Pushing Through the Block
I feel like we’ve all encountered a similar feeling. You’re sitting there, in front of a computer, and you’re frantically typing the press release for your business.
Suddenly, your brain just…stops.
Writer’s block is often defined as being unable to process your thoughts through writing or unable to write something new. It plagues many people (not just us who claim to be writers!), and it’s aggravating. Nothing is quite as annoying as not being able to form complete sentences!
According to a study done in the 1970s, there are four broad causes of writer’s block:
- Excessively harsh self-criticism
- Fear of comparison to other writers
- Lack of external motivation, like attention and praise
- Lack of internal motivation, like the desire to tell one’s story
So here are a few tips to release those frustrations and reclaim your power to write!
Get Into the Groove
Like most things, writing is a habit that you form. When I was in school, I would write a minimum of 30 minutes a day to maintain my writing skills and habits. Start with small goals and build up – it’s not a race! Maybe set a goal to write X amount of words per day. By getting out and on paper, you’re doing yourself multiple favors!
Sketch it Out
Oftentimes when we go to writing, we take TOO big of a bite. Our brains tend to want to fill out all aspects of writing when our fingers hit the keyboard. But instead, learn how to outline and map out what you’re ultimate goal of this piece is. What points do you want to get across? What is the desired result from your ideal audience reading this? Get all that straightened out!
Just Write
This might be some of the simplest advice, but just allow yourself to write without restraints. Don’t go back and fix your grammar, don’t try and fix spelling. Just write. Not only is stream of conscious writing therapeutic, but it allows you to get the chunks of information out that you need to.
To end, I’ll leave you with this quote that means a lot to me:
Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.
― Louis L'Amour
