Five Breezy Steps to Keep Writer’s Block Away
Contributed by ShuQi Liu November 17, 2015
Content creation is integral to establishing a strong online brand presence, but writing is a discipline that remains elusive. For many entrepreneurs, this is probably one item on the to-do list that gets the most procrastination. Fret not! Here are five easy, breezy steps to keep writer’s block away.
1. Stick To A Realistic Editorial Calendar
The human brain often convinces ourselves that we are too busy to write. Plan ahead, put in the time and be disciplined about creating content. More importantly, an editorial calendar doesn’t have to be an ambitious one. Find a schedule that works best for you, and stick to it. Personally, I make the effort to contribute an article to Executive Lifestyle on a quarterly basis. It’s not as often as I like it to be, but it is attainable and helps maintain my online presence on a regular basis.
2. Create Authentic Content That’s YOU
It can be tempting to model content and style after another person, especially when writing is not your forte. Nevertheless, keep those references out of the way, and just, create. You will be amazed at how much content can be generated. These are uniquely distilled from your personal values, business goals and life experiences. Go on, pick up the pen and write something that’s YOU!
3. Write To Address Pain Points And Provide Solutions
Let’s be honest, entrepreneurs provide solutions that help people solve problems. Therefore, we can be legitimately shameless by taking ownership and letting everyone know that we are knowledgeable about a particular topic. Just like any other new business meeting, we write to share expert advice, address pain points and provide solutions in order to reach wider audiences. As a self-professed content producer, I admit to facing the occasional writer’s block as well. That’s why I wanted to share these tried-and-tested solutions to help overcome your writing obstacles too.
4. Be Concise
The most challenging part about writing is keeping content succinct. To be concise, always make your intention clear with a short and simple topic sentence, supported by examples and further elaborated with a sentence or two. It is also perfectly okay to have short paragraphs, particularly when today’s readers have shorter attention spans. Just remember – length is not an indicator of quality, it’s what you say that matters more.
5. As Nike Says, “Just Do It!”
Finally, the only way to complete an article is to just write it! If you are constantly interrupted by newsfeeds and notifications from emails, Whatsapp, Viber, LinkedIn, Facebook and more, simply switch all electronic devices to airplane mode. Alternatively, use productivity apps like SelfControl and Anti-Social to manage media distractions.
Visit the Q Communications page to find out more about ShuQi's work.
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