15 ways to smash through writer’s block (and create great content)

In the past few weeks, I’ve talked to several small business owners struggling with resistance. These are whip-smart entrepreneurs working on their websites, blogs and email newsletters, eager to connect with their community and grow their online presence. They’re creating some, or all, of their own content, and although they know they can, they keep getting stuck. Some folks call it writer’s block. I call it time for a new approach.

I’ve so been there, and I’ve learned that squashing resistance is the name of the game.

Here are 15 ways to smash through writer’s block, for anyone writing, creating or brainstorming. It’ll be like this:

1. Shitty first drafts. In her influential book on writing, Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott bluntly introduces the concept of shitty first drafts. All good writers write them, she insists, so you might as well embrace it. Don’t be a perfectionist. Just start somewhere and know that you can change it later.

2. Write by hand. Step away from the computer! Many writers advocate the power of handwriting, including one of my favourite creative writing teachers, Sarah Selecky. Personally, I find writing by hand liberating: it signals to my brain that this is an exploration, a draft, and not something bound for instant publication that has to be perfect on the first shot. Like #1, this takes the pressure off.

3. Listen to the people around you. Your friends, family members, neighbours, colleagues and especially your clients are all telling stories. Pay attention to the situations they find themselves in, the observations they make and any questions they ask. Think of them as muses, case studies, and metaphor-makers. Look for connections. You’d be surprised at how easy it is to link things back to your message.

4. Pay attention to what YOU say. How do you describe your business or latest project to a friend or acquaintance? What jokes do you make? What do you hear yourself saying a lot? Don’t be afraid to pause mid-conversation because you’ve had an ah-ha moment and need to write it down. When that happens, the hardest part is usually over.

5. Keep a notebook (or notebook app) handy at all times. Related to #4, you have to keep a notebook handy to capture ideas when they arrive when you least expect them. (I also try to get a notebook by my bed, because ideas sometimes ideas like to live in that strange lucid place between the waking and sleeping worlds.)

6. Read. By reading actively you internalize the voice and flow of a piece of writing and can then apply it to your own. But because you then risk developing copycat syndrome… I recommend reading something you enjoy that’s totally unrelated to what you’re trying to create. You might find inspiration for your blog in a magazine or a novel, for example. Reading something entirely different can help you loosen up and recharge your relationship with language.

7. Join an existing conversation. Respond to a recent article or column with your own counterpoints and ideas. This relieves the pressure to find your own original idea—but keep an open mind as one may arise in the process!

8. Set some deadlines. Sometimes you just need a deadline. If you don’t have a hard internal deadline, set one with a colleague or even a friend. Accountability buddies can be a tremendous help in keeping you on track, especially if you also plan to review each other’s work and provide feedback.

9. Just brainstorm. We all had to make those little brainstorm clouds in elementary school, were you start with one word and think of all the other words you associate with it. That format may or may not work for you, but the principle holds. Sometimes when I’m stuck (particularly with titles, names and concepts), I trying writing in a vertical list, starting a new line with each new thought. It doesn’t matter if 99% of the ideas stink. The point is to come up with as many as possible in the search for that rare gem.

10. Schedule it. Whether you set aside 30 minutes every day or an entire afternoon as needed, scheduling creative time can make a huge difference. I used to write for an hour every morning before work, and it became a crucial part of my routine, as important as drinking coffee and having a shower. (And sometimes I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t want to go to work at all…)

11. Talk to yourself. Use a recorder or the recorder app on your phone to talk it out. Online content should be chatty and warm, like a conversation…so if you don’t feel like writing, try talking! When you think you’ve hit on a few good points, transcribe the tape and see what you’ve got.

12. Start anywhere. Start in the middle. Start at the end. Start with one thought or image and continue from there knowing that it can all change. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself to come up with the perfect opening line. You can come back to the beginning when you’re all feeling nice and limber.

13. Try different formats. Don’t let yourself get hung up on structure and flow. If you can’t get in through the front door, take the window! Try a Top 10, a how-to, or a “Reasons why…” list. Try an audio or video blog. Take photos and write captions that tell a story.

14. Try a change of scenery. You know those nights you can’t sleep, and you toss and turn for so long that your bed begins to feel like a prison? But then you move to the couch, and somehow…you drift off. The same thing happens when you put a lot of pressure on yourself to create. Move your office outside, to a coffee shop, or even to the couch. Think of it as hitting the reset button on your brain.

15. Do something else. The best ideas come when we’re in a relaxed and even meditative state. I often get ideas when I’m doing something seemingly mundane, like driving, running or doing the dishes, or when I’m passively consuming art—by visiting an art gallery, for example, or watching a play. I think this happens because the mind is somewhat stimulated but still has a chance to wander. Liz Gilbert’s wildly popular Ted Talk on creative genius touches on this: creativity sometimes feels external to us, and can take flight unexpectedly. Keep an open mind and keep that notebook handy.

So that’s it!

If one of these approaches works for you, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.