Writer’s block is real and can be extremely frustrating. And unfortunately, the longer it goes on, the more anxiety it can cause. But there’s hope for even the most blocked writers out there: the good news is that this experience is extremely common—even for professional (and famous!) writers. And there are easy ways to empower yourself to overcome even the writer’s block. You don’t have to be in a content pit of despair forever—there are ways around this frustrating experience.
Just write… anything.
Sometimes content creators get writer’s block because their expectations of their writing prevent them from getting started. Instead of putting something down on paper, they get in their head and judge each word that appears. This puts your brain in editing mode instead of the creative space it needs to be in for creating something new. And it can be hard to allow yourself to express yourself when your brain is constantly reviewing your work before it even makes it to the page.
To overcome this obstacle, you need to ignore your inner critic for awhile. Instead, focus on the quantity of your writing, not the quality. For example, write whatever comes into your head—even if it makes you cringe. Don’t go back and rewrite, delete or polish. Another version of this is to simply write the way you would if you were talking to someone. You can even record yourself saying what you’d like to write. This helps you get into the content creation zone instead of the refinement zone. And once you have let yourself create, you can regroup and start the editing process to perfect your content.
Stop and go outside.
On the surface, this may look like the exact opposite advice from tactic number one. But if you’ve spent a lot of time battling writer’s block, sometimes the anxiety and pressure is too much. At that time, it’s best to just get up and stop focusing on it. Research shows that our brains can subconsciously continue working on things, even while our focus is elsewhere. And by going outside or working on something else, we can get inspired, create new connections, and get into a healthier, happier space that will allow you to write better and overcome any internal resistance to content creation.
Take baby steps.
In any project, writing included, sometimes that actual task can just be too overwhelming to get started. This is because for most skills, consistency beats quantity. For example, let’s say you’re looking to get more in shape. Which is better… doing five squats every day or doing 50 squats one time? For continued improved fitness, it’s better to practice every day, even if it’s a minuscule amount.
To apply this to writer’s block, try committing yourself to writing one sentence every day. In other words you write one sentence, then you can consider yourself successful for that day… even if you do nothing else. Maybe it’s a horrible sentence, maybe it’s pure poetry, but the accomplishment is in the doing. Some days your content will be amazing and you’ll want to keep going… and then you’ll write 20 pages. Other days you’ll stop at one crappy sentence. But it’ll become a habit and you’ll stop procrastinating… and then just creating.
Writer’s block is a frustrating experience for all those who experience it. But it doesn’t have to prevent you from creating great content in the long term.
For more help with writing, editing, or content creation, go to www.timery.co.
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