The Best Cures For Writer’s Block
The clock is ticking. The deadline is looming. The cursor is blinking. And the page…is blank. For anyone who writes for a living, writer’s block can be incredibly debilitating.
Content marketing is a creative industry, but most of us would rather not be toiling away over a blog article at 3:00 a.m. on a Saturday. Those wee hours of the morning are best left to tortured playwrights.
So, how do you overcome writer’s block when producing great writing is part of your 9–5 job? Missing a client deadline due to lack of inspiration isn’t an option. We polled VERB Interactive’s team of creatives on the best ways to beat writer’s block. Here are our tried & true cures.
Go for a run, or even a walk around the block.
Fresh air and exercise: it’s good for your heart, and it’s good for your brain. Runners swear they get their best ideas while out for a jog. If that’s not your thing, or if you can’t squeeze a quick 10K in during your weekday, a jaunt around the block will work just fine.
Take a long shower.
One of the most popular cures for writer’s block out there is a long shower. Maybe it’s the water, maybe it’s the peace and quiet. We don’t know, but the correlation between the shower and great ideas is so ubiquitous that Marriott Hotels is testing technology that lets you scrawl notes in the steam on the shower door.
Record ideas in a notebook or app.
What happens when inspiration strikes during a run, in the shower, or in the middle of the night? Most of us don’t have fancy note-taking shower doors at home. Remembering your great idea hours after you had it (especially if it’s the next morning) is like finding a needle in a haystack. Keep a notebook handy, or use an app, to record ideas while they’re fresh in your mind.
Play a game.
We already covered exercising your body to beat writer’s block — but what about exercising your brain? Playing a quick game that uses words and writing can help unclutter your mind. Our team of content marketers recommends the Lumosity app’s brain games, making up funny song lyrics, or using the Duolingo app to practice a second language.
Save your darlings.
Writers always say, “Kill your darlings”. It means editing out pieces of writing that don’t benefit the piece overall, despite an author’s selfish love for them. Sometimes you craft a perfect sentence that just doesn’t suit your website copy or blog post. When that happens, hold onto it! Save your darlings in a Word doc and come back to them when you need a writing boost.
Use keyword searches for inspiration.
Keyword searches don’t just help with SEO. They can also help spark inspiration for new content. If you have a general idea of what you want to write about, using a website like Keyword Tool or Google Trends can help you pinpoint a more specific angle that’s relevant to your audience.
Turn up your tunes.
Drown out the noise in your head with music. Everyone has his or her favorite writing soundtrack. In our office, the jams vary — you’ll find the VERB team listening to 90s hip-hop, Disney’s greatest hits, the Hamilton soundtrack, bagpipe music, and everything in between.
Change your scenery.
Sometimes all it takes is a change of location to get the creative juices flowing. That can mean packing up and moving to the café down the street, or just finding a comfortable chair with a good view at your own office.
Draw from earlier content.
Reading through your own archives can be a great source of inspiration. Maybe you’ll stumble upon an old articles that could be improved, or discover a theme you wish you’d had time to expand on further.
Ask for help.
If you find yourself feeling blocked midway through a piece of writing, share it with your colleagues. A second pair of eyes might be able to identify your next point or help finesse that conclusion.
Read good writing.
The best writers are good readers. Taking a break to pick up a book, flip through a magazine, or read an article on the Internet, can take your mind off the task at hand for long enough to get a fresh start.
Just start writing.
If all else fails, just start writing. Let go of expectations that your first draft has to be good. Typing or handwriting your stream of consciousness thoughts can eventually lead to gold. Or, at least, something that can be polished into gold.
VERB Interactive is a leader in digital marketing, specializing in solutions for the travel and hospitality industry. Find out more at www.verbinteractive.com.
