Overcoming Writer’s Block and Writing Great Content
Your blog content (and any online content, in general) serves many purposes. One of the most fundamental purposes that it serves is that it helps you to build relationships with your online connections. If your content can affect your readers on a personal, emotional level, they will want to interact with you further.
Looking at the content itself
It is important to realize that there is content and there is content. In other words, not only is it important to share your content but it is also critical that the quality of your content is as top-notch as it can be. If you don’t provide your target audience with content that touches them in some way, you will not get anywhere with them and then you will not be able to build a relationship. There are several different ways that you can effectively accomplish this.
Make sure that the topics are relevant and appropriate: Of course, it is important to understand that the content that one person finds compelling and fascinating may not be the same for another person. It really is relative. With that in mind, it is very important to be sensitive to the idea each person is different and if you can find a way to give your content as wide an appeal as possible, you will be one step ahead of the game.
The first thing that you will need to do is to figure out exactly who your target audience is and to identify what they want and need from you. Only then will you be able to give it to them. It is very important for your professional success that you focus specifically on what your audience is looking for. You should make sure to make every effort to give them what they want and not anything that they did not ask for or communicate that they need.
Gear your writing to your target audience: It is essential that you keep in mind at all times for whom you are writing the content. If you don’t gear your content for the individual, it will simply be out there and God knows where it will land. That is certainly no way to customize your content. It is also critical that you present the information in your content in the most appealing and attractive way possible and the content must continually strike a chord with those people who will be reading it. You must figure out a way to get inside the mind of your audience members and learn to think in the way that they think. It isn’t enough to be sympathetic to what they need and how they see things. You must be empathetic and be of one mind with them.
Gather inspiration from everywhere you possibly can: It is really true that inspiration can come from absolutely anywhere. You may be in a place and at a time when you are trying to focus on something completely different than anything that has any relevance to your content and poof, an exciting, creative idea may just pop into your head and you will not remember a time before you were aware of that idea. If you can manage to make a serious impression on one or more of your target audience members, you will be good to go. You will succeed at building a relationship and making that relationship flourish. The more you interact with your target audience, the more inspired you will be and the more interesting the work will become. You will feed off of each other. Remember, it is important to maintain a balance between hardcore business content and telling your story in a way that touches your readers. They absolutely need to hear your story so that they can relate to you on a human, emotional level. Timeliness is very important but quality is also very important and you can’t afford to sacrifice one for the other, ever.
Execute your strategy: It is very important for your continued success that you follow your social media marketing strategy that you have designed. If you follow the strategy, you will have a much better chance of succeeding at whatever you are attempting to accomplish. Make sure that your content is always relevant and top-notch. If you stick with a regular schedule, you will never allow yourself to be under pressure regarding the intervals in which you have committing to sharing your content. The less stress you allow yourself, the more successful you will be.
Make sure that your content has substance: Whatever and whenever you write, you need to make sure that your content has substance. Fluffy content will not get you anywhere and you will certainly not get any mileage out of it. There are several ways in which you can accomplish that. One way is to provide data for your audience members. Another way is to provide quotes and other credible pieces of information from subject matter experts. It is very important that your content can stand on its own and that it is credible.
Conclusion
Writer’s block is very real; however, overcoming writer’s block is very far from impossible. You have the ability to overcome it and there are several different approaches that you can take in order to accomplish that. If you follow some of the techniques that have been mentioned here, you will start to see that you are making headway and you will be inspired to write amazing content that people will not be able to get enough of. If you are in a real slump and are not sure how you will get out of it, it is not a bad idea to mimic the writing styles of other writers, at least until you find your own style again. Remember that content is king and you can do wondrous things with your content that will make other people very inspired by what you are giving to them.
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Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Writers World
Discussion: How Do You Overcome Your Writer’s Block?
I always have several projects, in various stages of completion, so that if I can’t get motivated to work on one, I can shift over and work on something else. In November I finished a book about military doctors and nurses remembering the one patient who had the most impact on them. While waiting for a publisher to go through the approval process, I’m doing a final rewrite of a novel about the Iraq War, which I’ve been working on for 3 years. Over the next 3 years I’m planning 4 more books and I’m currently compiling research materials for them. Point is, writer’s block is never an issue with me, because I’ve always got something I can work on. My issue is finding the time to do everything I want to do.
By Gary Bloomfield
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Linked User Group (Official Linked User Group)
Discussion: How Do You Overcome Your Writer’s Block?
I do a fair amount of writing and sometimes the ideas and content flow. Other times – nothing. I know that i’m best in the morning, so I do my writing then.
By Karl J. Ohrman, CLU
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Writers World
Discussion: How Do You Overcome Your Writer’s Block?
Writers block can be the symptom for various problems for writers. One I find often troubling for my writers is the seemingly overwhelming distant between them and their goal. As humans we set goals (which is admirable) but fail to reach them as quickly as we think we should. So, for instance, we worry over “when will I ever reach ‘The End’?”
This kind of worry is like a free fall and can be paralyzing if you think there’s NO net to fall into. So, of course, you can’t move forward!
But there is a simple solution: I call it the “yet net”: When you need to write the next scene, or find that marketing venue or publisher, and you don’t have a clue how that’s going to happen YET, remember that you ARE going to make it happen. You WILL figure it out. You’re going to do SOMETHING eventually. You just haven’t figured out exactly what YET.
That one word — YET — can make all the difference! As an author you craft words carefully all the time to reach readers. So craft your inner answers to yourself strategically as well! Give your subconscious that beloved safety “YET” net and plunge headlong into writing … and fly free.
My writers have found this helpful in the past.
By Sandra Haven
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: The Content Wrangler Community
Discussion: How Do You Overcome Your Writer’s Block?
