Warm Wishes From All Of Us At Writum

Writer’s block?

By Rohitha Perera

Have a break. Have a Kit Kat.

There you are, poised with your fingers in midair about to let loose a stream of wordy brilliance onto that A4 sheet of paper when all you can manage is a whimper of disbelief – you have lost the ability to write (shock, gasp)! No Oscar Wilde brilliance, no Pulitzer-standard words of wisdom, only just a quivering pen. Your brain has hit a veritable cul-de-sac. No more ideas, no more thoughts, no words, nothing. But regard this impotent period as just a bad day at the office. Striking fear into the hearts of writers everywhere is that specter known as – writer’s block. This is known as the inability to produce new work and it is a condition that varies in intensity. You, like all other writers, would have suffered or will suffer from this condition. Like hunger, it is inevitable.

You see, writer’s block may affect you for a plethora of reasons. Firstly, you may have run out of inspiration. This is something that is universal and the best way you can address this is to chill. Go for a jog, listen to some music, run off to your favorite restaurant (this is what I do), watch a movie or just take a nap. Do what works for you. This “time out” will get your brain to relax and will revitalize it later on for some real    
                                                                            out-of-the-box thinking.


Secondly, one of the most common reasons why you may suffer from writer’s block is due to personal circumstances. You may be having issues with your career, personal life or your health. Whichever way you look at it we all got problems and we will continue to do so until hearts stop beating. The only way to get around this is to block problems out and find a space where you can work in peace. If home is not a conducive place for work, then arm yourself with your laptop and dongle and head on down to the nearest Coffee Bean or Barista. (Personally, I prefer the M. D. Gunasena down Vajira Road. Not only is it peaceful and quiet, you can indulge in coffee and donuts whenever you need that caffeine-sugar high. But this is my space, so I better not see you there. :) 


Thirdly, you think your work is crap. Yet this may not be the actual case. When working on a project, you will realize that as long as you adhere to all the requirements set out, everything will fall into place. Don’t get too emotionally attached to your art form, just see it for what it is, which is just quality work. Stephen King, one of the most prolific writers of the modern era, compares writing to physical work. Once you strip away all the emotional complications that are attached to writing, you will find that it is an easy and enjoyable endeavor. 

Last but not least, maybe it is your work space that is the issue. They do say that having a clear desk will help you have a clear mind. Indubitably, this would help you set things in order, and ideate and write more easily. Consider a few other writer-friendly tips as well. Ensure that you have good lighting and that your seat is comfortably placed so that you are not perched at an odd angle. Make sure that you computer screen is at eye level and that you do not have to strain your eyes up or down in order to see the screen.  


Remember, if you do find yourself in a rut, you are not the only one. So before, you do drag out that cricket bat and start hammering your head silly, make sure you first consider all those tips expressed earlier
on. In most cases, writer’s block is a temporary condition and can be solved within a few hours. It is all part and parcel of being a writer, embrace it and go through the motions of getting over it.
  
If you are still feeling down, remember this – you are in hallowed company. Authors such as Leo Tolstoy, Virginia Woolf, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway and a host of others have met face to face with writer’s block and given it a smarting slap.  
  
I suggest that you do the same. 

What's the BIG deal with Plagiarism?

By Dinesh Perera

Just type the word ‘Plagiarism’ on a Microsoft word document and ‘look up’ the definition. Apparently it means ‘the process of copying another person’s idea or written work and claiming it as original’. Now wait a minute. Does copying that definition straight off ‘Word’ constitute plagiarism? Goodness! Did I just plagiarise an article on plagiarism? Hope not, but maybe you are unsure yourself as to what is right, what is wrong and how to construct an article while researching on the internet. So let’s take some time out and figure out what this really means. And also look at how it applies to you and I, working on content matter for the Internet.

The first step here is to perhaps understand why this is wrong. Imagine yourself, crafting an article from scratch. Think of the hours of research that goes into it and putting an article together. You of all people know that writing an article from scratch is not as easy as it sounds. Now think of countless other people out there ripping off parts of your original creation. Nicking a line from here and copying a phrase from there and putting together an article that is not perfect but definitely good enough. Now consider the fact that, they are posing off as original authors of the said articles and making money off your hard work, time and skills. Preposterous eh? Well if that’s what you feel then you certainly wouldn’t do something like that now would you? Would you?

Well you would. The internet is not for saints and wholesale nicking of content was not deemed a sin when Moses put that “big list of don’ts” together. While plagiarism is not felt as a sin and definitely not looked upon as a crime in Sri Lanka, (although according to the U.S. Customer Seller Agreement Law [upon which Writum is legally bound] plagiarism, is in fact, considered as copyright infringement and therefore, a CRIME! - one that can get you fired, without room for a second chance), you may feel that there is no immediate threat of standing in front of hell’s gate for unauthorised copying from an article crafted by a hardworking and honest content writer. However, the downside is the humiliation that arises when you have been sussed out. Humiliation is always worse than guilt, especially if you call yourself a writer and step out into society claiming to be one of the learned, literary types. Imagine the shame when they figure out that you are a learned and literary cheat!

