I find writing to be like pulling teeth.
Now don’t get me wrong. I enjoy writing – when I’ve finished doing it. And I’m a quick typist, so the actual typing bit takes no time at all.
But for some reason the process of putting words to paper (whether it is an article, email, editorial, etc) is an exercise in frustration.
I know that I’m not alone.
In case you have the same problems that I do, here are some of the methods I use to overcome the writing paralysis.
Do your research first
Sometimes the reason it is difficult to write is because you don’t know enough about what you are writing about.
If you are finding it difficult to write about your chosen topic, perhaps you need to do some more research. When you know your topic inside out, it is much easier to write about it.
If instead you are writing about an idea you had, perhaps you haven’t thought the idea through. Take a bit more time to think about the subject – preferably well away from where you write, so you don’t feel under pressure to get words to paper!
Outline what you are writing
My english teacher used to go on about this in high school when we had to write essays – and I never listened! Now I’ve come to realise how useful an outline is.
An outline gives you a direction for your writing – a defined path. Without it, you tend to wander aimlessly, and your writing ends up disjointed.
The outline doesn’t have to be long – just a word or two on each of the points you want to cover is enough to keep you on track.
Write first, edit later
This is an easy trap to fall into (and probably the one that gets me the most). You spend so much time trying to get each sentence perfect that you never get anywhere!
On your first pass, don’t worry about what you are writing. Just write, no matter how disjointed or ‘incorrect’ the result is. Get the words down.
You will have plenty of time later to come back and edit things together.
Forget your current topic
Called freewriting or brainstorming, writing down anything that you happen to think about (no matter what it is) is a good way to get yourself writing. You don’t need to write complete sentences – just ideas and fragments are fine.
You don’t even have to write about your current topic. Just get the transfer of words from your brain to the paper starting to happen.
The important thing when doing this is to keep writing. Don’t let yourself stop. Even if you have to write “um, ah” a lot, keep the pen (or keys) moving!
Many successful authors start each day by doing this.
Allow time for editing
Once you have written your piece, let it rest for a time (a day is good – several days is even better if you have the time). Then go back and edit what you originally wrote.
Who knows – the piece of writing that you thought was terrible (because you weren’t stopping to edit) might actually be better than you thought!
These ideas have helped me in the past with my writing. I hope they help you too.
Copyright 2002 Jason Anderson
Jason is the editor of Achieve Net Profits, where he interviews successful Internet marketers each week. Save yourself time and money by learning marketing directly from the pros! –> http://www.AchieveNetProfits.com/
