Don’t waste time waiting for inspiration. Begin, and inspiration will find you.
H. Jackson Brown Jr.
People often forget what a creative job being a freelance copywriter is. On good days, my mind is a well-oiled machine, with my fingers having to keep up with the stream of beautifully formed thoughts coming out of this tiny brain. On bad days? Well, you’d be lucky if I can muster more than ‘the dog sat on the mat.’
We all hope to fall into the first category, but writer’s block can sneak in like a secret ninja. Whether it’s sleep deprivation, life’s little distractions (I’m looking at you Neighbour-With-The-World’s-Loudest-Drill-On-Project-Deadline-Day) or just pure brain fog, the words don’t always come easily.
If you feel like your creative flow is a dry trickle, don’t stress. Here are some of my best tips for summoning your inner wordsmith to open the floodgates once more.
What Causes Writer’s Block?
First off, let’s take the mystery out of the term “writer’s block”. Repeat after me… THIS. ISN’T. A. DEADLY. CONDITION. There isn’t a magic pill to stop it, but understanding what’s behind your lack of flow is key.
When I have a day when the words don’t come easily, these culprits are usually lurking in the background:
- Tiredness (hello 1am screen scrolling!)
- Self-criticism (“A 3-year-old could write better than this today”)
- Boredom & lack of motivation (trying to muster spirit for a 2000-word piece on industrial cement? – we’ve all been there)
- Stress (nothing sparks creative juices like 99 deadlines and Wi-Fi issues, right?)
- Procrastination (who doesn’t love a TikTok wormhole?)
- Disorganisation/lack of structure (dealing with 100 preventable things as they fly at you)
- Messy work environment (=messy brain)
- Pressure (nothing says suffocation like a tight deadline)
- Low self-confidence (what am I doing here??)
The moment you decide you’re “blocked”, it gives you the perfect excuse to give up and spend the next hour contemplating your ideal wall tiles. But let’s face it, you’ll be kicking yourself if you waste more time, so let’s outwit this foe. In reality, you’re often feeling the manifestation of fears that cause you to resist doing what you need to do.
If you recognise why you’re feeling blocked, it can help you overcome it and get productive.
How to Overcome Writer’s Block
Here are some simple ways to banish writer’s block back to where it belongs.
Take a break
Look, I know I said not to procrastinate doing other things, BUT sometimes to way to fix your writing is to, well, stop for a bit. If you’re distracted by having other things you want to do that day, or you’ve not slept, can you write another time when you feel less distracted or have more energy? Is it possible to take some time away and come back to the task at another time? Can you work on a project that takes less thinking power?
One of my favourite tricks is to go for a power walk for 30 minutes or so, or take my laptop somewhere that brings me calm, like the garden. Sometimes a change of environment or a natural energy boost is more helpful than struggling in front of the screen.
Oh, and eat. FOOD IS FUEL! (sorry).
Keep learning
Think you know everything? That’s cute. What a waste in a world of endless things to discover. Life is always evolving and changing around us, so you should never stop learning or adapting. There’s nothing that gives me creative sparks more than trying something I’ve never done before, doing a new course or hearing about what other people do.
What are you struggling with? For example, if you’re trying to write a piece that’s meant to feel very personal rather than corporate, there are countless online resources and blogs on how to make content more engaging, conversational and inspiring for the audiences you’re writing for. You may even find it easier to write the copy first and make edits and adjustments afterwards using the tips you find.
Shake things up
Do you ever find that your copy just seems…BLAH? Sometimes, you can write so much about one thing for a long-term client that the content you produce just hasn’t got the same flare. Perhaps you’re sticking to the same tired formula.
If your writing feels like plain porridge (no offence porridge!), shake up your flow. Try a new format (hello precious bullet points!) or simply change your own routine a bit to loosen the cobwebs. Even though I like getting work out the way early doors, I’ve discovered the hard way that I’m really not a morning person, and I’m more productive after a gym session and big breakfast. I also think I like the gentle pressure of school pick-up time to get me writing.
I also continually absorb other work I find inspiring to reignite my creative flames – even if it’s an author who makes me laugh, a blog that packs a punch, a gripping podcast or a business whose marketing efforts always have me reaching for my bank card. What do I love about their content? How can I use that in my own writing where appropriate?
Just. Start. Writing.
Ah, the age-old advice of ‘just start’. Its annoyingly simple, but it’s sometimes effective. You can often unblock yourself as you get typing. Who comes to page knowing exactly what they have to write? I like to write out my subheadings and know a general structure of what to include before I begin, but sometimes, I don’t even have that.
This very blog you’re reading is an example of that. Ironically, when I opened up my blank document to give you some ‘pearls of wisdom’, I had no idea what I was going to say about it…until I began to write. If you just start, it often causes a snowball effect where each thought unleashes another.
And if it’s all rubbish…hopefully you have more time another day to make some inspirational edits. Remember, it’s easier to edit nonsense than nothing at all.
Still stuck?
If your writer’s block feels like an uninvited guest who’s outstayed their welcome, think about whether the projects you’re taking on are the type of work you really want to be doing.
What can you do to move closer towards feeling fulfilment as a freelance copywriter? Putting a simple multi-step action plan in place to make some positive changes can leave you feeling a little more inspired, even if it’s just a new routine or workspace.