Few things are more important in life and in business than communications that are clear and concise. And, I think I can safely say, few things are more scarce in life and in business than those kinds of communications.
That said, while few I know seldom have problems speaking, many of us have or will experience writer's block. What to do?
Best advice, do what I am doing right now--write.
Although I cannot say truthfully that I am experiencing total writer's block, as I wrote a post for my blog this morning, I have for several weeks had trouble finding worthy subjects to discuss here at the Daily Fix. Feeling guilty for letting Ann down and for not sharing with readers as often as I would like, I jumped into the deep end of the pool, linked to this Publishing Platform, clicked on New Entry, and before even a second passed, I began writing this post. Ultimately you will be the judge of its quality, but at the end of the day, when I find it difficult to write, that is when I need to write most to get over the early symptoms of writer's block and that is why I am writing now.
In addition to writing as a way to overcome blockage, here are other recommendations that may be helpful:
* Stick to your core being and purpose. What do you most like to write about and what do you know most about? Write about those things.
* Scan the headlines for ideas. Every day I check CNN.com, CNET, and AP Business News and at least 20 blogs to read what others are writing. Usually reading other's ideas spark some of my own.
* Go back through your articles, posts and books to see if there is something you once wrote that needs updating, revising or follow-up.
* Because I am a communicator/marketer, I check YouTube for interesting ad postings and look at banner ads on other web sites for ideas or areas of criticism.
* My mail occasionally delivers a direct mail piece, which in my mind is often horrible and open to a post or an article.
* Drink a glass of wine (do not skip this step--beer is a suitable replacement or any number of alcoholic drinks will suffice)
* WRITE
As many of you are communicators/marketers, like me, if you get stuck, you need to get unstuck ASAP. Your clients, customers and bosses expect you to produce, and it needs to be a quality product.
In my case, my strategies, tactics, goals and plans won't reach my clients if I don't write them down as if I were writing an article, a post or a book chapter. For me, the process is always the same. Outlines, notes and other writing tactics just don't work for me. I have to start at the beginning, get through the middle and create an end, all in one sitting. And then I let whatever I just created sit overnight and simmer. The next day I read what I wrote and fix it, because it will need fixing.
That is my process and because I know what works for me and practice it, in 35 years and hundreds of published articles, hundreds more posts, as well as five books, I can't say writer's block has ever stopped me from writing for more than a few minutes. In conclusion, in addition to those items in the list above, find a process that works for you and stick with it. Just Write Baby, Just Write.
P.S. What are your secrets to overcoming what we often call writer's block? What are your experiences with writer's block? And do you have a process that works for you?
