Content Development
The Day the Web Went Black
The web will look a little darker today as some of the world’s largest tech companies take a stand against SOPA. Last night at midnight, Wikipedia shut down its English-language sites in order to protest plans to police the internet and combat piracy in the U.S., and they aren’t the only ones. (more…)
Suffering from writer’s block after a long weekend of sun? Don’t worry – it happens to us all! The following are some useful tips to get back on track.
Tip 1: Improve Your Focus
Sometimes it can be extremely difficult to sit down and simply focus. In order to improve your focus, find out which time of the day works best for you to sit down and write your most productive work. For some, this may be the wee hours of the night, for others it may be first thing in the morning. Once you’ve identified when your best writing time is, it’s important that you make an effort to schedule that time as working time. Another way to improve your focus and avoid writer’s block is to eliminate all distractions. For example, sign off of Facebook and close your Internet browser, don’t check your e-mail, don’t Skype your friends. In order to be truly productive it is best to avoid your Internet browser when working on online marketing writing.
Tip 2: Generate Ideas
To get started, come up with a good headline or title. A catchy title can help generate ideas and help you to formulate what your main points are going to be. Next, make sure that you have done thorough research and have enough background information necessary to begin your online marketing writing. An easy way to check to see if you have done enough research is to have a friend ask you simple questions about the topic. If you cannot easily answer the questions, you need to keep educating yourself. When conducting research, read an article that is similar to the type of writing that you are doing so that you can look to it for inspiration and assistance, but be careful to avoid plagiarizing facts.
Tip 3: Be sociable!
Still suffering from writer’s block? For online marketing writing, it is helpful to get online and ask for assistance from friends! Reaching out to your social circle can be very effective in generating ideas that can eliminate your writer’s block. Question and answer sites such as Quora or Aardvark can be helpful, and don’t forget about your Twitter and Facebook friends too! Software is also available to assist in the feedback process. These programs, (Wridea is a popular option) can help you search ideas on the web and then enables you to ask your friends for feedback.
Tip 4: Stretch and Exercise
A simple task, like stretching, can be of great assistance when trying to overcome writer’s block. Working at a computer all day can leave you hunched forward with a back ache. Stand up and reach your hands to the ceiling, then straighten your shoulders and push your shoulder blades together. This stretch, along with deep breathing, will help to stimulate your brain and get your thoughts in action! Another way to get your ideas flowing is to go for a walk or a run before starting to write. Statistics have shown that we think well when we are moving, so exercising is a great way to get your ideas going and avoid writer’s block.
Tip 5: Reward Yourself!
After 30 minutes of solid writing, reward yourself by checking your Facebook page or e-mails, calling a friend, or watching a bit of TV. As well, if you convince yourself that you only need to write for ten or fifteen minutes straight, you will often find that you will have enough momentum to continue writing for longer periods of time. By rewarding yourself, you will be able to reach your deadline faster!
How do you tackle writer’s block? Share your tips with the CIK Marketing blog readers.
