Hands up if you’ve ever gone to write some content and just… frozen.
Maybe you spent so long thinking about what you wanted your content to say that you never made it past the first sentence. Perhaps you couldn’t think of the perfect word – the one right on the tip of your tongue – and you couldn’t keep going until you found it. Or at first you thought your idea was brilliant, but after 5 hours of staring at the same paragraph you found yourself wondering if ‘spontaneous’ was a real word, does it mean what you think it means, and why hasn’t anyone else ever noticed how weird it is to say? Think about it. Spontaneous.
Stop overthinking!
If that sounds like you – honey, you’re overthinking your content. And I feel you, I really do. When I first started out, I thought that writing and then editing (gasp) a first draft was for the weak. If I couldn’t find the perfect word straight away, there was absolutely no way I was going to move on to another section and come back later. How could I move on, knowing that the words I had left behind weren’t exactly what I wanted them to be?
Everything. Must. Be. Perfect.
Straight away.
That is the biggest lie you tell yourself when you’re trying to write something down. It’s even more pronounced when you really care about what you’re trying to say. Writing a post to promote a business that you’ve poured your time and energy (and blood, sweat, tears, first-born…) into, for example – now that’s the perfect recipe for bringing about your inner perfectionist.
Or not-so-inner, if you’re me.
Get it all out
If you get bitten by a snake in the wild wild west, what’s the first thing you do? Suck the poison out. I realise this is not the most positive analogy, particularly if you’re a bit sketchy about writing content to begin with, but in the spirit of this post I’m going to roll with it. Think of writer’s block as something to be purged (too graphic?). Just start writing. If you can’t think of the right word, use a similar one and keep on going. Don’t stop until you’ve said everything you wanted to say. Get that content out of your head and onto the page.
Once you’ve removed the obstacle – whether it’s the wrong word, insecurity about the topic, or simply spending too much time re-reading the same sentence – you’re going to feel a whole lot better about what you’re trying to achieve.
Drafts are not the enemy
I’m the first to admit that I get a little superior tingle when I read through something I’ve written and only find some superficial changes to make. Smugly satisfied, I give myself a pat on the back. Congratulations, hole in one! Go me.
Lucy FTW #soblessed
I must make the point that this is the exception, not the rule. And that is exactly how it should be. Don’t write your first draft thinking that it will be your final draft. That is not what drafts are for. Proper, quality, carefully written content needs your love and attention.
Step away from the computer
If you’ve been staring at the screen waiting for inspiration to strike for so long that you’ve forgotten what you’re talking about, staring for longer isn’t going to help you. You need to take a break.
Here is how to write something that makes sense: Get the words onto a page. Don’t think about it too much, just write it down as though you’re explaining it to someone who knows you pretty well. Read this over. Make some changes to the content, structure, headings. Pause. Walk away, make a cup of (insert hot beverage of choice here), drink it away from your computer. Stretch. Phone a friend. Go back and read everything over again. Rinse and repeat.
Don’t panic
I know it seems like getting your content right is the most important thing ever. You’re not wrong; having great content is really important. That’s one of the reasons that I started this business. The beauty of written content is that you can come back to it later. You don’t have to finish everything straight away. The worst thing you can do for your productivity is stress about it.
If you’re really stuck, I know someone with a bunch of experience who could help you out.
(Here’s a hint: it’s me).
