Writer’s Block
I have a lot of conversations with people who want to start blogging. At some point in those conversations, we end up talking about writer’s block. I’m sure there are people who won’t agree with me but I don’t believe in writer’s block. I just finished reading Kelly Kingman‘s The Sticky eBook Formula and in it she mentions a quote from Susan Shapiro, “Plumber’s don’t get plumber’s block.” Get it?
When I think of writer’s block, it comes across as the inability to write. I believe with a little self-examination, you can identify those times when you feel “blocked” and try to find opportunities to keep yourself from getting in that position.
For example, let’s say a person becomes blocked because they don’t feel they have anything to write about. My guess is if they looked around they would realize inspiration and ideas are everywhere. Conferences, news, conversations, television, current events, – the list goes on and on.
What I’ve actually found out about myself is that it’s not about finding a topic…it’s about remembering the topic. Two totally different things.
So if remembering ideas is a challenge, then the key is to find a way to capture ideas when they occur. For me, I find that I get a lot of ideas when I’m out with friends or having dinner with Mr. B. It’s important to find a way to quickly jot down an idea without removing myself from the conversation…so I note it on a bar napkin.
When I’m traveling or at a conference, I use a little notebook. And my latest is trying out iPhone apps. I recently wrote a post over at Workshifting on note taking apps. You can check it out here.
Or maybe ideas aren’t the problem. You have tons of them. Maybe it’s finding time to get those ideas from your head to your computer screen. I’ve been there. A million ideas and not enough time to write. Hate to say it…but ya gotta schedule time to write. It was actually one of the reasons I wanted to start blogging – to learn how to write on a schedule. Not just when I felt like it.
Now, I’d be lying if I said that I always write on a schedule. Sometimes the mood just hits me. And, sometimes it doesn’t.
While today’s post is about writing / blogging, it often reminds me of my Corporate experiences. When I worked in the hotel industry, I would be walking around and talking with employees. During those talks, they would either ask me for stuff or I’d think of something I needed or wanted to do. For years, I was constantly forgetting things. Or I would sit at my desk in a funk because I knew I had a great idea but just couldn’t remember it anymore.
Then a friend gave me this really nice little leather notepad with pen. Now I could walk around, talk with people, and take little notes. Got back to my office and took care of business. It was a huge time saver.
It’s kind of like those waiters who think they’re impressing you by not writing down your order. Then your food comes to the table and it’s totally wrong. Write it down. Then make it happen.
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