Ivy Sea Online: Tips for working through writers' block

TIPS FOR WORKING THROUGH WRITERS' BLOCK
SURMOUNTING YOUR FEAR OF THE BLANK PAGE

Taken alone, the basic act of writing seems simple to most: Put pen to paper or fingertips to keyboard. What foils many would-be authors? The defining elements of content and structure. Because most professionals are required to write memos, reports, department communications and the like, a facility for writing effectively and efficiently can have monumental results:

• Less time spent on reworking documents, allowing you to concentrate on other responsibilities;

• Confidence in your materials, ensuring that your audience members are getting the information they need;

• A well-informed audience, increasing their competence and value to the organization;

• The ability to more clearly and accurately communicate, a trait consistently rated high for influencing others, building consensus, managing well and avoiding misunderstandings.

Writing is a craft, and some people are naturally predisposed to, even gifted in, superb writing. Yet even critically acclaimed authors suffer bouts of writer’s block, when it seems the content must be wrested from the mind and heart. However, there are certain processes and mindset management devices that can help any writer improve his or her skill.

Here are tips that we have gathered, honed, practiced and professed to collectively write thousands of effective articles, books, web pieces and other communication tools:

Research — Be certain that you have the data, perspective and/or ancillary information you need to write about your topic (including having an opinion on the topic) before you begin. Otherwise, you’ll flounder from issue to issue, and rarely will you end up with a coherent, meaningful piece.

Start with a theme sentence — Write a sentence or two that encompasses the point or key message of your communication. Do not paralyze yourself by editing this sentence ad infinitum. Your theme sentence serves as an anchor that you refer back to throughout the writing process to ensure that you’re sticking to the point (which leads to crisp, easy-to-read content). For example, the theme sentence for this article is: There are actionable tips that can help most people improve their writing skill, thus improving their effectiveness and efficiency, and here are some of those tips. Not the most well-constructed sentence, but it served as a guide for this article’s content.

Create an outline —Walk yourself through the points that you want to make in the written piece instead of banging on your keyboard, spilling every thought you’ve ever had about the topic. Again, without a path to follow, you’ll wander around the topic for hours before reaching "base camp" (your key point). This is not to say that during the research stage you can’t "brain dump" all of your information into a rambling journal entry. If this activity fuels your thinking, great. Just don’t allow it to hinder the writing process.

Nourish your creative side — All mechanics and no free-flowing brainstorming makes for dull writing and dull reading. Play with toys, surf the Web, dialogue with colleagues, do whatever it takes to get both sides of your brain into the act of writing. (See the links below for an idea starter kit!)

Use your dominant mode — If you’re having trouble getting started, try "writing" the communication through your dominant mode. Say you’re like me (Sarah) — someone who operates and learns primarily through visual cues. Picture what your communication will look like and what it will contain. Auditory people might talk to themselves and type what they’re saying. Kinesthetic people — like IVC's founder, Jamie — think best when moving, and can use tactile aids like flipping through research material, standing up to write, or taking little (or long) walks to think through writing approaches.

Allow space and time — Writing well requires both time and an uncluttered mind. Ensure that you’ve created the mental space to write, and allow yourself a block of time to set your work down and revisit it with a "fresh eye." You’ll be amazed at how objectively and clearly you’re able to see your work as your audience will, and make the appropriate adjustments. Don’t force your writing. (In Life Work by Donald Hall, the writer refers to the time it will take for a piece to write itself.) If you’re under deadline, create a back-up system, such as a peer reviewer, to offer the objective perspective on your behalf.

Learn from others’ edits — Ask the people reviewing your work to write their comments on the page for you, as opposed to making the changes to the document and sending it out. This way, you can pick up on organizational writing preferences, for example, and learn rules of writing such as AP Style and options for tightening content.

Practice — Don’t let your writing skills atrophy. Create exercises and opportunities to continue writing in a variety of styles for a variety of audiences.

Just write, gosh darnit — When you’re ready to write, just write. Don’t self-edit as you write. Don’t worry about punctuation. Don’t go back and refine your theme sentence. Do get your key points on the page. Do use the language that first comes to mind. Do realize that this is your first pass at the content, and you can always go back and change something — later. Self-editing and instantaneous proofreading can be huge obstacles in the writing process. You’re pulling your mind into the nitty-gritty details before it’s had a chance to release all of the information — somewhat like slamming on your brakes at 90 miles an hour. Revving up to 90 after this screeching halt is tough. Doing it repeatedly will blow out your mental engine.

Some of our favorite writer's links

The Daily Muse: One writer’s treasure chest of writing tips and creativity boosters.

IVC Online Brain Food: Our cafeteria of tips that you can do right here, right now to notch up your creativity and recalibrate your mindset when needed.

About.com’s Writer Exchange: A central depot for writing tips, exercises and additional links.

This information provides food for thought rather than counsel specifically designed to meet the needs of your organization. Please use it mindfully. The most effective approaches are those that have been tailored to meet your unique needs, so don't hesitate to contact us or get assistance from your own qualified and trusted adviser.