How To Handle Writer's Block
Do you ever sit down to write and feel as if you're plodding
through mud to get even a few words down on paper? Do you wonder
if you'll ever come up with a useful idea again? You may be
suffering from writer's block. This topic is brought up often in
my teleclass on how to write marketing materials and it happens
to many of us including me.
One thing is sure: the more I stare hopefully at my computer
screen, the less it works and the more frustated I get. For me,
the first thing to do is to distract myself from the obsessive
focus on "I need to write but I can't."
I'd like to share some of my favorite tricks for getting
unstuck. I hope they'll give you some places to start thinking
about what could work for you.
1. Usually what works best for me is to do something physical to
shift the energy, like going for a walk. Not a grim "exercise at
all costs" type of walk. That's too tense and intense. I make it
a gentle, slow meandering walk around my neighborhood, stopping
to notice the surroundings, listen to the birds, and stroke the
local cats that cross my path.
2. Now and then I put on an exercise CD with really upbeat music
and dance around the room to get my energy circulating.
3. Often I stay at my desk, put the writing aside and switch to
some mundane, routine tasks for a while. Or I make some phone
calls: talking to other people always inspires me.
4. Sometimes I write before I write. I write what's going
through my head, uncensored and unadulterated. I write
impulsively. I write until I feel emptied. This clears out the
clutter and random thoughts from my mind, helps me break through
to what's underneath and lets creative ideas surface. After a
while, I'm back in the flow of the words and I can return to the
project I was stuck on.
5. Reading good copy from copywriters I admire opens my mind
again. It primes the pump and gets ideas percolating.
6. When all else fails, I give myself permission to write badly.
It takes away the pressure of having to produce the greatest
piece of sales persuasion first time around. (Yes, that happens
to me too!) Often it's much better than I thought and just needs
to be tweaked into shape.