A Cure for Writers Block

So you want to get more authority in your industry and you’ve been advised that writing a good blog is the way to go (good advice by the way!).

Is your first thought “Me! Write an article! I haven’t written anything since I was at school. Or how could I write a blog post, nobody’s going to want to hear my ramblings, I just don’t have anything to say”.

For many people, the simple fear of sitting down and writing means many ideas remain behind closed minds.

So how easy is it for someone who’s never written down their thoughts to start writing a blog post or an article?

The secret is a system and it’s that system I want to share with you today.

• Firstly get the first couple of thoughts down on paper, this is the key. I carry a Dictaphone with me always and if I see something inspirational or hear something in a podcast or on the radio in the car I make a note on my Dictaphone.  You will probably have one of these on your phone already, use it.
• Write something, even if it’s just your name. Just pick away at your keyboard until the letters begin to form words. Before you know it, a story will begin to appear.
• It doesn’t matter if the grammar is rubbish, it doesn’t matter if the spelling is way off.
• Get the ideas down on paper. Then go back and tidy it up.
• A word of warning. You may have the idea, now you need to get some facts to reinforce it. Use the internet as a research tool. But don’t use it to plagiarise other people’s work.

But what will I write about I hear you cry? Back to the Dictaphone, or what about a story?

We all have stories in our head and one Saturday morning in a shopping centre I watched as a steady stream of people sat in front of a TV camera and recorded their stories.

They all felt the urge to talk about their interests, their passions, hobbies, favourite holidays and why they think the world is in danger, or the price of sausages, which has doubled over the past year apparently.

All of them had a story to tell. All of them could have written an article or a blog entry about what interests them.

Out of curiosity I went down to speak to some of them. Talk about niche marketing… this was as personal as it gets. There was a lady with the Morris Minor car that she’d driven for the past 20 years. The same car she passed her test in. A young lad who loved a particular series of horror books. A retired scientist who now writes sonnets. A beautician who also drives stock cars. A man who specialised in photographing the British Royal family. And an entertainer who has his own small cinema in a shed in the back garden.

All of them with a story to tell, but up until now probably thought it wasn’t worth telling.

So just remember, when doubts stop you from writing, somewhere in the world there are people just like you. People with the same interests and passions and who would love to hear from you.

• Make your blog personal and start a relationship with your readers.
• Make them want to follow your ups and downs, your experiences.

So what are you waiting for?

Start a love affair with your keyboard and start writing.

Good luck, and please let me know how you get on.