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The benefits of business blogs are numerous. They are a great tool for communicating with customers and for employees to share their expertise on a subject. They work well to build additional web traffic with little direct costs associated. They create a community and grab attention. For these reasons it is no wonder that business blogs are sweeping across the internet. My topic today is a little bit of an aside for myself – as well as offering some (hopefully) useful advice to all of you as well.
What happens when you simply can’t think of what to write? Oh no! It’s WRITER’S BLOCK!
There are lots of online resources to help get past your writer’s block, some are great, some are not, and some are just weird (talking to a monkey???). A simple Google search should give you many wonderful ways to help clear your writer’s block. I am going to discuss the ways that work best for me.
When I am in a writing funk, it can be difficult to see the way out. Most often I do not realize the cause of my writers block, I only know that my mind has gone blank.
My most common problem with writing is that often my expectation is to have highly engaging, wonderfully worded work – every time. This leads to a great deal of my frustration with writing because often I think topics are not interesting enough or that I won’t be able to put together a really engaging piece on the topic so I avoid writing – waiting for a perfect idea – trying not to write anything bad. In reality though, great writing does not come all at once. The most important thing that I do when I experience writers block is to just start writing…anything…muscle through it. This gets the wheels slowly turning and while what I write may not be “stellar” content – at least I am getting something going. There are reasons we have drafts.
I also sometimes find it challenging to write as I set very high output goals for myself. It is very easy to get discouraged as time passes and I have less progress. I often think of news reporters and wonder how they are able to come up with new stories every day. It is key is to remember that I don’t have to write at the same speed as anybody else. Sometimes 10 minutes of good writing is better than 1 hour of mediocre writing
Occasionally, I have to write content that I do not want to write. Some people recommend putting the work aside and returning later; I always find it is easier to switch your focus but still be writing. I rarely find it easy to come back to writing if I switch to another project.
Particularly when writing, I need to be focused. I have a hard time writing my best material when I am distracted. I need to sit down and concentrate, even if I start writing on another topic. Don’t let writers block control you! If all else fails – I suppose there is always the opportunity to write about your own writers block 
How do you get past writer’s block? Let me know!
Kyle
P.S. Still having trouble? Here are some ideas that might get your motivation going:
- News Item – write your opinion on a recent news item. Who are the major players, what it means for your business and what it means for your customers or partners
- Interview – Have an interview with your CEO or a highly engaged customer
- Tips and tricks for using your product
- Explain your Mission, Vision, and Corporate Goals
