How to Overcome Writer’s Block
A guest blog by Carol Butler, Content Writer, Virtual College
Writer’s block happens to the best of us. Yet we often associate it with the novelists, journalists or playwrights out there. The ‘recognised creatives’. But what about the lawyer struggling to write a letter to his client? Or the salesperson trying to write an outreach email? The entrepreneur trying to write a business proposal? Or the copywriter struggling to write about a topic they know nothing about? This article is for all writers, yes, but with a special angle toward these writers, the ones likely found in the corporate world. The people we often forget are writers, yet are expected to write daily. The ones who probably don’t see themselves as writers yet have to find a way to construct a persuasive piece of copy. What is writer’s block?
Writer’s block is, in the simplest terms, the inability to get words down on paper. But it’s the psychological aspect behind it that has the greatest impact. The block is often caused by, or results in, a range of feelings: panic; the certainty that you have no idea what you’re doing; a lack of belief that you can’t do the writing and you’ll never finish what you started, or that you’ll never start at all. The conviction that you’re a fraud, that you’re in the wrong job and your boss will find out at any moment.
They’re scary, overwhelming, and frustrating, and they can be extremely powerful, especially in corporate writing. But rest assured, writer’s block happens to all writers. No one is immune. As you’ll see, it’s part of the job. But there are writers who have a different approach to writer’s block, who don’t see it as an unsurmountable problem. And they’re the ones who are likely to move past it more quickly.
Here’s how you can become one of those writers. What causes writer’s block?
The first step to overcoming writer’s block is to try and understand what lies behind it. What causes it. The reasons will vary from writer to writer and even from task to task, but here are some common ones: I’m not the expert, I don’t know what I’m talking about.
I’m bored.
It’s hard. I haven’t got my head around the topic yet.
I’m not really a writer. I have no idea what I’m doing.
I’m afraid
I’m a perfectionist
I’m not in the mood, the inspiration hasn’t hit yet.
Are any of these familiar? Yes? So, what can we do about it? How to overcome writer’s block This is a misleading title, but I know it’s what you want to hear. But let’s be upfront, writer’s block is always going to be there. It’s part of the process . But, despite that, there are definitely ways to help ease it or move through it. Do your research As we saw in the list, one of the main causes – and from talking to writers in the […]
