3 Tips to get writing. Even if you don’t feel like it & nothing interesting pops up in your mind!

Kirsten Back Author

Staring at an empty screen, feeling the pressure of not meeting your posting deadline is not a good scenario to get creative...

“It’s easy for you – as a copywriter, you never get stuck with writing!”

I thought about this sentence that I’ve heard so many times. And in my head, I usually answer: “You couldn’t be more wrong – I also get stuck. Mostly because I hold myself to the standard of writing content that my community values and reads!”

Today is such a day.

I am totally stuck. Yesterday was my content creation day and I had other urgent business to take care of. So, I started my Tuesday on my back foot and minus my weekly blog post already written.

I then made the mistake to put pressure on myself to write really quickly so that I can stay on top of my week.

And here was where I took my first wrong turn…

I skipped my “inspiration” routine because I thought that I can save time and just go straight to my desk and something that I can write about will pop up.

Well, it didn’t.

So, tip No. #1 is:

Create an “inspiration” or idea generation routine (and then never skip it!)

I have written about my “inspiration” routine before. It’s simple and works for me like a charm. When I follow my routine, I sit down to write with a post already pre-written in my mind.

Here’s what I do (and I am kicking myself that I didn’t this morning!):

I walk or run with my dogs every morning and on the way to the forest or beach, I listen to a podcast. I have three or four podcasts that really inspire me and while I’m listening, I pick up some ideas that I can relate to my business.

I make a mental note of that idea and as soon as I arrive at the forest, I also capture that idea or multiple ideas on my phone.

I then pick one of the ideas and start running. The process of running or walking really gets my creative juices flowing. I start mind mapping in the purest form. Simply in my mind, without paper and only the occasional note on my phone.

While I’m running, I’m able to totally focus on this idea because there is nothing else that could possibly interfere with my focus (apart from the odd decaying hedgehog or possum that my sweet collie girl loves to roll in).

I don’t have to be anywhere else, there’s no screen in front of me, I don’t answer the phone or meet anyone – I can’t even busy myself with making myself a cup of tea!

This “forced” focus allows me to think my whole post through in my mind. And when I have finished my run, I have a full blog post laid out in my mind.

To be safe, I capture the main points in my phone and then drive home mulling over it a bit more.

All I need to do then is…

• Feed my dog because she would otherwise not leave me in peace
• Make a cup of tea or take a bottle of water to my desk (to stay hydrated and keep my brain functioning)
• Check my phone and start a mind map

From there onwards it’s just the home stretch. I have a writing process – (you can read about it when you click on the image) and follow that until my post is written.

Tip No. #2 is not for those faint of heart!

Read a couple of your oldest posts and “refresh” them

Even though reading your old posts might make you cringe (you have grown and developed as a writer and expert since), they usually contain some noteworthy thoughts that you could develop further. And if you’re lucky, you only need to edit and update your post.

However, when you are repurposing content, always make sure that you…

• align the “old” content with your actual writing goal and call to action
• check that your “old” content fits into one of your content pillars
• ensure that you are writing for your current target audience
• give your post a fresh headline (because headlines can always be improved!)
• make sure that your repurposed post is written in your brand voice (because that could change over the years)

Other than that, you’re pretty good to go and get yourself unstuck.

Find inspiration in competitors’ blog posts

If you haven’t so far – it’s a good idea to do it now – to identify a handful of direct or very close competitors. They have a similar audience to you and most likely write about similar topics.

But be careful!

Only seek inspiration, never copy!

If you know yourself and your differentiation, your brand, and your ideal clients, then you can write a post that is inspired by a competitor from a completely different angle and with insights that your competitors are not mentioning in their posts.

Often, it’s enough to just read the headline and take it from there. Then you don’t run the risk of copying anything (but obviously change the headline too).

I find that during the writing process, the content takes its own direction and ends up vastly different from the post that inspired me.

A few last words…

Let me assure you that it is totally normal to suffer from writer’s block. Staring at a blank screen and unsuccessfully trying to force your fingers to type something amazing is not a big deal.

It doesn’t make you a bad writer, a copycat, a loser, or an imposter. It’s just something that we need to learn how to deal with. And I hope that these three tips will help you with that.

And lastly, being able to write content from any prompt or idea that pops into your head requires that you have your “foundations” in place…

• so that you know yourself in depth and holistically. That you know what sets you apart and how to express that with clarity. Knowing yourself adds your personal perspective that your audience wants to hear
• so that you know your ideal clients, what they want to hear, the style they like, and the information they need for their specific stage of their customer’s journey
• so that you can refer to your offer and weave that into your post in a subtle way so that your audience sees the value in what you write and your offer
• so that you can write in your own (brand-) voice, adapt the content to your own values, purpose, stories, and messages

So, if you’d like to know more about how you can create foundations that make you a better and more versatile writer and marketer, then send me a message and we can talk about how I can help you.

Categories: Content Creation, Contentwriting, repurposing content, writer's block, writing tips