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Written by Christine Mais
I just don’t know what to write anymore!!! As a creative writer, that thought may have crossed your mind many times in the past. You’ve felt as though you’ve cultivated every thought you can think of, but there’s more. So much more. By understanding your audience, being willing to learn, and authentic, you will expand your way of thinking in order to combat writer’s block.
Know Your Audience:
Start off by always ask yourself these three questions:
Who am I talking to?
What do they want to hear about?
Is there a way for me to include my own perspective?
This thought process will allow you to think about the commonalities between you and your population of readers. In order to create content that will attract attention, you have to know whose attention it is you want to attract. It’s the way to connect with your readers.
In fact, we’re doing it right now. If you are someone who is struggling with ways to combat writer’s block, then yes, we are currently having a one on one conversation. Relatively speaking, whether you’re writing to entry-level journalists about which industries are best to start their careers in, or to PR strategists on how to make their storytelling more captivating, it’s important to be specific in order to connect with your audience.
Be Willing to Learn:
There is no such thing as knowing too much information. As a writer, it is important to be a reader, a researcher, a networker, a person who is willing to put themselves out there in order to gain knowledge. Use what you learn as leverage to create great content.
Personally, the most helpful way for me to combat writer’s block is by learning through other people. Everything is based on past experiences. From zoom calls, webinars, networking groups, and more; information is gained through conversation.
Authenticity is Key:
Be yourself when writing. It makes your content more enjoyable to read. People love being able to get a glimpse of the writer’s world, so if you are able to incorporate personal experiences, it makes it even better. There have been times when I thought about sharing a story, but stopped myself, automatically reverting to, “Hmmm I don’t know, this may not sound professional enough.”
Ever since changing my mindset to a “share your thoughts” approach, my engagement has increased & I’ve been able to come up with topics to write in a much easier and quicker way.
For example, instead of being private about being furloughed from my job, I opened up and shared my thoughts about it with my LinkedIn community. The responsiveness was more than what I expected.
Along with authenticity is vulnerability. They go hand in hand. One of the best ways to be authentic is through vulnerability. Allowing yourself to open up to others clearly reveals that you keep it real.
Grant Faulkner, Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month, talks about it here and says, “Vulnerability is the birthplace of creativity. Our stories won’t truly connect with readers unless we take the emotional risks that spark kindred feelings of authenticity.” Yup. Agreed.
I close with this. Writer's block is real, but if you work hard enough, you can most definitely combat it. The above are just a few, but key ways that will impact your writing greatly. The next time you get stuck, remember to think about your audience, connect with your resources, and allow yourself to be authentic & vulnerable.
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