I don’t get writer’s block in general. I can get it on a specific project, when the ideas won’t come. If I lay it aside and work on other things, my subconscious usually keeps circling it and will pop up with something, usually when I’m in the shower or doing something physical. Taking a walk is always good. Writing in longhand to start something works very well. The Artist’s Way technique of morning pages is good for overall creative stimulation. Storyboarding is another way to approach getting a project moving. Draw the story rather than write it; you’ll be surprised at what comes up. And exposure to other art forms…visiting a museum or (especially) watching great dance can spark all kinds of new ideas, for me. I also try to remain aware that the great can be the enemy of the good….sometimes you may not love something you’ve done, but it will suffice and you just need to move on. Sometimes a B+ will just have to do.
By Sherry Lamoreaux
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Linked Business
Discussion: How Do You Overcome Your Writer’s Block?
I haven’t experienced writer’s block to date, but if I due hopefully your suggestions will help in overcoming it.
By Chris Hedges
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Writers World
Discussion: How Do You Overcome Your Writer’s Block?
What’s writer’s block? My issue is having the time or energy. Thank goodness for those months I force myself to write, as well as my yearly (and decade) goals which I use my blog to hold myself publicly accountable to keep writing. 🙂
By Matt Mesnard
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Linked User Group (Official Linked User Group)
Discussion: How Do You Overcome Your Writer’s Block?
I think we need to first make sure we are really up against writer’s block and not procrastination and or loss of focus. Sometimes all we really need is a little more persistence.
If it really is writer’s block, I’ll do a cluster around the topic I am working on. Write topic in middle of paper, circle it and then free associate anything that comes to mind. Then I’ll go do some sort of physical activity and come back to my project later.
Another way is to settle for less than perfection. Just keep writing whatever comes out. Then come back the next day and revise. Inevitably what you were looking for will appear.
By David Rothacker
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Writers World
Discussion: How Do You Overcome Your Writer’s Block?
Actually I can answer this question having suffered from just such a thing. I was busy writing a book “Cornelius” and all was going well. My computer then suffered a complete melt down and three quarters of the way through the book, that I loved and thought to be a bestseller in the making, disappeared. I started rewriting it from scratch and much of it was still in my head. But what I was now writing did not come close to the earlier, destroyed version.
I tried rewriting it , foolishly, and failed I then took three years out from writing until I realized that what you have to do as a writer is write.
I started again, forcing myself, a little and a little more and as it turns out it is still the worst book I have written. but then I was back on track and I have written some crackers since then.
By Raymond Walker
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Group: Writers World
Discussion: How Do You Overcome Your Writer’s Block?
I can agree with Robin – switching over to another project can sometimes help take one away from the situation in order to get a fresh take on finishing up the project later. It’s more true when coming off the high of completing something.
By Matt Mesnard
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Step Into The Spotlight!
Discussion: How Do You Overcome Your Writer’s Block?
I can’t wait to see the responses you gather for us!
Your article focuses on content, and I wholly agree with your advice. If you would like to know how I overcome writer’s block, here are my perhaps idiosyncratic methods:
First, I determine if my content is all gathered and ready.
Second, I remind myself that there are people out there who will read my work on using their dreaming minds to solve problems and thus improve their lives.
Third, I think that I love my readers.
Fourth, then I give in to my romantic nature and I might give myself an excellent manicure with a beautiful color nail polish, light a candle, and play some Brahms. Or another time, I took a dozen red roses from the vase and spread them out on the lounging chair from which I dictated a book while looking out my bedroom window through the redwoods to San Francisco.
I need to isolate myself and that is very distasteful to me; so I try to make my isolation cell deeply romantic. I look forward to hearing how others work with their writing blocks.
By Gayle Delaney, PhD
Great post, Carolyn! You are so right about the importance of overcoming writer’s block. When I stick to it, one thing that helps me is writing Morning Pages. When I did, I was surprised that more actual substantive writing just seemed to flow as though I got rid of all of the cobwebs and found a more open way to express myself. It is definitely ironic seeing more writing is the cure for not being able to write.
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Writum
Discussion: How Do You Overcome Your Writer’s Block?
I do not understand the concept of writer’s block. Arnold’s secret of style: “Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can” seems to cover it. If you have something to say, say it as clearly as you can. If you have nothing to say, keep quiet, don’t manufacture fluff. If you have something to say but you’re not quite sure what, just start writing your first thoughts. They won’t be good enough of course, but writing is rewriting. Write today, rewrite tomorrow.
By Margaret Gaskin
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Group: Writum
Discussion: How Do You Overcome Your Writer’s Block?
There are different causes of a writer’s block, sometimes one has a lot to say but words do not respond, the flow of words just dries out. So we recommend at this point , to stop trying and leave it for a while, meanwhile , one should replenish this void with doing lots of reading
On other occasions a writer is very much ready and enthusiastic to sit down and start weaving the words, but unfortunately his or her great moments of inspirations suddenly get interrupted by a sudden interference I.e. a noise , or someone invading the sacred haven….etc. this is the worst thing that can happen to a writer. Simply all ideas just vanish and the mood for writing evaporates.
The best advice is not to force oneself to continue lamely, just leave everything , go for a walk , coffee whatever, soon this negative shift of your mood will reverse. Itself , sooner or later.
By Nadia Hashem
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Group: Writum
Discussion: How Do You Overcome Your Writer’s Block?
I am not sure I have had writer’s block. I just write. I have been deadline oriented and trained so I think that helps me. I used to accept the Creative Copy Challenge of taking 10 random words and put them into something cohesive… but that was not writer’s block then either… just my desire to write.
By Kathleen Kline