Learn how to overcome writer's block

The causes of writer's block

Business people sometimes come to a point in writing a memo, letter, e‑mail, or report at which they feel blocked. For most, that is an occasional occurrence, but for some, it happens every time they try to write. That is writer's block.

Writer's block may occur at any stage in the writing process: deciding what to write, recording notes about the content, writing the first draft, or polishing the words and sentences. The problem may be caused by any of a number of factors. For example, the writer may not know the subject well, may not have confidence in his or her writing, or may be a perfectionist.

The purpose of this explanation is to help you analyze your own experiences with writer's block and learn strategies to overcome it.

Answer these questions about your experiences with writer's block:

  1. I experience writer's block

    Never
    Rarely
    Sometimes
    Often
    Very Often

  2. What readers cause you to have the most writer's block?

    All readers
    Readers I don't know well
    My team members or colleagues
    My supervisor or manager
    Upper-level administrators in general
    Clients and customers

  3. Check all that apply to you:

    I don't feel I'm a good writer
    I am often criticized for my writing
    My supervisor criticizes me for my writing
    I am a perfectionist
    I don't know the subjects I write about very well
    I'm often afraid of the reader's reaction to my message
    I put off writing until the last minute and panic

  4. The stages at which I experience writer's block are

    Deciding on the subject
    Selecting content to put in the writing
    Organizing
    Deciding what to write first
    Writing clear, simple explanations for complex subjects
    Writing words and sentences

 

Analysis of your test

This test provides a profile of your writer's block. We'll use the results in the remainder of this explanation. Record your results so you can refer to them later if necessary.

Frequency of your writer's block

The first question asked you how often you experience writer's block. If you answered that you experience it rarely or not at all, you probably don't have a problem severe enough that you need to be concerned about it. You might skim the suggestions below and try one of the simpler methods of overcoming writer's block. That may be all you need.

If you answered that you often experience writer's block, then use the other items to identify the stage at which you experience it, how you feel about writing in general, and the readers with whom you experience it. That profile will help you decide how to overcome your writer's block.

Readers with whom you most often experience writer's block

If you checked "all readers," then the causes of your writer's block problem are going to be in one of the next two categories.

If you checked one person, or both "my supervisor or manager" and "upper-level administrators in general," then you have some fears connected with your perception of the reader and your beliefs about the readers' attitudes toward you. You will need to resolve those fears to overcome your writer's block.

These types of fears could be sufficient for you to talk with a counselor about them. Or they could be a justification for talking to the reader about his or her expectations and reactions to your writing. Finally, they could be alleviated only by finding another position or company to work for.

Usually, such fears are irrational. Listen to what you say to yourself when you start to feel the fears. Those self-talks will reveal to you what your concerns are. Write the fears down and do a reality check. Will the person really react like that? What is the worst thing that could happen? It usually turns out to be inconsequential.

One strategy for overcoming this type of writer's block is to write your first draft as though you were writing for some other, sympathetic person. You'll have to keep coming back to the other person because your mind will drift to the actual reader's face. However, allow yourself to finish the draft knowing you'll adjust it to the actual reader after you finish it.

Then, when you adjust the draft to the actual reader, allow anything about which you are unsure to stay as it is in the draft. That will permit you to keep your writing momentum without becoming stuck on one point.

Factors having to do with your confidence

The next items in the test evaluated how you feel about your writing and your degree of perfectionism. If you indicated that you don't feel you're a good writer, then you will need to take a long-term view of your needs. You have to start today becoming a better writer and spend the next few years enhancing your skills. That may sound like asking you to make a profound commitment of time and resources, but consider the benefit to your life and career if you invest in yourself now.

If you indicated that you don't feel you are a good writer but didn't check the boxes for "I am often criticized for my writing" or "my supervisor criticizes me for my writing," then perhaps you're being too hard on yourself. Do those around you point out problems with your writing or comment that it is unclear? If not, then you may not have such a problem with your writing as you think you do. Knowing that may allow you to relax so you lose the writer's block and take less time to write.

