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.
Hi Adrian,
Great tips – I do agree and use a lot of them when it comes to writing content. Especially the writing ahead of schedule – this has helped to increase the quality of the content due to enough time to think and revise the content before posting
Ah, writers block! We have all had it. Seems to me, I am able to write when I have no deadlines… Problem with that is.. I always have deadlines.
Thanks for the tips
Hi Ade,
I have also found sticking to a schedule to be a very useful strategy to beat what we have comfortably come to call ‘writer’s block’. Writing is as much a profession as Carpentry or Nursing.
Do carpenters have ‘carpenters block’? No.
Do nurses have ‘nursing block’? No.
Why then should writers call their mental laziness ‘writer’s block’?
Being productive means knowing what you do and demanding of yourself the presence of mind and dedication to persist in doing it.
“I am a writer. That’s what I am!”
Initially when i started blogging about a year ago, i got stuck so many times and wasting time on thinking about topics to write on. Instead of writing i used to just keep visiting my blog and looking at the stats. But than i realized that i need to have a pattern, a schedule which will help me get the best outta me and my blog. The tips you provided above are so much useful for newbie bloggers who are just started or got their first block! Keep up the good work. Blogging is all about sharing 🙂
Like anything else, blogging should become a habit.
Getting the setting correct is key. When the mind sits down and thinks, “its time to create the next blog post, you are on your way!
Once you have the habit, motivation almost becomes secondary. Motivation is necessary to make going to work a habit, however! Just do it! Do people need special motivation to go to their jobs? The fact is, I expect to be seated at my computer, pounding out material for my blog, 6 days a week!
I always have the tendency for forgo taking breaks and also not outlining or mind-mapping my ideas first. Thanks for these reminders, Adrian.
I too had the same problem of writer’s block some time ago. with motivation and right strategies, i overcome the problem and now i write good stuff. I take breaks often while writing and make sure that my seating and posture are comfortable. You have shared real good information with all. I also make it a point that when i revise my work, i do it with full concentration. This has helped me improve my writing skill to a great extent.
I would recommend all to read this post for sure and overcome writer’s block with easy tips mentioned here.
Motivation is important in writing because you can’t start any discussion about the topic without it. Once you have that inspiration that you need, you can expect that a continuous flow of idea will follow. No need to worry with the writers block or whatever because you are equipped with enough knowledge and motivation.
Writer’s block is another problem a blogger has to face now or tomorrow. Even pro bloggers face this. There are many reasons of writer’s block and some of them are distraction during work like not in mood of writing and any other kind of disturbance.
Due to writer’s block, many of our posts are marked as drafts and then we forget to rewrite them.
I would like to thank you for your superb tips for eliminating writer’s block
“5. Draft Quickly, Revise Slowly”
I hate it when you are left with a blank page for hours. I guess writing your draft quickly is the solution. This is really effective if you DO KNOW something about the topic. the more you know, the more words will flow in.
And this is what makes freelance writing difficult.
Good advices, man.