're talking about, and the last pargraph just summrize your main point(s).

The middle pargraphs are the meat of the essay, have one topic sentence per paragraph and then flesh it out, support it with your own knowledge. Try to avoid making additional statements about other topics, unless your using it to seque into the next paragraph.

[MisterRadley]

Ah, the dreaded writer's block. I've found that a good cure is to read various articles on the subject until you have inspiration.

Killer Miller presented some good points. They can be quite helpful while writing. Your article looks good so far, and I'd like to see it once it's completed.

Good luck!

[atalaya]

yes! i love the suggestion to read!

also, remember the points that inspire you the most about your subject and try to outline them clearly. then re-write and flesh those topics out. find a writer who you admire and read everything you can that they have written. never copy (copying is something a machine does) but instead, try to catch a sense of their clarity in your writing.

you are writing, so keep in mind the audience. if you lose your audience, you have only succeeded in filling up space.

speaking of the martial arts as a topic, i wrote something along those lines that you might want to take a look at. it was for an english class, it's on the karateranch.com website.

[bushido_man96]

The block will pass with time. I would get so frustrated with writers block, but after the frustration, I would write for hours on end. It would just flow.

I like Killer Miller's suggestions. One I would add is to have someone that doesn't know much about martial arts read it. That way, you don't assume that your audience knows what you are talking about. (This is based on the assumption that you are writing to the general public.)

As far as your last paragraph goes, maybe talk about what you want for your future in the martial arts, and what progress could possibly be made. Also, don't forget to wrap up with a good conclusion.

[parkerlineage]

I'd like to emphasize Killer Miller's second point:

You've got an outline(ish), now go to it, and just beat your way through. Then, go back and redo it. It's how I wrote my novels.

[bushido_man96]

I'd like to emphasize Killer Miller's second point:

You've got an outline(ish), now go to it, and just beat your way through. Then, go back and redo it. It's how I wrote my novels.

You have written novels? Can I find them somewhere? I'd love to read them.

[Zorbasan]

best thing to do when you get in to this situation is to go do something else.

the more you think about what your are trying to write, the less you will be able to write.

if you go watch tv or something, you will have a brain wave.

[lordtariel]

You may want to consider as your third paragraph where you think martial arts are heading in the future. Other people's advice is quite pertinant. Just get up and do something different for a while.