If you indicated that others do criticize your writing or comment that it is unclear, then you probably need to upgrade your writing skills even if you don't believe you are not a good writer. The criticisms and resulting writer's block will remain as long as you're not communicating correctly and clearly.

If you checked the box beside "I'm often afraid of the reader's reaction to my message," then you have a fear that is blocking you. You need to uncover the root cause of that fear.

  • If the subject is negative for the reader, you need to accept that the reader's reaction will be negative and communicate the factual information, causes, and effects, allowing the reactions to come without fear. You can't avoid them.

  • If the readers are simply abrasive or hostile people, you'll need to face their wrath regardless of how long it takes you to write the message. Consider writing a draft to someone who is not hostile, then adjusting it to the actual reader.

  • If the readers are not normally negative about the subject, your fear may be the result of personal issues you have. Counseling might help you discover the reason for the fears and overcome it. If you don't want to go into counseling, record your self-talks, what you hear yourself saying when you're feeling the fear the reader will react negatively, and do reality checks on the self-talks. Are they rational? What is the worst thing that could happen? Would that be so bad?

If you indicated that you put off your writing until the last minute and feel panicky when you write, budget your time so you write the messages you most dislike writing first. Leave the activities you most like doing until the disliked messages are sent. Respond to the readers the same day you receive a message from them.

Set a time for your writing. Usually, clear up the day's pressing business when you first come into the office. Then, at a specific time such as 10 a.m., start to write. Spend an hour writing the messages you must write and stop. You will have to adjust the time required to suit your messages. Writing is hard work. You can't wait for inspiration. You must punch the clock when it's time to write, finish the tasks, and reward yourself by allowing yourself to stop when the time to stop arrives.

Stages at which you experience writer's block

If you did not check boxes in the first sections of the test but did check boxes in the "stages at which I experience writer's block," then your block is probably due to your writing habits. Those are more easily remedied.

If you checked many or all the boxes in the "stages" section, indicating that you have writer's block at every stage, then the problem is likely in one of the other categories asking questions about how you feel about your writing, your writing competence, and the criticisms you receive. Consider whether you really do have fears that you weren't able to identify when you went through those sections of the text. You may not have. If not, then you simply have problems at a number of stages in the writing process.

In general, if you have writer's block in one or two of the stages of the writing process, you probably are mixing the stages. You must go through each of these stages in this sequence:

  • Decide on the subject
  • Select content to put in the writing
  • Organize
  • Decide what to write first
  • Write words and sentences

At each stage, you may go back to a previous stage, but don't skip stages. Focus on one stage at a time.

This section of the analysis of your writer's block problem explores each of the stages in turn.

Deciding on the subject

Normally, the subject is determined for you by the situation. However, if you know you should be writing something to the reader but don't know what, use these strategies:

  1. Decide on the best outcomes you could expect from the reader. What will the reader do, believe, or know that would satisfy your reason for writing? Those are your objectives. Write them down and use each in turn as the subject of part of your message. That may give you the sections you need. Adjust the sections so you combine them if they overlap.

  2. If you aren't sure what you want the reader to do, believe, or know, then your task may be too vague. Someone has given you a task to perform without clear instructions. Clarify what the person's objectives are and any expectations that person has. Don't stop asking questions until you feel you're clear about what you need to write.

Selecting content to put in the writing

If you are not sure what content you should put into the writing, use the mind-mapping technique to map the concepts in your mind.

Whether you use the mind-mapping technique or not, let the objectives for your writing guide your selection of content. Click here if you want to review the lesson on setting goals that you read earlier in this training. You are not required to read it again now. If you do read it now, when you have finished, click on the "Back" button on your browser to return to this page. Write what you want the reader to do, believe, or know as a result of your message. Look at each objective in turn. Decide what you must tell the reader for him or her to be able to accomplish the objective.

