The Secret to Beating Writer’s Block

I’ve had kind of a rough month. My working vacation at the beginning of April turned into more vacation and not so much working. Which was fine as far as recharging the batteries and having fun, but left me with a pile of stuff to finish when I returned.

Living out of a host of hotels up and down I-95 for the past few weeks left Ashley particularly clingy; I’ve spent a disproportionate amount of time holding her, at the expense of housework, work or any sort of social life. To add to it all, I’m trying to transition her into her own sleeping space (we’ve been co-sleeping for at least half the night, every night). Ironically, when she’s sleeping on her own, I’ll get a lot more sleep but the interim brings a lot more sleepness nights. (Just when I grew accustomed to five hours being a “good night’s sleep!”)

Enough whining, I promise. It gets better. And it got better. Because I remembered a very important writing rule: Writing breeds writing.

I had fallen out of the groove. I felt like everything I wrote was garbage, I had no ideas, and couldn’t put a sentence together. Finally, yesterday morning, I popped in a Baby Einstein DVD for Ashley and promised myself I’d just write one blog post. I put up a short post for www.paintballsportsmag.com. Don’t worry; I’ll wait while you go read it if paintball is your thing and you’re so inclined.

See? It’s not my best work, but it’s informative, short and useful, and the editor liked it. From there, I did some work on another blog project, finished a review of the Cushi Tush infant seat for Babies Online, and by the end of the night, I felt like my writing wasn’t half-bad anymore. I had also gotten considerably faster.

I’ve been doing this a long time, and it’s the same story every time. Not writing feeds on itself. If you don’t make that commitment to sit at your keyboard and produce something, not writing becomes the habit.

However, writing does the same. And beating writer’s block really is that easy.

Here’s the six-figure secret to becoming a full-time freelance writer: Just sit down and write.

You will probably think what you created was awful. It might be. Or maybe it won’t.

If you’re really unsure, send it to a trusted friend or colleague. If you need a boost in confidence, send it to your mom. The point is, you will have written! And as you write, it gets easier. As you don’t write, it gets harder and harder to begin. So just take that step.

Some people might ask, “Do e-mails count?” Here’s my answer: They count if they count. I use e-mail as such a basic part of my existence, I don’t mentally count them as “writing.” Some people do, and say writing an e-mail is a great way to beat writer’s block. It’s never worked for me but if it works for you, then yes, it counts. If a 140-character Twitter post gets you out of the funk, more power to you!

In more than two decades as a paid writer, this has worked for me every single time. The problem is, when you’re in that funk and can’t write, the obvious answer (to write) doesn’t seem so obvious. I know it’s not for me, until I do it, and then I say, “Why didn’t I do this earlier instead of wallowing in misery.

Post this on your wall as a reminder, if it helps. You can do it!



JUST WRITE.

Win Prizes!

A happy result of social networking is the opportunity to WIN FREE STUFF. Really. Did you know that there are tons of prizes to be had out on the World Wide Web, given away by bloggers like me? (Wow, could that sound any more like bad sales copy??)

A friend of mine won a $15 gift certificate to a grocery store during a networking chat the other night. Another friend won a lovely gift set of lotions and soaps at the Tuesday night Business & Learning Chat. (They don’t give away prizes every week, though. That was in honor of Tammy Munson’s birthday). They’ll be giving away even more at the Business & Learning Expo.

There are a few great contests going on right now, too.

Until February 11, you can win a free copy of Deb Ng’s ebook, Beyond Blogging, through the blog Lively Women. (Don’t let the blog’s title deceive you, men can win too.) Deb Ng is one of my favorite people in the freelance writing/blogging world and I’m sure that whatever she has to say has LOTS of value. She knows blogging; she knows how to network; and she is a pro at making money on the Web. She is also an extremely talented writer, which, lately, has gotten to be less and less of a prerequisite to make money as a writer on the Web, so I have the utmost respect for her and what she does.

Another one of my favorite writer chicks (and I can call her a chick because she’s cool like that!), Julie Fletcher, is also holding a contest at her blog, Family Resource. Go to the site, leave a comment per the instructions, and you’ll be entered to win a free car seat ID for your child. This contest is sponsored by My Precious Kid and even if they weren’t giving away cool shwag, it’s a great place to check out if you have kids.

Finally, Babies Online, your resource for parenting, pregnancy and free baby stuff, is giving away free copies of the DVD Screenplay by the children’s rock band Milkshake, along with the band’s latest CD, Play!, and the first-ever Milkshake comic book. Go to BabiesOnline.com to find out how to win and read my review of the band. (Yes, I always save the shameless plugs for last).

Why Blog?

In my last blog post, way back in February, I promised a blog every few days for the month of March. How about... None? The truth is, once my energy started to come back, I had fallen so far behind on my paying freelance work, I had no time for blogging and other "fun" writing pursuits. Clients have to come first.

Which brings me to an important question. If it's the first task to get dropped when life gets busy, why blog at all?

I know why many other people blog: to promote their name or their company, to make money through Adsense or another earn-per-click program, or simply to feed their ego and have people read their work. Still other bloggers blog "for themselves," to share their thoughts and feelings with the world in a way that is free of an editor's intervention, advertiser interests or pesky publication guidelines.

But why do I blog? I haven't yet gotten to the point where any of my blogs are doing a great job promoting my brand, so it's not for self-promotion. Yes, I find blogging fun, but no more or less fun than writing a feature story for a paintball magazine.

I'm going to be brutally honest. I blog for attention. I thrive on comments and feedback. I'm not an "attention-whore" in real life, and, in fact, shy away from being the center of. But when someone makes a comment, or links back to my blog with the comment "great post," that small thing makes my day. That's why I blog.

Now, where do I blog?

I just launched a new one as a tie-in to RECON, the Magazine of Woods Paintball. Check out RECON, the Blog. I also have guest bloggers, some big names in the industry, helping out there sporadically.

And, as referenced recently in the comments section here, I blog at Miss Michele's Tarot, where I offer a variety of free and reasonably-priced tarot readings for my visitors.

I also blog, as I mentioned earlier, at Babies Online. I love the unique perspectives offered at this site from a variety of moms and pregnant women. I don't always agree with the posts, but I always find them thought-provoking and informative. Check it out.

Oh, and please leave a comment so I know you were there!

Writing and Researching for Life

I write in so many diverse industries, most articles give me a chance to learn something new--but not anything I can apply to my life.

It's great when I get to write about topics that I would research even if I wasn't being paid to do so! That's why I feel truly blessed to have landed a spot as a blogger over at Babies Online. I will be writing a pregnancy diary, filled with tips and advice for expecting moms.

I've also been a guest blogger at Family Resource, thanks to the lovely and talented Julie Fletcher.

In addition to all this research about pregnancy, I also did a bit of research for after the baby is born. You'll see my article, "Baby On Board: How to run an at-home business with an infant in tow" in the latest issue of TheWAHMmagazine, coming out March 5.

Between new blogging gigs, trade magazine assignments, and ongoing work for RECON, I've sorely neglected this blog.

I'm going to get on a twice a week schedule of some sort for March. It is one of my JHS goals!