One of my college tutoring center co-workers would bring in cans of chili for lunch. I’d watch him methodically open the can, dump it into a bowl, and microwave it. Then, he’d sit down across from me and ask me how I was able to write. It was a lofty question every time, and I’d never give him the answer he wanted.
He once challenged me to write a poem in under five minutes and I wrote one in three. He was equally baffled by me. Math was his life. For predominantly right-brained people, sometimes the task of sitting down and writing something seems impossible. But it’s honestly not. There is, however, a difference between not wanting to write and wanting to write but not thinking you’re able to write.
Not wanting to write is valid. So, if you don’t want to write, hire someone to write for you! But if you want to write and don’t think you can, you’re going to need an overhaul of your old high school approach. Here are a few exercises you can try out to see if they stick.
Get into a creative mindset with a blackout poem.
When I teach poetry workshops, I often include time for blackout poems. Try not to let the word “poem” intimidate you. This poem doesn’t require you to write anything. (Austin Kleon has plenty of examples.)
How to “Write” a Blackout Poem
- Take an old book, newspaper, or magazine article, and skim it.
- Underline any words that jump out at you with a permanent marker. The words don’t have to be anything specific. Something like “why” might seem important at that moment or “dinosaur” or “blue”. This is a no-judgement underlining session.
- Once you have those words underlined, read through them and see if you can begin to form a poem in your head. Can you create some sentences, sentence fragments, or a list of related items? Put a box around the words you think you’ll use.
- My favorite part is sharpie-ing the rest of the page because it can be such a cathartic process. You’ll leave your boxes un-sharpied. These words will make up your poem. Read through it one last time and, if you’re satisfied, you’re done!
- If the poem still seems a bit off, sharpie in any boxes that no longer serve the poem.
Blackout poems are a really fun way to force yourself out of your comfort zone. When you get yourself out of a rigid routine, it can cause new ideas to start bubbling up for your business blog—it’s cliché, but it’s science!
Tell your story to your phone.
Rather than sitting down and staring at a blank page (or screen), pull out your phone, click on your voice recorder app, and narrate your story. This also helps you not edit as you go, which is a difficult habit to break, especially for newer writers. The problem with editing as you go is: Your left brain writes and your right brain edits. Code-switching like that while you’re writing can be detrimental to the process.
The voice recorder app allows you to tell your story like you would to a friend over drinks. Tell it unabashedly with no filter. (You can add a filter later.) Let it sit for a day minimum to distance yourself from it. Then, when you’re ready, sit down at the computer and transcribe it. As is. Pretend it’s someone else’s story you’re transcribing.
When you’re done, you’ll have your stream-of-consciousness draft. These are the best kind. And a lot of the time, there are so many cool ideas within them, so you might be able to get multiple blogs from them.
Go to Walmart and write about your experience.
People watching is perfect for finding stories, and the easiest, least creepy way to do that is to go to a store with lots of people in it. (Obviously, coronavirus has thrown a wrench in that, so be safe if you try this exercise!)
I’ll often shop around to get out of my own head for a while, and as I walk the aisles, something is bound to happen. I’ve heard fights; seen people meticulously sticking to their shopping lists with pen and paper in hand; and noticed interesting product placements. I was even once approached by a man with condoms safety-pinned all over his baseball cap. He wanted to know where the chips were. They were right next to us.
While this might not be your goal for your business blog—to write about the interesting things people do in stores—it does get your brain working in the right direction.
What’s next on the business blog agenda?
These three tips are launch points for your business blog writing practice. It’s all about consistency, so if you want to write, write for a few minutes each day. I know that can sound daunting, but here’s what I actually mean: Write at least one sentence fragment per day. This can be a blog idea, a to-do list, something creative, or even a line within your content marketing plan. Just the act of putting pen to paper for a few minutes can spark ideas. And if you need a little help along the way, send me a message.
Rebecca Ferlotti is a content marketing manager and diehard Clevelander who loves to cook and create charcuterie boards. When she’s not writing at home, she’s traveling the world, having been to 22 countries and 23 states. She has presented her poetry at conferences and in coffee shops, and has given talks about effective storytelling since 2015. Rebecca is a graduate of John Carroll University twice over – a BA (English) and an MA (Communication Management).
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