Where did the blog go?

Things have been a bit quiet around here. Sorry about that.

But we haven't stopped blogging, we've just moved. Our new blog is over at: http://www.clear-comms.com/category/blog/

Hope you'll come and take a look...

The easy way to beat writer's block

There's a cure for writer's block. There really is. It works for me, anyway. And I'm going to share it with you now.

But first, a warning. Because the cure for writer's block sounds counterintuitive. So you'll just have to trust me on this. Or, better yet, try it for yourself.

And here it is - the cure for writer's block is as simple and as straightforward as this - you just have to write something.

Okay, admit it, you're feeling staggeringly underwhelmed. But stick with me...

They say the hardest thing about writing - the single biggest cause of writer's block, in fact - is difficulty getting started. But actually, that’s just one part of a bigger problem…

I honestly don't think there’ll be too many times in your life when you really can't think of anything to write. Given a subject - your business, the state of the economy, chocolate... whatever it might be - you'll start coming up with ideas straightaway. You won't be able to stop yourself.

So the problem isn't getting started per se, it's knowing how to get started. It's knowing how to sift through those initial thoughts and get them down in an order that makes sense. Because - and here's the big reveal - I think writer's block is really just fear of failure.

Most people whether they're writing a sales letter, a blog or even a tweet want to take the time to get it right. To make every phrase pitch-perfect; to ensure that every line leads effortlessly into the next. But that's a big ask.

There are days when everything you type turns to gold. It all just clicks into place. But, let's be honest, that doesn't happen nearly as often as we'd like. Writing is a slow process and a hard slog. It's a bit like throwing words at a wall and then peeling away the layers, re-shaping and re-working until we've got something that's at least close to what we originally intended.

So the next time you're stuck for ideas, try this: forget about structure. Forget about getting it right first time. Think about your subject and let the ideas come to you... then take a deep breath and type like the wind!

Your action plan

So, next time you're struggling to get going, just start writing. Write something; write anything. Leave your critical faculties at the door and give yourself ten, twenty or thirty minutes - no longer - and see what comes out. It'll work.

At the end of your allotted time you'll have got something down; possibly quite a lot. So instead of spending half an hour thinking through possibilities A-Z and wondering how to start, you've already started.

Yes, you'll need to sift through it all with a fine tooth comb; to move things around. You'll certainly need to edit. But I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you can accomplish. And by how much you can write.

There are a few rules though:

1)    Once you've set the time aside - stick to it. If you give yourself thirty minutes, don't stop after twenty and pick up again later.

2)    Do not - whatever you do - edit as you go. That comes later. Turn off the grammar and spell-checker if you have to. Just write, keep writing and don't look back.

3)    Don't get hung up on structure - write things down as they come to you. Structuring information once it's all down on screen is relatively easy. Coming up with the ideas - that's the hard part. So as long as the words are coming, keep writing. 

As long as you know your subject, the ideas will come. Then it's just a case of getting it all down as quickly as possible. And if you can do that, then you've already beaten writer's block. And the more you give in to that subtle stream of consciousness, the more you'll write

Still stuck for words?

If you are, then I'm going to go out on a limb and make an assumption. You can't get started because you don't know enough about your subject.

I can happily rattle off a few hundred words on any of those subjects we talked about earlier - don't get me started on chocolate - and I bet you can too. But I'd have a hard time writing more than a few speculative lines about nuclear fission.

So if you're having a hard time getting started, take some time out to research your subject. Then try again.     

There’s more…

This isn't just the cure for writer's block, it's the ‘extreme sports’ version of writing. Copywriting without the training wheels. And it's liberating.

Try it sometime. Ditch your normal processes and just write. No plans, no pre-conceived ideas. See how far you can get in an hour, and compare that with what you'd normally write.

Remember, this is not a systematic process; it's all about spontaneity; about giving your unconscious free reign. It can produce some spectacular results.

How do you beat writer’s block?

You may have some tried and trusted ideas of your own. We’d love to hear them…

Or if you’re looking for some help with your next copywriting project, head over to www.clear-comms.com

  

Don't you just hait that?

Don’t worry, that really is a deliberate mistake. But how does it make you feel? Angry? Frustrated? Tearing your hair out? Join the club.

But aren’t we just overreacting a teensy little bit? Do spelling errors and grammatical inconsistencies really matter that much?

They really do. And I’ll prove it to you.

It looks like Christmas is going to be a busy time here at Clear-Comms, so I thought I’d get in early with some Christmas preparations. Like making sure my children get their letters from Father Christmas. Or, according to one site, that would be their ‘letter’s’ from Father Christmas. One mistake, I could live with. But this superfluous comma was repeated throughout the site. No mince pies for that grammatically challenged Santa!

That little faux pas was all I needed to take my business elsewhere. After all, if they couldn’t be bothered to get that right, what hope for the letter itself? Would my children grow up thinking Father Christmas had snuck out of English Lessons for a crafty mince pie behind the reindeer sheds?

Fortunately, we’re not the only ones who think this is important. Charles Duncombe, the entrepreneur and director behind the Just Say Please group, recently told the BBC that you could actually identify the specific impact of a spelling mistake on your sales. (So that would be a selling mistake.)

He had the figures to back him up too. Apparently, revenue from his tightsplease.co.uk website nearly doubled once a spelling error had been corrected. Based on that sort of figure, it’s safe to say that spelling mistakes and grammatical mistakes probably account for millions of pounds worth of lost revenue every week.

So clearly, it pays to get these things right, eh Santa?

Competition time

Given that we’re so focused on getting these things right, what happens when we get them wrong? Why don’t you find out? There’s a spelling mistake waiting to be found in our first newsletter. If you can find it, we’ll treat you to 5% off our next project fee.

Oh, and if you’re not on ‘the list’ just send us your name and email address to sign up.

What's in a name?

I used to be a copywriter. A good one too, clients told me. But these days, I'm a freelance writer. Now, I know what you're thinking. But trust me, this isn't just semantics.

At Clear Comms, we work hard to create exceptional sales copy that's clear and easy to read. And that means every word we use has to fight for its place. If we don't need it, we don't use it. It's as simple as that. So we don't like needless ambiguity. And that word - copywriter - is a great example.

Tell people you're a copywriter and plenty of them will think you're a copyrighter. It's an easy mistake to make. But we really don't know very much about protecting artistic rights. No one's asked us to write about that yet.

So why all this fuss over one little word? Well, whenever I'm meeting new people and talking shop, I'd much rather talk about what I do, than what I don't do. Tell someone I'm a freelance writer and we can get straight to the interesting stuff. Typical next question: "Oh really, what sorts of things do you write..."

Okay, I'll admit it. This isn't a big issue. However, it is a good example of the way we think. We don't take things at face value. We scrutinise job outlines and creative proofs to ensure they make sense. And we keep working at getting things right. Sometimes that means going against the old ways of doing or saying things. So be it.

I'll be interested to hear what anyone else has to say about this. You can even call me to talk it over if you like, just don't call me a copywriter!