This is a guest post by Adrian from http://adrianwhittle.com
If you have any aspirations to make money online or start a successful career as an internet marketer, there is one skill that is a must have. You must be able to write.
Writing will probably play some part in everything you do from writing advertising copy, sales copy, promotional articles, email auto-responder series through to communicating with outsource workers or potential joint venture partners.
So what happens when you can’t seem to string more than two sentences or you have the dreaded writers block.
Here are 8 tips that may help you start writing or keep writing if you struggle to finish.
Don’t Let Your Writing Skills Gather Dust!
Since you have probably already wasted time staring blankly at your screen before looking for a solution, why waste even more? So let’s go ahead and dive right in.
1. Setting
Setting is actually very important. Believe it or not, where you write can actually determine what you write and if you even write at all.
So first up, you want to make sure that your writing spot is free from distractions. So you want the TV and the radio off and let your phone go to voice mail.
If you are living or working with someone, as much as possible, you want to write in a separate room. So get your cup of joe ready and shut the door. Aside from that, you want to make sure that your work space is also clutter free. You will actually be amazed at the difference this makes.
2. Stick To A Schedule
Keeping a writing schedule is actually a big help. Since most people tend to multi-task, having a specific time for writing that is ONLY for writing will actually help you to focus on what has to be done.
Working at night is actually ideal since there is generally less to do than there is during the regular waking hours. But if you aren’t used to staying up all night, then writing in the early morning is a great alternative. As long as you are not groggy, your energy will be fresh and you mind will be free of other short-term memories of other tasks.
3. Take A Break
Another reason people experience writer’s block is that they are just simply burned out. So if you have been writing for hours, it is actually a good idea to take a short break – but not too long to the point that you are actually procrastinating.
A 15 minute breather should be just right. You do not even have to leave the room. You can just lean back, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. You can even stretch your arms and your legs a bit to feel refreshed. Chanting and meditating are not the only ways to clear your mind after all. So there really is no need to sit cross-legged and go “ohmmmm…”.
4. Work Indirectly
If you have stared blankly at your screen and just can’t get around to writing, you can actually work on your project indirectly.
When you have no idea on what to write and where to begin, you can always try some other exercises that will lead you to writing your content. You can try mind mapping, word association, and outlining.
Even just doodling on a pad for a while is supposed to help the creative juices flow and lead to some productive brain storming.
5. Draft Quickly, Revise Slowly
When you are having trouble starting to compose, you can always follow this golden rule of sorts – Draft quickly, revise slowly.
Studies have shown that writer’s block can actually take place when you begin to evaluate and go over every word that you put down.
So, to keep this from happening, you should keep your writing and your editing separate. So once you have your draft, as much as possible, stick to it while writing. You can always go over everything when done.
6. Turning To The Net
Another way around writer’s block is to actually turn to the world-wide web for some inspiration. There are tons of article hubs that can help you out. EzineArticles is one of the biggest. You will find information on just about any and every topic.
So if you need a little help, you can always just type in the keyword and an entire list of articles will be yours to look through. Remember though that this is just supposed to give you an idea of what you should write. Do not, by any means, just copy and rehash what someone else has written. You want your work to be YOURS after all, right?
7. Motivation
One thing that you can do to get yourself to write is to get yourself in the mood to write. You need motivation. What better way to bring that about than to remind yourself of your goals. Whether you are writing for school, for your personal blog, or if it is for work, just keep in mind why you are doing this and what you will get when you are done with it.
8. Just Write
But even with all of these tips and tricks, the bottom line is that all you can really do is to just sit down and force yourself to write. Do not leave until you have done some writing. Writing is like anything that you do, the more you do it the easier it will get.
Many people complain of writers block but the real issue is that they write too infrequently. Even a few sentences each day can keep you in the writing groove. Write often for a month or so and you’ll find it easy to write and writers block is less likely to strike.
Great post Adrian! apart from these, I do one more thing. I set a target/milestone and a reward for myself. For example, “I will hang out on social media for 1 hour once I finish this article”. that works as a motivation for me!
