HOW TO OUTSMART WRITER’S BLOCK (+ 3 MORE HELPFUL TIPS)
Mastering the art -(slash- social science) of clear, effective communication is hugely important in running a successful business.
And life in general.
You can have all kinds of methods + templates + language running through your brain, buuuuuut….
If you can’t make yourself START writing (or you constantly get discouraged in the process), you can’t share your message with the folks who genuinely need it.
And that’s not good for any of us.
In this fun video convo with my buddy Carrie Green (founder of the Female Entrepreneur Association), I’ll help you clear through some of this “mindset stuff” and get. you. WRITING.
In part ONE of this vid, you’ll learn:
- How to choose your words wisely
- A quick ‘n’ easy way to outsmart writer’s block
- Why it’s SO important to move past perfectionism
- How to seek USEFUL feedback
PLUS…thanks to a delightful bonus round starting right at 9:33, you’ll also learn that….
- Carrie‘s hilarious and reeeally good at starting over
- We had no idea what to title this vid – and we DID IT ANYWAY
- I desperately need a live-in hair stylist
- Flubbed lines are infinitely more enjoyable when shared with friends
Click below to watch (or take a listen):
Click here to watch directly on YouTube.
And how much do you love that Carrie kept the bloopers in??
She’s not just brilliant + gorgeous – she’s got a great sense of humo(ur) too ;)
IN A (COCO)NUT SHELL
1. Choose your words wisely.
If thoughts become things, and I believe they DO, you’ve GOT to watch what you say about yourself + your writing skills.
Flip the script. Instead of saying “I’m horrible at writing” or “ACK it takes me SO. long. to write!!”, say “I’m actually a pretty goodwriter,” or “I get better at writing every day.”
Make sure it’s something a) positive, that you want to reinforce, and b) that you actually believe.
2. Outsmart writer’s block.
It’s really comfy hanging out in the land of “can’t do it. got writer’s block.” I know. I get it.
But the longer you wait, the more “anticipatory anxiety” you get – just rip the bandaid. Shut down distractions like social media and email + set a timer for 10 (or even five) minutes. When that time is up, take a break if you WANT, or just keep going.
You’ll be surprised how inspiration meets you right where you are.
NOTE: Even if it’s a “charming” first draft – it’s progress. Momentum is a powerful thing!
3. Move past perfectionism.
Say it with me: Really good IS good enough. It doesn’t need to be perfect; it just needs to be shared.
There’s humanity in the imperfection – and as long as you’re clearly making an effort to go pro, people will appreciate that! It’s all about the JOURNEY + relatable credibility.
And think about it this way: If you really believe you’ve got something of value to offer your people, it’s actually selfish of you NOT to share it.
So, from one recovering perfectionist to another: GET OVER YOURSELF.
:)
4. Seek USEFUL feedback.
We don’t communicate in a vacuum. It’s a two-way street! You’ve got to know if your message is “landing” and received as you intended. But in order to GET useful feedback, you have to know how to ask for it. Three tips for that:
1. Be specific. i.e. “Would you know how to sign up?” or “Does this sound cheesy?” vs. “Soo, what do you think?”
2. Add context. Let people know WHO you’re trying to reach and WHY – so that they can give you informed feedback.
3. Return the favor. Don’t be “that one” who only comes in to take, promote, or ask questions. Give (useful feed)back any chance you get!
BOTTOM LINE(S)
You can do this. (In fact, you already ARE doing “this.”) So give yourself some credit, lady.
Know that even though it SEEMS we learned to read, speak, write and listen on autopilot, effective communication takes practice. And discipline. And GRACE.
For all of these things, cheerful accountability + support is priceless. Find community of folks who know what to watch for and are happy to offer feedback. (I happen to know of a pretty great one ;))
Join me at acourseaboutcopy.com and I’ll tell you all about it.
LIKE QUICK TIPS LIKE THESE?
Then you will *love* my mini-course ACAC Prep School, a full library of 20 micro-lessons created to help you become a clearer, more confident writer in less than two minutes day.
(Did I mention your investment counts TOWARD your full ACAC enrollment whenever you feel like upgrading? YES.)
YOUR HOMEWORK
Pick one micro-assignment to complete in the comments below:
- Say something POSITIVE (+ true) about you and your writing skills.
- Set a timer for five minutes (can I get 10?) and start writing something you’ve been avoiding. Report back when you’re done.
- Pick a page, post, or project you’ve been a little TOO precious about and either publish + share it…OR slap a publish DATE out in public for some accountability.
- Practice seeking or offering useful feedback by sharing a link and asking a specific Q (or replying to someone else’s!).
Don’t skip out on this one, buddy. You can do eeet!
To YOU – the one who gets better at writing every DAY,
P.S. If you liked this post + want to help me spread the word by using the links below to share it with your buddies, I would greatly appreciate it! You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel if you’d like to see new videos before I’ve had time to turn them into blog posts ;)
P.P.S. Wanna watch those bloopers another time or ten? Be our guest :)
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