Here at The Urbane Way, we are content creators at our core. We are constantly scouring the depths of the Internet for the most entertaining, relevant and thought-provoking information that we can share on behalf of our clients.
And while it may sound fun that we get to dig through Twitter, Facebook and countless other sources for this content, it doesn’t mean it’s easy — and it rarely just falls into our laps. And just because we do it every day, it doesn’t mean that we don’t get writer’s block just like the rest of you. But when it’s your job to do a significant amount of writing each day, it’s important to have ways to combat the problem so that you can get back on track and continue to put out stuff that clients’ audiences care about and will react to.
So what do I do when I have the writer’s block blues? Here are a few tips:
I get physical. No, I’m not talking about punching my laptop screen, because no one really wins in that situation. I mean I get up and walk around for a bit, shovel some snow, or throw a load of laundry in the dryer (a perk of working from home). It gets my blood flowing, and it’s a mental break from the task at hand. I’m not doing this once an hour, mind you, because I’d end up losing an hour or more out of the day, but it does happen several times a week.
I get my tweet on. Just looking through my general timeline on Twitter — where I can see updates from every single one of my followers — is a way to clear my brain for a few minutes. If I’m trying to find a cool event happening in Chicago this weekend for one of our client’s blogs, chances are one of the people I follow in Chicago will mention something of note. Or maybe they won’t mention something specific, but they’ll say something that will trigger a memory of an article I had read previously and meant to come back to down the road. It’s amazing what the conversations on Twitter can inspire.
I move on. Sometimes a blog post for that particular client just isn’t going to happen at that exact moment in time. If I’ve truly hit a wall, I’ll move on and come back to them later in the day. By the time I come back, I’ve written other articles, my Twitter timeline has had time to refresh itself with hundreds more tweets, and I have a fresh perspective on the situation.
Knowing how to react is the first big hurdle when you simply can’t be as innovative and interesting as you want to be in your writing. But by momentarily distracting yourself, walking around for a bit, and gleaning inspiration from those around you, you’ll find yourself ready to tackle the troublesome post.
Are there any tips and tricks you’d add to this list? Let me know in the comments section.
Post by Erica Finley, digital media strategist at The Urbane Way and @Erica_Urbane on Twitter. At The Urbane Way, we specialize in social media marketing and PR and lifestyle branding. How can we help you?
Photo credit: crosathorian
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