When you're writing is going nowhere
Hello,
I worked at a record label in my 20s. I was responsible for looking after a few US labels in Europe and so each week I sent out a newsletter to the European distribution partners about all the lovely records I wanted them to sell.
“Stick something nice at the start, like something about the weather,” said my boss when handing this task over to me. I know she didn’t mean to give them a weekly London weather update but it was hard to think of anything generic to put at the start of that weekly newsletter to help build a relationship.
Over time, I got to know the people better who read these emails. I could put in some in-jokes or stories. But at the start, I’d always comment on the weather because I didn’t know what else to write. I felt sorry for those guys reading my emails for the first few months of doing that job.
It’s also why I can sympathise with anyone stuck on how to write things like intros on emails, social copy, blogs. You don’t want to always be commenting on the weather (or whatever the alternative is for you). Saying the same things all the time gets boring.
This week I’m looking at what to do when you feel like your writing is drifting.
And in case, you’re wondering, I put my big coat away today.
When your writing is going nowhere
Sometimes when we’re stuck on what to write or how to start, it’s best to just start. You can allow your thought and words to travel across the page without any particular direction before you get to the point.
It might seem like a waste of time - writing for the sake of it - but actually, you’re letting your thoughts percolate. Your brain is busy working in the background trying to get everything you want to say into a coherent order. And to do this you sometimes just need to write.
I’ve heard people say that the best way to never get writer’s block is to always have a plan. Create a structure for your writing and know what you’re going to say.
Of course, having templates and filling in the blanks is a great way to cut out time and get the words down. But there’s also a downside to this. Your writing becomes formulaic and it lacks a certain pizzazz. The bits that make your copy you or your brand.
You risk sounding just like everyone else who uses those templates.
A couple of weeks ago, I spoke about newsletters and mentioned that I’ve seen a lot of newsletters during some research. What I’ve seen is that when so many people use the same templates, I can tell when I get a template letter.
Now, I’m probably in the minority and your average customer isn’t going to be getting lots of the same email template. But then again - do you really want to be doing what someone else is doing?
I’m not saying don’t use a template. I am saying use them with care.
Instead, when you’re struggling with what to write, let your words flow onto the page without thinking about them. Then start writing your blog, sales page, email, whatever it is.
Let’s say you’re short on time. You don’t have space in your day to arse around writing something that isn’t good enough for publishing. But if you spend more time deliberating over what you do need to write, not knowing how to kick off the introduction, then you’re wasting the time anyway.
Editing is your friend
One of the techniques I was taught was to delete the first sentence and if the story still made sense then it wasn’t needed in the first place. If you can delete the first paragraph of your work and it still makes sense, then do it.
Fellow newsletter reader and coach, Janine Coombes, put this more eloquently in a conversation this week (and she also doesn’t know she’s about to be quoted):
“Brain fart and edit later.”
The problem with a cut and paste template is that you’re not doing the brain fart bit. It treats writing as something that can be done to a recipe. When you approach your content in this way, you remove some of the magic that makes it you.
Instead, think of templates as a way to guide the structure. As something that helps with the format.
Formats
There is a lovely newsletter called Formats Unpacked which breaks down how different formats work. When it comes to content, you can play around with these formats to add more creativity and flair to your writing.
If you read last week’s email, I used a different format because my week was short on time. I changed this in-depth look into a subject to following the format of a brilliant poem.
When you start looking at your content in terms of formats, you can see how you can develop an idea in a different way. What if you were to write your newsletter as a poem? Or a serial? What if your blog became a script one week or followed the format of an advert from the 80s? How would that help you get unstuck from feeling like your writing is going nowhere?
Importance of play
What we’re talking about here is playing. It’s creating exercises to take us out of our everyday actions. Your writing style will flourish more when you play.
In his book, Play, author and psychiatrist Stuart Brown, MD, compares play to oxygen. He writes, “it’s all around us, yet goes mostly unnoticed or unappreciated until it is missing.”
We don’t question the importance of play on a child’s development. We know that it’s crucial to help them learn. So when it comes to improving our own writing, should we not be doing the same?
As adults, play tends to come in the form of sports. We relate play to being competitive, being the best, and winning. But what if instead of seeing our writing as work, we see it as play. We carve out some time to let our minds wander, to try other styles and formats and let ourselves enjoy it.
Let’s face it when the writing starts to feel like work, when our words are losing the power we need them to have, it’s usually because it starts to feel like work.
So have a play, let your words wander around and delete the first thing you’ve written.
How I help
I’m here to help you create better content so you can sell your product or service without it taking over your life.
Copy Clinic - Unblock your content conundrums
Content Strategy - Building you a sustainable content strategy
Content Creation - Clever content for compassionate businesses
Have a great end to your week and I’ll see you next Thursday!
Fiona