Breaking Through the Wall of Writer's Block

We live in, perhaps, the fastest - moving period in time where we are constantly being challenged to keep up with our ever increasing emails, mail, junk mail, voice mails, text messages, etc. Despite technology's efforts to make our lives easier, we seem to have more to do to just keep up.

For those who choose to write for business or a hobby, these distractions make it harder to get an idea off the ground. The distractions are constantly coming up. And if you are trying to create space and time to write a book, a screenplay, an article, or just a journal entry, time just seems harder to come by. Ideas that we had yesterday, last week, or last month seem to become burdensome to accomplish. And yet, writing is a great release and a wonderfully energizing exercise for the brain. So why do we keep putting it off?

As someone who makes a living as a Writer For Hire, I can tell you that writer's block is a challenge that can be mastered. What I have found in my 28+ year career is that while the task of writing something may seem daunting at the outset, it is never as difficult or as worrisome as I make it out to be. Here are some proven techniques I have used to break through the burden or writer's block.

Step 1: Find a quiet place in your home, office, or local coffee shop where you can write without being disturbed. This means shutting off your cell phone, closing your door, if necessary - hanging a "Do Not Disturb" sign on your office door. This is very important. Distractions from the outside world will continue to take your focus off what you are there to do and prolong writer's block. With just 20 minutes a day to yourself without distraction you can make great strides in a short period of time.

Step 2: Clear off your work space. If you have clutter - push it to the side where you can't see it. Create space where you are comfortable sitting and thinking about your task at hand. Get your cup of coffee, your soda, your water, or whatever you might need to drink while working. Now sit down and begin.

Step 3: Identify your task, then break it down into small pieces. For me, this usually involves an outline of the different components that make up the overall project. If I am working on a book, I need to know what the chapters are going to be. If I'm working on a client's newsletter, I need to know the topics we are going to be covering and who I will be interviewing for those stories. If I'm journaling, I usually give myself a timeframe like ten or twenty minutes to get my thoughts on paper. Keep it short, simple and manageable so you won't resist doing it.

Step Four: Don't worry about making mistakes; let your creative mind create. Worrying about every little detail as you plug along will only slow down the creative process and kill your creativity. Allow your thoughts to flow and as they do, write them down. Don't worry about typos, grammar, or filling in information that you don't have. These things can be dealt with later. Writing should be a release; it should be energizing and fun.

Step Five: Get an aeriel view of the project: Now that you have an idea of where you are going, take a look at the missing pieces. How many chapters will the book have? How many topics will your website cover? Identify the order in which you are going to approach this. Then schedule time for the first chapter, the first topic, the first interview, or the first journal entry. If you have time now, great. If not, schedule another time that you can commit to right now. Put it on your calendar. Don't give that time away.

Step Six: Stop worrying: Now that you have a timeslot for the next writing session, stop worrying about it. You are already moving in a forward direction.

Step Seven: Capture ideas as they emerge. After you have scheduled a time to start the first piece of the overall plan, you may have ideas that come up before that time. Write them down. Don't make the mistake that many busy people do of "thinking you will remember these thoughts or ideas later." You probably won't unless you write them down.

Step Eight: Try not to worry. Much of the worrying that we do about writing something is for naught. How fast we write or how well we write can always be improved as we practice our craft. Don't expect perfection at the onset. Instead, perfect your project little by little by going back to it and improving it as you see fit and recognize the need.

Step Nine: Reward yourself for each attempt at writing. Whether you got everything accomplished this time or not, the point is that you did something! That something is significant because it moved you forward and got you closer to your overall goal. As they say, "Rome wasn't built in a day." I personally like the expression, "Slow and steady wins the race." So each time I finish a dreaded task of writing something that was tedious or difficult, I give myself a break to do something I enjoy. For me, it might be walking around my garden outside or sitting in a chair in the sun and doing nothing for 15 minutes.

Step Ten: Write more often and it will get easier. I have found that when I am not busy enough, I have more anxiety about writer's block. How I break through that is by doing non essential writing - like writing a letter or two to friends, posting an article on my Hub, or even reading articles I have previously written. By immersing myself in my craft, I regain confidence in my ability to write. And that launches me to a new place where I am, again, excited about the process of writing.

Let this be a fun process for you; one that you can enjoy and that will propel you to reach for new heights and greater goals for yourself, whether personally or in your business. Good luck!

To see writing samples by Pat Kramer, Writer For Hire, go to: www.writerpatkramer.com.