Finding creativity when you’re stuck in the swamp
Writer’s block is the white-knuckle nightmare of writers everywhere. The problem is not the getting stuck but how debilitating it is. The more you stress, the more you’re stuck. If you’re a small business owner using content marketing as your online strategy, who has time for all this drama when you’re out there pounding the pavement?
I’m going to share a secret with you. Manufacturing creativity is a powerful antidote to writer’s block – every single time. In fact, I would argue there’s really no such thing as writer’s block…
Last week at the Art of Marketing Conference in Toronto, David Usher explored the idea of manufacturing creativity to an audience of more than 1,000 marketers. He believes anyone can consistently produce creative work with the right training, tools and process. And I agree.
Prolific writers are made, not born
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I’ve written more than 2,000 blog posts, bylined articles in national newspapers and magazines like the Boston Globe and Women’s Health and contributed to countless anthologies, guidebooks and regional publications. And that’s not including the fiction book hiding on a hard drive in my basement or the countless essays and articles that will never be ready for public consumption.
Yes, I’m a writer but the writing process has never been easy for me. Like many writers, I’m wildly insecure about my writing and being published rarely reassures me. In fact, it pushes me to produce more and stretch further, like a race with a million way points. For me, manufacturing creativity is hard work and takes an extraordinary amount of energy but without it my creativity would be dead in the water.
Concentrated effort
My muse is a lot like Miley Cyrus – she performs better with bon-bons and liquor and lots and lots of immediate attention from her peeps. Trouble is the window of creativity is pretty small once alcohol becomes part of the equation – and hiring your own cheerleading squad is not exactly work-friendly.
To get around my muse (read: shut the tramp up), I’ve created a routine that fires a signal to my brain that it’s time to work. It’s a constant reminder that yes, creativity is work. If you’ve read anything about forming a new habit, it takes almost a full (painful) month for it to settle itself in your brain. The good news is that if you’re diligent, you’ll be manufacturing creativity on a daily basis and writer’s block will be in your rear view mirror.
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Everyone’s creative process is different and depending on the medium you’re working in, you’ll need different tools and triggers to fire yours in the direction you want to go. These are mine…
- Set the stage – Dedicate a spot that’s just for your creative process. If you normally sit at a desk, move to an armchair or sofa maybe. Or if you’re in a cubicle, move to a lounge area – just find a more secluded spot so you’re not bothered every couple of minutes.
- Go to the bathroom – It might sound silly but making sure you’re physically comfortable lets you concentrate on the work at hand. While you’re at it grab yourself a (non-alcoholic) drink so your brain stays hydrated while under pressure.
- Turn off all distractions – Shut down email, Twitter, Facebook and whatever else drags your attention away from creating. Every time your brain swerves away from producing, you’re losing efficiency. Procrastinating with social media is creativity-killing habit.
- Just do it – Duct tape your editor and just write. Ignore grammar, punctuation, spelling mistakes – all of it. If you focus on the details, you’re allowing that trampy muse to win. Just let yourself write.
- Edit like a drill sergeant – While free-writing creates the gravy-train of content production, editing distills it something digestible. Your blog posts represent you online and ensuring that your thought process is on-target and your content is mistake-free will set you apart from the hobbyists. I don’t know about you, but I’m in business to make a living.
- Invest in tools – Writing compelling content is only the first step. Invest in an editorial calendar, SEO, social media and a kick-ass web presence that signals to search engines and searches that you know what you’re talking about. All of that combined lets your customers know you’re the right company to invest in for their needs – and that’s a beautiful thing.
Are you ready to rock your content marketing strategy and put writer’s block in your rear view mirror forever? I would love to hear how you do it and if any of my tips helped. Of course, if you have any to share, I’ll be eternally grateful as well – I can use all the help I can get!
Let’s continue the conversation on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn (whichever one works best for you) or leave a comment below.