Hi Shimla, that’s a good tip on motivation. Treating ourselves when we achieve certain targets can make all the difference. This is true of small, seemingly minor tasks that are essential to reaching your overall goal but have no direct result themselves. They can become a drag to do so a little incentive can really help to get them done.
Motivation is the foremost key to write anonymously.One has to make sure that nothing will distract him while writing.And for that having a schedule which he has to follow anyhow is must.
Great tips ……..
Hi Ade, nice to meet you. These tips are useful and let me use them daily. For myself writing a article sometime can be a good challenge but in another time it can also be so boring and boring. So I was looking for some tips to solve my problems, but I just got them. thanks
Yes Erwin, it can be a drag at times, especially if you are writing about things that you have no interest in. If you are a freelance writer you don’t have much control over that unless you are picky about the jobs you take.
You’ve put forward some great tips, especially about taking an occasional break whilst writing (I personally use the ‘pomodoro technique’ for anything that requires extended periods of work). The clutter-free work space is a good point that I think a lot of people overlook when they’re trying to write, if you’ve even slightly OCD about that sort of thing then it will bug the hell out of you until you lose all motivation to write.
Great post!
Hi Mili, the clutter on my desk tends to build up. One week it looks okay and then all of a sudden it seems like there’s junk all over the place…well that’s how it seems to me anyhow. I know it’s time for a clean up. I try to get everything ship shape for the start of the week along with my things to do lists.
Nice article, writing about various topic comes when you get lot of time to think about topics. Also reading others blogs inspire me get more topics to write.
Writing is refined thinking as Stephen King put’s it…..you have to organize your thoughts to some extent before you start writing.
Dear Adrian, My motivation muscle almost never been properly built, sometimes the hard time always come from my complicated thought about the thing i want to write, but then you right, just write and nothin else matters. One thing I can add up to this tips if you don’t mind, put coffee beside you a long the way, latte or even dark coffee (cheers). Thanks for sharing. Regards
Some people swear by these sorts of “stimulants” but I have also heard that people that are sufficiently hydrated by drinking plenty of water are far more productive (I think this advice comes from Rich Schefren amongst other people). I guess whatever works for you in the end is the best way.
I have personally found that taking some time off your busy writing schedule gives you more energy to continue. I used to have severe headaches as well before I decided to be taking compulsory breaks every couple hours or so. Turning on to the internet also gives you great inspiration on what to write about, just like say, “Great writers are avid readers”
Thanks
Kevin
Hi Kevin, yes I try to read as much as I can…you hear about people that read 3 or 4 books a week…the latest to make this claim was Derek Halpern from the social triggers fame. I wish I could read that many books a week…personally I don’t have the time quite literally and I also need time to let the information sink into my head. speed reading doesn’t work for me either.
Having a schedule is so important, most people think a schedule is demotivating, but try never having one.. that can sometimes be even more demotivating.
Having no direction or plan is a very frustrating experience…fail to plan, plan to fail as the adage goes. Although coming up with titles weeks in advance can be tough.
Thanks for the comment Aditya, I am reading Stephen King’s About Writing book at the moment and he says the same thing. You have to get into a routine, you have to close the rest of the world off when you are writing and you have to set a regular word count per day for yourself. Although he doesn’t write anonymously ! Like I say, you can liken writing to a muscle that needs to be exercised. The more you exercise the greater your capacity becomes….
Yes you are right Ade,but hope people will like those muscles instead they had a scary feeling when looking to the muscles….hahaha 🙂 (just joking).
This post is very realistic. I even admit that I do have the hard time in composing articles especially for the topics that I don’t feel comfortable working on. I believe in the “One thing that you can do to get yourself to write is to get yourself in the mood to write. You need motivation.” Why? Because often people are initiated by their fears and doubts especially those that are beginners or most likely don’t have that much experience in writing. Great post! I can really relate and this kind of topic is a must-read for me.