Creativity Blocker!

Something that many people struggle with is writing and creating content – and over the last couple of weeks I’ve had 3 lovely clients all struggling with this.

And they’re not alone!

Lots of people switch on their laptops knowing they need to create a blog, some social media content, a newsletter, a workshop or other written content and just stare at the keypad and blank screen, not knowing where to start. And the longer you sit and stare, the worse the writer’s block becomes.

For me, the keyboard is a creativity blocker. And if that resonates with you, then let me assure you that even some of the best authors say the same.

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to attend a writing masterclass with Jeffery Archer!

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect as he has a bit of a shady past haha but has sold more than 275 million books worldwide, so I think it’s safe to say he knows his stuff!

The masterclass was brilliant. He shared lots of top tips for aspiring novelists, but for me the fact that he writes everything by hand was so reassuring.

Despite spending most of my working day looking at a screen, when I need to create content, I start with pen and paper.

If your head is full of ideas that you can’t quite get in order try a big brain dump to get everything out of your head and onto paper or even onto post it notes that you can rearrange into some logical order.

I then create a draft of my content and if it’s a big piece of work, will often start with bullet points, so I don’t forget anything. It can often be a few days before I then get round to actually starting the first draft, giving my subconscious time to think about what I have already made a note of. 

And only when I have created this first, scribbled draft do I switch on my laptop and begin to tap away at the keyboard.

So why do our keyboards stifle our creativity?

 Often our fingers are moving too quickly across the keyboard for our minds and imagination to keep up - writing with a pen and paper slows us down, gives our brain time to think as we feel more relaxed in the space (I love sitting in the garden with a brew) it stimulates our creativity.

If this still feels like a tough task, you could also try recording yourself. There are lots of voice to text apps out there that will create your first draft. Just imagine sitting with a client, telling them about your products and services. This creates content that sounds just like you and content that your customers can relate too.

And if you’re still struggling, get in touch, I have a few more tricks up my sleeve…