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.

When It's Okay to Write for Minimum Wage--or Less!

I don’t believe in churning out an article in seven minutes to make minimum wage rates. Most of my clients, whether they pay per word, per project, or hourly, pay me approximately $25 - $30 an hour.

But I also believe it’s okay to write for extremely low rates, or free, sometimes. I mean, I’m not going to pass judgment on anyone who accepts $1 per article. Personally, I won’t go that low. (In fact, I’d rather just do the work pro bono than accept that rate—it’s a pride thing).

But when will I write for low rates?

1. When I’m starving. Well, okay, my freelance career has never reduced me to eating Ramen (at least, not when it’s not by choice… I have a great recipe for noodles with peanut sauce, though!) There are times, however, when a quick $10, payable upon acceptance through Paypal, may be just enough money going into my account to pay my electric bill a few days before it’s due. So if the pay is fast and the work isn’t hard, I’ll do it.

2. If it’s a topic I love so much, I’d write about it for free. Some topics, like freelance writing, parenting and paintball, I just love writing about. Why else would I run this blog? In the niche market of paintball journalism, after you add up the time actually covering an event (and getting shot at!), selecting photos and writing the story, the hourly rate is in the pennies. But it’s a passion.

3. When the perks rock. Even though the pay stinks in paintball writing, fields typically comp you entry to the event, encourage you to play, and often toss in a case of paint. Paintball costs a lot of money, so the comps make up for the pay rates. Oh, and I’m a total you-know-what for free concert tickets, DVDs and books, too!

4. When it's a cause I believe in. I will write pro bono for certain charities or causes, but I've also been known to devote time to paintball teams who I believe are dedicated to improving the sport. (Please don't contact me to see if I will write for your team for free!) These are hand-picked teams, mostly in situations where I'm good friends with the owner/captain. These guys have my back on the field, so I do what I can off the field!

5. When the work isn’t hard. There’s $40+ an hour of interviews, transcriptions, and pages and pages of notes to put together a cohesive, captivating feature article for a print publication. Then there’s $10 an hour to write a blog post on a topic you know well, that you can write one-handed on your iPod Touch while you’re nursing the baby. (And now my biggest productivity secret is out!)

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!