Okay, so content writing is nowhere near as prestigious as writing a novel or book like the funny ‘Jam Fruit Tree’ or the gorgeous ‘God of Small Things’ but it is still deemed to be original. And not everyone out there can sit at a computer console, do research and craft original articles that are actually intelligent and interesting. That takes talent and skills too. So if you are a content writer, you need to be proud of it and be sincerely proud of the work you do and you need to do it ethically and correctly. That unfortunately has no space for the word ‘Plagiarism’.

Now the old school content writers are bound by old school traditions. Yes in the internet age where content writing has a long and illustrious history of not more than 1o years give or take a few, we already have a code of conduct and plagiarism is the worst thing you could do. But these new types think that they can get away with it. How very untrue!

Just do a ‘Google Search’ on ‘plagiarism checker’ or ‘plagiarism tracker’ and look at the number of options available for content management companies to track who amongst their contributors are getting nasty with their work. And most of these solutions are available for free! So if you don’t give a damn about ethics and guilt and think it’s not too bad a sin to plagiarise then the very Internet you plagiarise offers the very tools to keep you in check or kick you out. And further, content management companies rely on original articles to keep their businesses going; the very material that keeps hundreds and thousands of content writers making an honest living in this day and age. If your laziness and lack of respect for what you do finds its way to the internet it could jeopardise the functioning of the content managing company you are attached to and the hundreds of people relying on that company’s existence. So you seriously do need to be careful and concerned and give originality your best shot.

So you ask what options are there to write an article without cheating? Well the answer is very simple: GRASP IT – WRITE IT.

• Most content writing restricts you to 400 or 600 words per article.
• Read a few related articles on the internet.
• Then think of a suitable introduction you can spin for at least one third of the article.
• Then look at fleshing out the body copy with interesting facts, figures, ideas, opinions and quotations.
• Finally end it all up with a hard hitting finish.

To do this you need to understand each article on its’ own. Once you have been through a few related articles you will know what you should be writing about and for a good content writer, the article structuring plan will be very clear and the words will just keep flowing.

And here is a valuable tip, talk to the content management company you work for and tell them what areas you are most interested in. For example if it’s electronics then they will be in a better position to set aside more relevant articles for you to work on. The fact that these subjects are of interest to you will result interesting and genuine articles. This is far better than getting a content writer who is a charming young lady, devoted to her pets with no clue on how electronic items work to do an article on electronics when you could easily construct a 1000 word article on most electronics based topics with little or no research.

And as a final solution, for those times you are really stuck, consider ‘paraphrasing’. By this we mean look at how a certain author has expressed facts and opinions in his or her article piece. Get the gist of it and put your own spin on it. This is perfectly allowed and it is a solution even the best old school content writers use without the slightest feel of guilt or trepidation. 

Happy writing everyone!

Yes! we are looking for more talented writers to join our growing family

If you ask around how Writum operates, you may be surprised at the answers you get.

Yes! we practice open culture in here with precedence to freewill :)

That simply means, our writers can choose when to write and on what projects - no strings attached and absolutely no pressure (apart from the deadlines of course!)

We have many people walking in and out of Writum for various reasons - but we are the least possessive type when it comes to our employees.

So whether you are looking for a short term engagement or a long term career, we are here to assist you the best way we can.

I suppose this is also a good time to say 'Good bye' & 'Good Luck' to a few of our lovely people:

Nipuna Weeratunga (Aka Neo) and Shevon Vannitamby who have left to the US to pursue their higher studies... Good luck guys!

Nabila Sameer who's migrated to Aussie and is still settling down in there - Good luck in everything you do - we will miss you!

Dinush Pahathkumbure who's resigned in search of better prospects :) - Good luck to you too D!

And a Final Good bye and Good luck to our very own Divs - who's no longer with Writum - Good luck in everything you do!

Did anyone receive a treat from Shalomi Weerawardena before she left to India for higher studies...? I know I didn't! :P But we are happy that she will continue to be a part of our team :) Good Luck to you girl...

I feel it is also the time to welcome a few lovely people... so that our hi's and bye's strike balance

So this Warm Welcome is out to

Rohitha Perera (oh! we know you've been here for almost forever - sorry about the wishes coming in through snail mail)

Lasantha David,

Tharaka Peiris (soon to part with us in pursuit of higher education in the US),

Dinesh Perera,

Layanthi Tennekoon,

Theruni Perera,

Dilina Pathirage,

Fahad A.C.

Pavithri Attanayake and

Yusra Farzan

(To do justice to their names - we shall post a little profile for each person in due course)

Phew! that's quite a list and yes! we are looking to build it up in length.... so if you fancy joining Writum as a freelance writer - our doors are open for you! (oh should I say our 'air' space? virtual office?)

Want to know more? Read our blog at www.writum.com or simply write to us at info@writum.com

 

Happy Belated Birthday Dinasha & Hansini!

Happy Birthday Haseena