Everyone who writes has had those moments when they either didn’t feel like writing or wanted to write and couldn’t think of what to say. We typically call this “Writer’s Block.”
In actuality it gets a lot more attention than it deserves. After all, it adds drama to an otherwise straight-forward process – writing. You are either writing or you are not. There is very little drama involved. But it plays well in print to create a problem like Writer’s Block.
There are several techniques you will find helpful if you do have brief periods of not writing.
1. Accept it. Relatx and do something unrelated for a while. When you are writing for yourself, you have no deadlines, other than the ones you have created for yourself. Whether you publish your book this week or next only matters to you. There isn’t an editor or publisher breathing down your neck. So relax. If you have a day when you don’t want to write, take the day off!
2. Talk it onto paper by talking aloud as you type. Some people talk better than they write. It’s a more natural communication mode for them. If that’s your preferred style, accept it and use it to your advantage.
3. Hire help to draft the sections that are challenging you. If you don’t want to hire someone, you can use existing materials, including public domain and PLR (private label rights) items. Just consider them first drafts, then edit them into your copy.
4. Record, then transcribe the parts that are difficult. You may even have that material sitting on your hard drive in the form of a presentation you have recorded in the past!
5. Use dictation software.
6. Use a text processor instead of a word proessor. You’ll stay in your creative writing brain, rather than your analytical editing side. Every time you have to argue with your word processor as to how to number or format something, you are losing creativity!
7. Skip around, writing the parts that seem easy today. Nothing says you have to write from beginning to end.
8. Work on standard pieces of your work that don’t require creativity. These include your resource box or bio page, your dedication and acknowledgements for a book, a list of resources, or bonus material you want to offer with the item you are writing.
9. Ask someone to interview you on the topic. It’s always easier to answer questions than to create from scratch.
10. Keep writing! Write about the blocks you have, how you are struggling, what you had for lunch. Write anything, but keep writing!
These tips excerpted from the 7-Day writing plan in One Hour Guide to Your First Kindle Book, available at BooksByJeanette.com.
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Jeanette, this is great. Thanks as usual! I know you’ve told us before but where are you doing your infographics?
Terrie
Thanks! I’m really proud of this one. In an earlier blog post I explained how I used powerpoint to create the infographic. But for this one I used MS Word, following the directions from John Kremer in http://JeanetteCates.com/0821 Having a great time with this technique. Fast & easy!
As usual, Jeanette, you get to the heart of the matter. Either you’re writing or you’re not. I like the suggestions to get interviewed!