Okay, finally I’m getting to do something that I actually really enjoy and usually am excited about but haven’t been doing for a long time now. But why is that. Time? Stress? Life? A cocktail of all that? Probably. Anyways, to get back on track it can be helpful to reflect on why you fell off track in the first place, to prevent it the next time. Hopefully. We’ll see.
First: Spill what’s in your brain
Whatever happens to be on your mind in that moment, hold it down on paper, tablet, or whatever you feel most comfortable writing on. Those can be brilliant thoughts as well as thoughts you wish you hadn’t ever witnessed yourself thinking. The more you think (and write down simultaneously), however, the better. Because the first silly idea will eventually be followed and corrected by a wiser one.
Your environment influences your thinking more than you are aware of. Personally, I first have to set the mood for thinking and writing without the pressure of having to write the most epic post people get to read. And without the anxiety of embarrassing everyone who knows me. Okay, that’s pretty harsh. So, relax! That can mean laying down, having a drink, or taking a warm shower first (because I’m convinced that every brilliant idea ever was born in the shower). Whatever relaxing means for you, the goal is to lure all the genius ideas that are hidden in your shy brain.
Usually, the first words are the words that never make it to see the light of the published post’s world, because they are typically a mood check. A check in with yourself. How are you feeling about this task, doing this now. Having to do this. Nevertheless, these first seemingly irrelevant words are essential to get the stone rolling and to provoke more thoughts that are more presentable and more interesting for the people.
These first thoughts’ job is to distract you from your fear of the white screen and the blinking cursor, staring at you ominously and waiting for you impatiently to say something exceptionally smart — which most likely won’t happen if you’re under pressure. These first words are like casual smalltalk with yourself. And before you realize it, half of the page is already full of a story that can only get better.
Then: Put it into order
I’m always surprised by all the stuff I discover just by going with the flow — by observing and following my natural thought process. Eventually I’ll start to notice patterns emerging from the text that I’m half-consciously producing. That’s when I can start clustering and categorizing my text until it makes some kind of structure. Then I reorder and prioritize the sections until I have a beautiful red thread.
The categories and clusters and the transitions in between trigger more ideas. So, guided by them, I continue jotting down the thoughts that unfold until I catch myself stressing over making it perfect. That’s the perfect time to stop. Make myself a snack, facetime my sister or fall asleep wherever I happen to be in that moment. After forgetting about the post for a while, I get back and read through it. And with the post-note-clarity I’m finally able to correct not only typos, but also assure that the passages are in logical order.
Finally: Make it digestible
What is easier than articulating every single piece of trash that you catch your nasty brain thinking? Nothing. So, the task starts quite easily. The difficulty level increases with time as the post evolves. Because turning your nasty thoughts into consumable content can be quite a challenge, I experienced.
If you were to compare your post to those of more skilled writers, it will probably never seem to be good enough. But what does good enough even mean? Because, it might not be good enough for everyone, but It might be good enough for people that are looking for the exact content that you’re able to share. And that is beautiful. Consider yourself like a participant in a user test: there are no right or wrong answers, because you are the expert, and we are interested in your unfiltered opinion and your experience. That never fails to take the pressure out of any situation ever.
This post was produced in the context of a reflection-in-action task during my master studies in Content Strategy and it helped me feel more at ease about starting to write again. If you want to try this exercise, visit Jutta’s blog post and have a look at the questions that I also used for this post to help me get going. For genius tips on overcoming a writer’s block check out Gabi’s blog post.
