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Avoiding Writer S. Block

How many times have you been struck by that curse fiend: Writer S. Block? Here are 11 ideas on how to keep Block at bay! These ideas come from over 15 years experience at writing, presenting, training, and speaking.

Make a list of all the words that go with your topic

Write the numbers 1 to 25 down the side of a piece of paper (or down your computer screen). Next to each number write a word or phrase that has to do with the topic about which you need to write. Next, star the top 5. Repeat the process for these 5 words. By the time you finish the lists, you will have a jumping off point for your use.

Play around with the images and colors that come to mind with your topic

Picture the subject as a graphic or presentation. What images come to mind? What colors do you see? What do you see as the overall picture and color? Note these themes and colors, and add them to the list of tools to present the idea. Create a mindmap of the linkages and icons used commonly to describe your topic.

Research information and links to the topic

Search for your topic on the best and brightest of the search engines and meta-engines. I use Google and Dogpile, but others work as well. Be sure to check out the other topics listed at the bottom of the page for even further ideas. If you use the information from a website or newsgroup article, be sure to let them know, get permission, and acknowledge that they gave you the idea.

Free write an outline

Sit in your friendly outline creation tool and free write the outline for your project. Don't think linearly. Instead, think topically. Try to come up with keywords and ideas that you haven't yet considered.

Daydream what will happen with the completed project

Picture yourself at the end of the project. What are you saying about it? What are people praising? How does the end result look? What would tell you that the intended audience got your point and will be able to use it?

Create interview questions someone could ask you about the topic

Approach the questions from "What would the reader want to know" instead of "What do I have to tell someone or I will burst". Once you have the questions, answer them. Use this as your outline.

Describe the end result in 100 words or less

Refine and define the base ideas for your project and document them. Think in terms of an executive summary: Pretend you are writing to a group who has been up for 24 straight hours. You have 100 words before the audience falls asleep - what do you tell them?

Describe your end result without using the words used to describe it to you

This exercise is similar to the first exercise. However, your lists can not contain any of the words normally used by the experts to discuss the topic. This exercise works especially well if you need to create materials to instruct or communicate to an audience made up of newcomers to the topic.

Look at the topic through someone else's eyes.

Change the audience and document what you would tell them about the project. Think and write or draw what others see or want to know about the topic and the end result.

Play the 15-minute game

Spend 15 minutes writing a description of an item in your office or on your desk. Time yourself. Write the entire 15 minutes, no more. Next spend 15 minutes writing on the goal of your project. Again, time yourself and write the entire 15 minutes, no more. For the third 15-minute segment, pick another office object. Finally, do a 15-minute period on the look and feel of the presentation. By taking the 15 minute breaks, you have forced yourself to think on something else and let the subject percolate through your self-conscious. . At the end of this hour, your brain will be bursting with ideas to write and say about the topic.

Set it aside for another task

What if you still don't have any idea of where to start or what to say? My advice is to set the project aside and try again on another day. It is always easier to start a new project when your mind has let go of the other work that is on your plate.

One final word on the fiend Block

Many times he brings along his friend "Pro Crastin Ator". If you have been visited by Pro Crastin lately, it may be a signal that there is something about the project which you don't like, don't agree with or don't which makes you uncomfortable. In these cases, try applying the ten ideas above to the part of the project which makes you uncomfortable. This should help you overcome Pro Crastin Ator and Writer S. Block at the same time!