Where do you find your inspiration to write? All the great writers got their inspiration from somewhere and had their own set of ideal conditions where they wrote the best. Ernest Hemingway wrote 500 words every day, almost always in the morning, while standing up. William Faulkner preferred a glass of whiskey in hand while he was writing. Although I don’t consider myself to be among the greats, I prefer a glass of wine and pretzels the night before a big deadline.
Today’s internet marketing tip is all about finding your inspiration.
All writers need to be inspired somehow. When I need an inspirational pick-me-up, I turn to words. I love quotes and I love gaining wisdom and insight from them. Last year, this one hit me hard:
“Know who you are, know who you’re not, and be okay with it.” ~Terry Walling, Leader Breakthru
Wow. That just resonates with me because we so often try to be someone we’re not because we don’t even know ourselves. I have a perfect internet marketing example. For as long as I can remember I’ve loved to write and I’ve been good at it. Where some people are good at math and numbers, writing and letters has always been my thing. Never in a million years did I think I would be blogging though! I thought I would be an English teacher and write novels on the side. Turns out I became a Journalism major and now find myself blogging in the world of internet marketing. I now understand I’m good at blogging and would be terrible at writing novels for a number of reasons, the bottom line being I just don’t have the patience for 1,000 pages. But 1,000 words I can do! And I’m okay with that.
Here are some quotes about writing in general that I find inspiring and you might too:
Ernest Hemingway said:
“When I am working on a book or a story I write every morning as soon after first light as possible. There is no one to disturb you and it is cool or cold and you come to your work and warm as you write. You read what you have written and, as you always stop when you know what is going to happen next, you go on from there. You write until you come to a place where you still have your juice and know what will happen next and you stop and try to live through until the next day when you hit it again. You have started at six in the morning, say, and may go on until noon or be through before that. When you stop you are as empty, and at the same time never empty but filling, as when you have made love to someone you love. Nothing can hurt you, nothing can happen, nothing means anything until the next day when you do it again. It is the wait until the next day that is hard to get through.”
John Steinbeck said:
“If there is a magic in story writing, and I am convinced there is, no one has ever been able to reduce it to a recipe that can be passed from one person to another. The formula seems to lie solely in the aching urge of the writer to convey something he feels important to the reader. If the writer has that urge, he may sometimes, but by no means always, find the way to do it. You must perceive the excellence that makes a good story good or the errors that makes a bad story. For a bad story is only an ineffective story.”
Benjamin Franklin said:
“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing about.”
Here are some other words of wisdom to help inspire your internet marketing:
“Remarkable social media content and great sales copy are pretty much the same – plain spoken words designed to focus on the needs of the reader, listener, or viewer.”
~Brain Clark
Founder, Copyblogger
“Your culture is your brand.”
~Tony Hsieh
CEO, Zappos.com
“Don’t be afraid to get creative and experiment with your marketing.”
~Mike Volpe
Chief Marketing Officer, Hubspot
“There are no magic wands, no hidden tricks, and no secret handshakes that can bring you immediate success, but with time, energy, and determination you can get there.”
~Darren Rowse
Founder, Problogger
“In a way, the Web is like your Hollywood agent: It speaks for you whenever you’re not around to comment.”
~Chris Brogan & Julien Smith
Authors of Trust Agents
You can read more quotes about internet marketing here.
For even more inspiration, watch Steve Job's 2005 Stanford Commencement Address:
I think E.B. White says it best: “A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.”
Or in our case, a word on the web! I think Mr. White is onto something here. If you’re always waiting for tomorrow, then tomorrow will never come. Today is the tomorrow you’ve been waiting for. So take some time to get inspired and then just start writing. Your internet marketing strategy will thank you for it!
Where do you find your inspiration?
