Written by Anna Zaslavska, copywriter at Writitude
The first step is always the hardest, at least when you’re in the writing business. Because with every writing assignment you’re stepping into the uncharted territory of the Blank Page.
For me, writer's block isn’t easy to tame. Many writers live with it for years, for some it’s a lifelong nemesis.
So, our Writitude team would like to share some strategies that will help you face your fears and hopefully chase them away for good.
Read in this blog article:
- Brainstorming Before Bed
- Mind Mapping
- Use Questions
- Here-is-the-thing
- Bad Sample
- Move!
- Remember – It Doesn’t have to be Perfect
Brainstorming Before Bed
Brainstorming is probably the most famous technique for overcoming fear of the blank page.
It means writing down anything pertaining (or not) to the subject that comes into your mind: keywords, sentences, incomplete sentences, associations — and then using these scraps of writing to create a structured text.
Here is a tip from our personal experience: do your brainstorming right before bed.
If your draft is still empty by the end of your working day, take a break from it. Spend your evening however you like (though better to avoid partying if you have a deadline tomorrow)!
But just before you go to sleep, return to your file. By that time, you’ll be too tired to be scared of the blank page. Jot whatever comes into your mind — keywords, unfinished sentences, questions…
Then close the file and go to bed. When you go back to work in the morning, there’ll be a draft waiting for you. A gift from You-from-the-Past to You-in-the-Future.
Mind Mapping
Another popular technique to use in the early stages of writing is mind mapping. In mind mapping, you also write down associations and keywords, except in this case you don’t just put them down randomly, you make a chart — much like the ones detectives draw in police series.
You can draw a mind map on paper or in a special application. We used MS Word to create the example you see below.
Drawing a mind map may seem like an additional task to your writing assignment, but it can indeed be very helpful — putting your thoughts in a chart will help you identify your key ideas, find connections between them and obtain a fresh perspective on whatever subject you’re writing about.
Use Questions
When building a structure for your text, we highly advise using questions. Let’s say you were tasked with writing a landing page for a new banking application.
Think of what you yourself would be interested to find in such an article.
Probably you’re wondering something in the line of, “What does this application do? How will I benefit from it? What do I need to do to install it?”
If you have any doubts (“But why this application, and not the other one? Does it really have a user-friendly interface?”) — by all means, use them in your work.
You can specifically ask your customer to clarify the issues and include their answers in your text. Or focus on the other benefits of the product.
Here-is-the-thing
The here-is-the-thing strategy means that you begin your text by typing, “Here is the thing”, and proceed with an explanation. (“Here is the thing: this banking application will help you predict your expenses. Here’s how…”)
After you’re finished explaining how the application works, the hardest part of the task is behind you.
Now you only need to adjust the structure of your text, write an introduction and conclusion and polish your phrasing!
Bad Sample
Sometimes when you don’t know what to write, you may have a clear idea of what NOT to write.
You can ask your client for samples of what they don’t want to see in their copy. Chances are, they had an unsatisfactory experience with another copywriter or agency before they approached you.
Or they don’t want to sound like their competition (no one does).
In any case, a bad sample serves a double purpose: it will give you a clearer picture of the customer’s wishes and demands and can serve as your starting point.
Simply copy the bad sample into your favourite writing application (preferably Writitude) and start by rewriting a paragraph from it.
Or, if you see that your bad sample lacks information or is poorly structured, you can begin by restructuring it.
Move!
When you are writing a text from scratch, not translating or editing, you actually don’t have to look into your file most of the time.
And if you get stuck with a tricky phrase while translating or editing, a change of scenery can jump-start your thinking, too.
Getting up from your workstation, doing some stretches and taking at least a 20-minute break from your screen can really jumpstart your day.
The trick here is to occupy yourself with something that requires minimum processing. While your body is taking a break from sitting, your brain is still working hard on your text.
Showering, going for a walk or washing dishes are good. Sorting your clothes is not the best choice because your brain will have to focus on sorting instead of your writing assignment.
The ideal scenario is being able to jot down some thoughts mid-break — on a piece of paper or in your phone, but this is not a must.
Chances are, you’ll return to your workstation with that tricky sentence already phrased in your head. Write it down, then write some more, then take another active break. Your body and mind (and maybe your dishes) will thank you.
Remember – It Doesn’t have to Be Perfect
Last but definitely not least: we know that the blank page usually seems so scary because we’re afraid of writing something wrong.
But here’s the thing: you need to write this assignment anyway, and preferably before the deadline.
It’s better to aim for decent quality and submit the assignment on schedule than to be late because you set out with the ambition to write a perfect text and could not finish it on time.
However talented a writer may be, if they have a reputation for missing their deadlines, clients will at best hesitate to use them for most assignments or refer them to their friends and business partners.
A punctual writer is someone who customers can rely on — and they’ll also be happy to recommend you to their peers, so you can successfully grow your client base.
So, fear not the blank page — it doesn’t matter how you begin your work as long as you can edit it into a better version of itself. You know you can do it.
We at Writitude also know you can do it! Our tools and manuals are here to help you ensure good quality and avoid awkward mistakes, which means… now, you can just write!
