writers block – Julie L. Cleveland

Write Your Way to Success Writing About What You Love

Time and again, I have heard teachers say, “Write what you know”. Well, what if what I know is not that interesting? I know how to make ice, but I wouldn’t write a whole column with step-outs on how to make ice. I might be interested in an ice maker, though. I also might be interested in writing about the different types of ice makers, but that’s about as exciting as watching paint dry. While it has benefits for those who are interested in buying an ice maker – and I am one of them – I cannot imagine spending a whole day or even weeks writing about ice makers.

What I can imagine spending a whole day writing about is something that I love.

I have been fortunate enough to love cars, as well as write about them. The same is true for my trivia books and my jewelry books. I love puzzles and games, and I have written crossword puzzles, word search puzzles and fill in the blanks puzzles. Most of those puzzles have been used to market a product, but the end result is I was able to write about something I love.

The benefits of writing about what you love:

You’re never out of ideas
You never get tired of coming up with new copy
You can talk for hours to a client about why you should write their copy
You never have to fake your passion
It doesn’t take much to get you excited
You want to write and write and write

I am sure there are many more benefits, but these are the ones that I run into daily, so I thought I would share them with you. I hope find something that you are passionate about and can spend your time writing and writing and writing.

AWAI helps people get started writing copy that can lead to you writing about the things you love. Here is a link to give you an idea of the programs they have available.

The Benefits of Writers being Readers

If you want to write, it’s probably because you spent your childhood reading. Once you discover the magic of being swept away in a great story, it’s hard to imagine yourself doing anything but writing.

Reading can be instrumental in enhancing your writing career.

Here are a few benefits of being a reader:

Understand story structure
Help get a feel for what readers want in a story
Get your creative juices flowing with new ideas
Learn from famous authors
Enhance your language skills and learn new words
Explore new genres and styles
Learn what doesn’t work and why
Learn new cultures and lifestyles

There are so many other reasons to read, but these are some of the most beneficial to you as a writer.

Life is busy, but make time to read. Kindle on your phone puts books at your fingertips, so when you’re waiting in line or at an appointment, you can find a few minutes to read the next chapter of a book.

When your writing needs a boost, pick up a good book and start reading.

Writer’s Block Prompts

As we’ve discussed in the last blog post about writer’s block, writer’s block is tough to get around, and it happens to all of us.

For fun, here are some quick prompts that may get your creative juices flowing:

She stopped suddenly and looked up when she heard the tornado sirens begin to wail.
He ducked as a large insect missed colliding with his forehead. “What was that?”
There is a story in the newspaper about someone vandalizing gravestones.
Her missing cousin showed up 13 years later and had a story that was unbelievable.
She hung up the phone in disbelief. Who knew that she was a relative of …
He stared at the painting on the wall of his best friend’s living room. It looked like the original Mona Lisa, but that was impossible.

For even more fun, here are some things to ponder:

You just found out that you won the lottery. What is the first thing you’re going to buy?
You got an invitation to your high school reunion. What memories or horrors does that prompt?
You were looking at the stars in your telescope, and then you saw a bright object that you didn’t recognize. Who do you call?
Your neighbor hasn’t been seen for weeks. When is the last time you remember seeing him/her?
You see a boat on the horizon, and then it disappears. What do you do?
Your best friend calls you up to ask a favor; a big favor. Do you help them?
When you unload your groceries, you notice that you have a bag that doesn’t belong to you. What do you do?

Hopefully, there is something in these prompts that spins off an exercise that banishes the writer’s block.

If you still are looking for prompts, here are some of my favs:

Writer’s Block and Tricks to get Past it

Having writer’s block is like having a bad dream. You want to write; in fact, you might have a deadline that demands that you write. The closer the deadline looms, the harder it is to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Don’t know why this is, just know that it is, and I struggle with it a lot.

The old watched pot doesn’t boil thing comes to mind, but this is different. This requires panic and running around the house doing laundry, checking the refrigerator, playing with the dog and maybe some screaming. Mostly, it’s panic as those minutes tick on and on relentlessly.

How do you get past the writer’s block?

Stop panicking.
Stop counting minutes.
Stretch.
Move about.
Forget about the task.
Play with the dog or cat.
Fold your laundry.
Do the dishes.
Clean out the refrigerator – don’t clean it out by eating everything.
Listen to music.
Read a short story.
Get some sunshine.

Once you stop letting the deadline control you, your mind will do exactly what you trust it to do. It will come up with the words and get the project finished before the deadline. You have to trust yourself to do the job you know you can do.

Writer’s block comes and goes, and every project will get done in the time you allot for it. If you really cannot finish it in time, talk to your editor, publisher or client and work out a solution. Being stuck is not the end of the world, and you will be stuck again.

If you did wait until the last minute to finish your project, use Grammarly to check it over before you send it off. I use Grammarly for everything!