How to Break Writer’s Block

Getting Content Means Getting Text

Text Means Writing

Getting your site found…getting it ranked on search engine ranking pages, depends on content. Content on your practice website; content on your blog. And most of that content will be text. Sure, you may add some videos; you may add an infographic; or you may use your educational slide presentations for SlideShare embeds. But most of your health content will be text. That means you will need to write most of your content (or pay someone else to write it). And if you write, I guarantee that you will eventually experience writer’s block! This post outlines the ways that I break writer’s block when I lose my muse.

Content means text (mostly). Writing means writer's block. What to do ... Click To Tweet

As Always…Healthcare is Unique

The greatest challenge for those writing health content is that writing is not how you earn your living. Most of you earn your living through clinical practice. That means you have less time to write than “real” writers. It also means that you have less time for the methods that break writer’s block. Despite this limitation, try some of these tips…they work for me. And listen to the Podcast episode to hear some of Randy’s (Dr. Randall Wong) solutions for writer’s block – different solutions for different people.

Check out the article on RussAndRandy.com for more ways to overcome writer’s block, and listen to the Russ&Randy Podcast on iTunes  (the only marketing podcast by doctors, for doctors):

8 Ways to Break Writer’s Block

1. Get up. Move. Do 10 minutes of yoga, or Tai Chi, or dance to some up-beat tunes. Even some body-weight exercises…push-ups; jumping-jacks; Russian-twists; whatever. Get the blood pumping. It will wake your brain up, and help you to re-focus. Studies reveal that exercise makes you smarter.
2. Get OUT. Take it outside. If possible, get into some greenery. Studies show that even short time outside will lower your cortisol levels (reduce stress) and help you to focus.
3. Get rid of distractions. Turn off your cell phone. Put your laptop on airplane mode. Shut down the browser on your desktop, if that’s where you do your writing. Just disconnect for a while to keep email and other distractions at bay.
4. Get brainstorming. Brainstorm ideas in bullet points. Just let the ideas flow, even if the ideas seem unrelated to your intended topic. If a key ideas is unrelated to your intended topic, either focus on that new topic, or save those off-topics to your ideas file for later articles. That file is your insurance to break writer’s block in the future.
5. Get a different tool. Try using a different writing tool. Put aside Microsoft Word for a while and try using Google Docs. Or simply type directly into WordPress for your blog.
6. Get some caffeine. If you’re a coffee drinker (like me), try a strong cup of green tea. You might be surprised: green tea does contain caffeine, but also contains a secret ingredient that will prevent the jitters and anxiety that caffeine can cause: theanine. Theanine is why Asian monks have been drinking green tea for centuries…concentration, focus, wakefulness, without the jitters.
7. Get old-school. That is, get away from your computer. Really. You can write the old fashioned way – with a pen or pencil. Get some paper and start writing, sketching, doodling. You may be surprised how pen and paper will bring out your the creative kid in you.
8. Get a timer. One of those simply kitchen egg-timers, or set your watch, smart-phone, or computer timer. Set it for 25 minutes and write like a fiend during that time. Don’t worry about your grammar or spelling. Just write flat-out. Then stop for a 5-minute break. Repeat.
9. Get writing. That’s right: the only way to break writer’s block is to write. Just do it.

Whatever you do, don’t simply give in, waiting to be “inspired.”

If you truly need inspiration for writing, visit the website of Jeff Goins, writer.

What works for you when you “lose your muse”? Please leave a comment and let me know!