Start by jotting down notes with a word or a few words for each idea, but not complete sentences. You'll flesh them out later. You must keep yourself from mixing the stages. Don't start the writing stage before you finish the content ideas stage. When you have all the notes out of your mind into the word processor, then you can start to write.

Organizing

If you checked the box next to "organizing," then you aren't sure what order to use for your writing. That may mean that most of your writing is topical: it could appear in any order. Nearly always, however, some order is appropriate: chronological, problem to solution, importance, procedural, and so on. Identify the order that fits your message before you start to write. Avoid just writing, hoping that an organization will fall into place; it usually will not. Use the organization you select to order the ideas in the writing. That will help you put the ideas into a clear organization.

Read the explanation at this link to help you understand how to select an organization.

Deciding what to write first

You may find it difficult to start writing. The reason is usually that you haven't gone through the previous stages first. You must decide on a subject, write notes on the content, and decide on an organization. If you sit down and just start to write, your mind will swim with ideas and you may not be able to decide which should go first. You can't get your arms around it.

Use the mind-mapping technique first. Once you have the content, organize it. Then start to write the content. Write the central idea(s) first. Don't try to write more now. Write the rest of the introduction after you've finished writing the message.

Then, when you write the introduction, follow this simple structure. Your writing should begin with a clear introduction that explains the context ("Why is the reader receiving this now?"), the content ("What is in this message?"), the action ("What must the reader do after reading this message?"), and any memory information ("What facts must the reader remember after reading this message?"). Read more about introductions at one of these links: for e‑mails, for reports, and for letters.

Writing clear, simple explanations for complex subjects

If you find that the subject is so complex that you don't know how to explain it, imagine yourself sitting across from the most unknowledgeable, naïve reader in your audience. You're explaining the subject to him or her. Begin with "What I mean to say is . . ." Write down what follows.

Then polish the writing, but don't try to embellish it. Make it correct and readable, but don't introduce complex words and business language.

If you encounter something in your writing that is so complex you can't break it down, put a note to yourself to work with it later and go on. Finish the document or message and come back to it. Don't let that block your writing. After you've finished the message, you'll feel more confident about explaining the troublesome part. You also won't be blocked.

Writing words and sentences

Most people experience writer's block when they write sentences. The sentences don't sound right; they're not good enough; they aren't professional or businesslike. If you checked the box next to "writing words and sentences," then this is the stage at which you are having problems.

If the problem is that you can't decide what to write in the sentence, then your difficulty is with content, not the sentences. Decide on the content first. Don't skip that step before starting to write.

If you know the content you want to write, but agonize over every sentence and word, then you may feel your words aren't good enough or you may be a perfectionist. In either event, write the words as you would speak them. Then make minor changes to make them correct and clear.

You should not be using a special, unusual, business language. You don't have to learn a special style. We're helping the established business, legal, medical, and accounting professionals to stop using the archaic style and write like people speak. That's the clearest form of writing.

Follow these guidelines if you become stuck on words and sentences:

  • Imagine that you're speaking the words to someone standing before you. Use the "What I mean to say is . . ." beginning. What would you say? Write that down. Usually, the words you use will be clear, simple, and emphatic. Make some small adjustments to the sentences to make them correct and stop.

  • Actively avoid words and phrases that sound archaic. They probably are. Don't use "as per your request" and "heretofore" and the hundreds of other outdated words business writers want to use. Use the same plain, everyday English you would use in a coffee shop.

  • If you're unhappy with a word, phrase, or sentence, highlight or bracket it and go on. Don't let it stop you. It may come to you after you've finished, but in any event you won't feel discouraged when you can't get the message done because you've been parked at one sentence for an hour.

  • If you are a perfectionist, decide when the "stop" point is. Let your sentences go at a 90 percent perfect stage. You could do more with them, but you've reached the point where it will take hours to get that last 10 percent and it's not worth it. Set your "done" point and stay with it.