I can sit here all day giving you tips and hints on headlines and
phrases that sell. But none of it will do you any
good if you
just plain hate sitting down at the keyboard.
If you can't stand writing, you're in good company.
Most of us
feel the same. I once asked a high school English teacher how
many of her 300 students liked to write.
"Oh, about 9 of them,"
she said.
Everyone from Mark Twain to Bart Simpson has faced a blank sheet
of paper for
hours with no idea of what to put on it. Well let me
give you a few ideas from my office of professional writers.
In
the world of non-fiction writing, being a professional doesn't
necessarily mean being a great writer. It does mean
you have to
be able to conjure up great copy every single day, even when you
don't feel well or aren't in the mood.
The
first step is just to get something on paper--anything! And
I do mean anything. Just start writing down whatever
comes
to mind. If you can't think of anything, write "I'm sitting here
and I can't think of anything to write."
Yes,
that sounds pretty stupid. But it's exactly the technique a
lot of top writers use to get the creative juices flowing.
Next
you'll find yourself typing "I need to write a sales letter to
promote my new software. It's software to help people
get
organized. Most people have lots of information, but they can't
remember where they put it. This software has people
organize
their information in a system that makes it super easy to find,
in just seconds."
Wow! You're writing,
you're telling your story, and best of all,
you're not worrying about being bad because you know you can go
back later
and change it all.
One top writer copies and pastes favorite lines from other
sources (like the client's web site.)
Then she rewrites those
sections in her own words so that they are completely original.
That's enough to get her going.
Next she fills in additional
fresh copy between the blurbs she has already completed. Even on
days when she would
rather be anywhere but behind a computer, she
cranks out first rate copy in record time.
Another method is to just
start talking. Talk into one of those
little tape recorders you get at Radio Shack. Pretend you're
telling your best
friend, your mother, or Paris Hilton all about
your big idea. Go into all the details. Talk it all out. Later,
go
back, listen, and take notes. Your notes will be the start of
your email message.
Don't type very well? 60
percent of North Americans can't type.
Hunting keys often makes writing frustrating if not impossible.
Follow in the
tradition of a great many very famous writers.
Pick up a cheap ballpoint pen and write down your ideas with the
good
old handwriting you learned in second grade. Then have
someone type it up.
The key is to just get something, anything,
on your computer
screen or on paper. Once you have that, start to edit. The copy
will take on a life of its own
and the writing will come easier.
Or,
simply hand your first attempts to a professional writer. Most
can churn your
notes into polished copy faster and cheaper than
they can write entirely new copy.
When Kevin Nunley sat down to
write this article, he stared at
a blank screen for about 15 minutes. Not good. The publisher's
deadline was approaching.
Then he used some of the methods
described above to quickly create the article you just read.
You can do it, too. Write
something today.
http://DrNunley.com mailto:
kevin@drnunley.com 603-249-9519.
