Writer's Block Help Best Practices to Kickstart Your Writing

If you’re stuck creating your next marketing piece and need writer’s block help, we’re here for you. Keep reading for several ways to kickstart your writing and get quality content on the page. It’s time to regain your confidence, believe in your creative abilities again, and meet your next deadline!

You’ve probably heard writer’s block described as “being in a rut.” What’s the best way to get out of a rut? A good nudge. All good content creators need this from time to time – a person, a place, a prompt to inspire us and motivate us to put pen to paper. Starting can be the hardest part of writing, but using a good prompt can inspire you and get the creative juices flowing for your next blog or article.

Here are four writing prompts to generate some ideas that we’ve found helpful with clients. Need some others? Here’s a few hundred more writing prompts.

1. What is your company doing this year that it’s never done before?
2. If you could change one thing your company has done in the past, what would it be?
3. What’s one time when your company chose the road not taken?
4. What’s your dream or goal for your community?

When you’re in a rut, write like a child. Have you ever seen children paint, draw, or write? They have no hesitation, no inhibition, and no vision. They simply create.

Maybe this sounds counter-intuitive to you. After all, if I just start writing what comes to mind, won’t I end up with, well, nonsense? On some level, yes, but it’s okay to start with a product that isn’t quite ready for publishing.

If we’re going to overcome that writer’s block, we need to stop demanding perfection from the first draft and be willing to sit on incomplete thoughts and run-on sentences. Brilliance takes time, so write like a child. Refine the good ideas and throw out the bad ones. You’ll be over that creative hump in no time.

You don’t always have to handwrite or type when writing a mission statement, blog, webpage, or email campaign. Instead, your voice can be a powerful tool when developing content for your next writing project. So, get a recording device, open your mouth, and start spewing your thoughts. Don’t pre-script it. Don’t re-record it. This is your opportunity to get everything that’s in your mind out there in the universe.

Also, don’t forget that your voice isn’t the only one out there. If you’re having a hard time kickstarting your writing, interview a friend, colleague, or mentor and record the conversation so you can use their ideas to inspire your next work.

Speaking of including other voices in your writing, one of the best ways to find writer’s block help is to find a writing partner for brainstorming. By “writing partner,” we don’t necessarily mean recruiting someone to co-author your work. Instead, find a fellow content creator whom you trust, and look for their input when you need that inspirational nudge. Relationships are where ideas are developed, transformed, and communicated, so what better tool to use when struggling to find the right words or ideas?

Getting a fresh perspective may be all it takes to light that creative fire in your mind and build your confidence as a writer. Ask each other simple questions like, “How would you communicate this idea?” or “What’s important to you when considering this tropic?”

Sometimes, just casual conversation with your writing partner will get the creative juices flowing, but if you’re one that favors more structure, here’s a basic outline to follow regularly together:

• Exchange this question with your writing partner: “What are you going to write about today?”
• Share one another’s responses, then ask each other, “Can you tell me more in five short sentences or so?”
• Exchange answers then wrap up with this final question: “Can you add two sentences to each of the five sentences in order to give me more detail?”

You might be realizing this more and more if you’re struggling with getting words on the page, but writing takes time and focus. You can’t do much by putting in two minutes here and three minutes there. You have to carve out specific blocks of time and preserve it by closing the door, removing distractions, and starting the clock. When the timer goes off, stop writing and move on with your day. After all, you can always come back if you need to make edits or add content.

If you tend to struggle with distractions, commit to implementing some helpful habits in order to increase your focus. For example, start by finding the right place to work. Avoid noisy places with lots of people and favor comfortable settings where you can settle in for multiple hours. Also, in the digital age, electronics are incredibly helpful but simultaneously expose us to a world of distractions.

Protect your writing time by turning off your devices, closing unneeded programs, and resisting checking social media. Remember, brilliance takes time so make sure it’s time you have.

Still having a hard time kick-starting your writing? At Keyhole Marketing, we’re here to help you produce quality content so that your business can thrive. Give us a call or contact us through our website so we can help tell your story to the world.