Writer's Block - Pulling Yourself Out of a Slump

We've all been there; staring at a blank computer screen, feeling like every word you type is trying to find it's way out through a dense fog. Sentences are impossible to string together and when you do write something you look it over and discover it could be the worst thing you've ever written.This happens to me more than I would like to admit. For someone trying to build a career writing, I get writer's block an awful lot.

But, the beginning of your career is when you need the most discipline. 

You may not have immediate deadlines, no one waiting on your next project or blog entry, but you still need to write. So, what do you do when words just won't come? When you've been starting at the screen for an hour, your brain feels like mush, yet you haven't written a word?

Everyone has different techniques to get them writing, these are some of mine;

• Force It: Keep writing. Keep your pen moving across the paper even if what is appearing is crap. You can always go back and fix it later, but the only way to fix a rusty wheel is to oil it and make sure it keeps moving. Once you stop writing, it's even harder to start back up again.
• Read: Read books that inspire you, books about writing or just books that have a style you admire. Whenever I read a really good book I know it's good because it makes me want to write. Read books you don't like and ask yourself why you don't like them. What would you have done differently and are you doing it in whatever you are working on? This may seem like a technique more for those writing novels but it's a great philosophy for anyone trying to write for a living. We already mentioned this once in Read and Write...A lot, but it's worth repeating.
• Get Up and Move Around: The beautiful thing about writing is that even when you aren't sitting down and writing, you can still be working. Sometimes it just takes a little change of scenery to get things moving again. Get up, stretch, walk, let your mind wander. I usually clean; this makes me feel like I've accomplished something and gets me motivated to keep accomplishing things.
• Turn off Facebook: Or Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter..whatever. Anything that is going to keep pulling you away from whatever you are working on; turn it off. If you're someone that knows you can't go long without checking, set yourself goals; you can check after you write 500 words, and then close it again. This is something I desperately need to work on; I have Facebook open in another tab right at this moment. Even though I don't follow my own advice, I know I need to, and you should to. 

These are just a few things you can do to get your creative mojo back. What do you do? Let me know and maybe I will make a revised list and include your suggestions.

Leave and comment and tell me your best writer's block cures! 

Writing is Not Solitary- Join Other Writers

Like I said on the "home" page, contrary to popular belief, writing is NOT a solitary profession. When we treat it as such we run the risk of losing out on valuable insights and opinions from people who are, or who have been, in the same boat we are.

Reaching out to other writers can not only help you learn the tools of the trade, it can also simply give you someone to relate to.

That, to reach out and help writers reach their goals, is the goal of the writing group I am part of, Capital City Writers. The group is "designed to provide support and learning opportunities for working and aspiring writers in their publishing pursuits." Whether you write fiction, non-fiction, romance, thrillers or essays (or are looking to freelance) the group is there to help you figure out the best way to make the most out of your writing career. 

Reaching Goals:

The group focuses on:

• craft and career support through workshops
• networking
• recognition of member accomplishments
• accountability, so you can achieve your goals 

To me, the most appealing aspect of the group was "accountability to achieve goals." Sometimes, I have a hard time sitting down to write. If I don't have a deadline breathing down my neck writing can be next to impossible. I love writing, but life's distractions simply get in the way. When I have people surrounding me with the same distractions, and sometimes more, who are still writing, I am able to see that it's possible. When I tell someone, "I will have 1,000 words written by the end of the week," I'm more likely to do it. The group offers unique ways to hold each writer accountable for reaching their goals.

Find a Friend

Now, you may not all have access to a group like this, and that's ok. Grab a friend, a co-worker, a loved one, and make them listen to your goals. If they share your love of writing set goals together and hold each other accountable. If they don't, tell them your goals and make sure they hold you accountable. Give yourself a small reward for each goal you reach, celebrate, give yourself a reason to write.

If you don't have anyone in your life who you can do this with, go online. Find groups and pages for writers and join discussions. Sometimes just talking about writing is enough to get the creative mojo in gear.

For serious writers, joining a writing group is one of the most important steps you can take in your career. Adding it to your resume or query letter shows future employers or publishers you are serious about taking your career to the next level. As many charge yearly dues it shows that you are willing to invest in yourself.  After all,

If you won't invest in yourself, why should someone else?

The best thing a writer can do is reach out to the other writers. That's why I joined the Capital City Writers, that's why I started this blog. That's why a fellow writer and I meet once a week to set weekly goals and make sure the other is accomplishing them. Even writers need to emerge from their writing caves every once in a while and make contact with the outside world...

Sometimes You Have to Write For.. Wait for it....Free.

 Now that you've accepted the fact that you might have to start small, let's take it back a bit farther. Try to come to terms with the fact that, for a while, you might have to write, brace yourself, for free. There may be opportunities that arise where the payoff is different than money. Each time you write you are gaining experience, knowledge, practice, maybe an audience, and you are getting your name out there.

 Keep your eyes open for opportunity. 

If someone offers you a job as guest blogger, take it. Does a friend have a website that needs content? Contribute. Book review for a local author trying to get their name out there? Do it. Does a friend need a paper edited? Yup, editing too.

