Get Started Overcome Writers Block

Assume you are at the very beginning of writing a document. The blank page—or the blank screen—can be intimidating. You may suffer from writer s block. Author Peter De Vries said I love being a writer. What I can t stand is the paperwork. Consider a process for getting started—it works for me and might work for you. 

Place a blank sheet of paper on your desk or bring up the word processor on your computer. Quickly write single or a few words placed anywhere on the paper/monitor. Avoid writing sentences. Fill the medium with ideas and information. This is your initial brain dump  

If you still can t get started, consider taking a walk—around the office or around the block. The German novelist Thomas Maim said Thoughts come clearly while one walks. William Wordsworth, the English poet, composed most of his poetry while walking. He memorized it and put it in writing once he returned home (Johnson 2009). 

As an alternative to the preceding two steps, consider using mind mapping as a get started tool. Chapter 7 includes a detailed description of mind mapping within the major section of the chapter titled Tools and Techniques for Stimulating Creative and 

Share your outline with friends, team members, or clients/owners/customers/ stakeholders. Give them and their subconscious minds time to work on the outline. Use their input to refine the outline. Resist being prematurely bound by the outline. It s just words on paper, that is, freely delete, insert, and rearrange. 

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