 Most of the people I am currently writing for cannot pay me, yet. But, between those sites, this blog, and the few that are paying me, I have a new article floating around the internet, with my name attached, at least a few times a week (sometimes more). When I apply for jobs I have numerous sites, where I have written about many subjects in a wide variety of styles, that I can refer the employer too.

Trade Services.

Need help with a budget, advertising, design work, or building your website? Know someone who would be great at any of these? Trade Services. Someday, they might need something from you. Do a blog entry for your tech savvy friend if he will update your boring website. Edit your artist friends paper if they will design you a logo. Everybody is good at something and everyone needs help at one point or another.

Do it for the sense of accomplishment. 

If you're looking to build a career out of writing, you probably enjoy doing it. Trust me, no one would do it if they didn't find the process of making something out of nothing somewhat enjoyable. And, if you're a writer, you probably know how good it feels to simply finish something. And, maybe as a bonus, have it seen by one or two other people who enjoy reading it. When I write a book review and someone says, "I'm going to read that book because of your review," Wow. What a feeling. Someone read what I wrote, found it useful, and I helped out another author. Win.

So, write for free...simply to keep writing.

Read and Write...A lot.

My reading list in no particular order.

READ

The picture above is my reading list.  Recently I've fallen out of the habit of following, perhaps, Stephen King's most important advice from his book "On Writing" - read... a lot.  He makes it very clear that in order to cultivate your skills as a writer you have to be a dedicated book worm.  King provides example after example of the time he spends locked up in his work room reading a new book, in his car listening to audio-books (he counts this as reading, I'm inclined to agree), and bringing reading material with him wherever he might be traveling.  Reading is an important function for any writer because;

It keeps your mind sharp and provides a constant source of inspiration.

Start Small

  

“The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”

 
Everybody has to start somewhere, right?And freelancing is like any other job, you need to start at the bottom. And trust me, the bottom can be frustrating. But, small strides can be encouraging in this business, and even though I'm nowhere near where I want to be, I'm farther than I was a few months ago, and that's something.

The first thing you need to know is where to even begin. There are a lot of writing sites out there that claim you can make a ton of money writing for them. While those making a TON of money from these sites may be rare, the sites can be helpful in building your experience and portfolio. And it is while browsing jobs on these sites where you need to keep telling yourself,

"Start small."

Textbroker.com 

At the advice of a friend, I started out on Textbroker. Most of the articles you will write are small, 100-400 words, and cover topics like movie descriptions, product descriptions, website descriptions and things of that nature. There are a few lengthier articles that can reach about 700 words. These articles are pretty cut and dry, not much room for creativity, but they do help you get your feet wet. It was here that I learned about SEO articles. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and basically requires you to use certain keywords a certain number of times so that the article will be found in a search engine. It was also here that I realized I was not a fan of SEO articles. But, now I know what they are and how they work. The pay here is also small; anywhere from $1.00-$5.00 per article (some of the longer ones reaching $7.00). It's not a site you will be able to use to support yourself,

but it's a good start.

Odesk and Elance

From there I joined sites such as Odesk and Elance, where you can bid for projects that are of interest to you. The difference between these and Textbroker is that you are not guaranteed the job. You have to apply just like any other job and sometimes go through an interview. Once you are using these sites you will need to assign yourself a value. Since you will need to bid for jobs you need to decide what you are willing to work for.

If you can afford it, start small. 

Begin taking as many jobs as you can to build your reputation and then work your way up. Clients give feedback on these sites and the higher your feedback the more likely you are to get jobs (good paying jobs).

I am personally still working on getting the most out of these sites. It's hard to get in the mindset that it is beneficial to work so hard for such little money. But, in the long run, I know it will pay off to take mine own advice.   

What sites do you use? Where are you "getting started?"

It Really IS About Who You Know...

When looking for jobs in any career or field you always hear people say, "It's all about who you know." You hear stories everyday about how so and so's uncle got him a job in the mail room of his company and now so and so is a Vice President of Marketing. For those of us who don't really know anyone, this can be disconcerting and we hope it's just one of those things people say. Sadly, it's not.

The farther you venture out into the real world the more true this can seem and the more frustrating it can be. While it is possible to get the job and career you want without any "ins" whatsoever (I'm sure there is someone out there who has done it) knowing people in the field you are interested in can make things much easier.

While I am still at the beginning of my freelance writing career, the few jobs I have, I gained through people I know. Both were because I made a point to make it a well known fact that I write and was trying to find work doing so. One was through a contact I made while working at a coffee shop; a regular customer who I chatted with and got to know and who I later became friends with on Facebook. She saw I was looking for writing jobs and wah-la, I had a job.

The other was at yet another, non-writing job. It turns out one of the guys I often chatted with, complained about the copier with, had a wife with a marketing company. I mentioned to him I was hoping to get work writing (before I even knew what his wife did), he mentioned it to her and presto, my second job.

I don't mean to make it sound easy. I was looking for jobs all over the internet, writing measly little articles for a couple of dollars (which I will talk about in another post) and working random jobs in between meeting both of these people. I knew the woman from the coffee shop for a few years before I began working for her.

The point is;

If you don't know the right people right now, it's ok. 

Go meet them. Talk to people. Make conversation. Mention what you do.

Yes, It may be about who know, you just may not know them yet.