Your Writing Anxiety - 10 Ways to Bring Relief

Anxiety, apprehension, cold feet, consternation, dismay, distress, dread, fear, fright, horror, nervousness, panic, scare, strain, stress, tension, terror, trepidation, unease or uneasiness: whatever it's called, you've got it.

And the reason is ... you've got to write an article!

Writing anxiety or 'writer's block' happens to all writers at some point in their writing lives. It may be that you don't know what to write about or, with your topic firmly in place, you don't know where to start.

At this point, procrastination sets in.

Doing anything, rather than actually writing, seems a whole lot better than putting pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard. Even walking the dog, in pouring rain and gale-force winds, has higher priority!

Try some of these ways to restore your writing equilibrium:

1. Avoid starting with a blank page. There's nothing more daunting than beginning from nothing. Work with a template. This will help you to stay focused on your topic. Download and print out some appropriate free graphic organizers from the Internet or use graphic organizer software, like NotateIt, that will help you to rearrange and organise your thoughts in freestyle format.

2. Brainstorm your topic. Take some time out for creative thinking with a friend or colleague. You'll get some new twists on the theme, especially if they're not 'experts' in your subject matter!

3. Write an outline. Just set out a list of headings. They don't even have to be in order - you can always rearrange them later. Write each heading on a separate card or piece of paper and shuffle the result. A new order may emerge that you hadn't thought of, giving you a new slant on your topic.

4. Use a whiteboard. Fix a large magnetic whiteboard on your wall and use it to rearrange your ideas. If a whiteboard on the wall feels too intrusive, try some inexpensive whiteboard software on your PC instead.

5. Break your task down into smaller chunks. From your outline, choose one heading and write. Then go on to another heading and write. It doesn't matter which order you write in, because it can all be rearranged later. Not only that, you're achieving your larger goal in a series of smaller steps and that makes it much more manageable.

6. Write in the way that you speak. It's friendlier to read and it's an easier and more natural way for you to write.

7. Don't worry about perfection too soon. Spell checking, indenting paragraphs, changing font size - this is the icing on the cake. Just let your writing flow and, just for once, forget the grammar. Perfection can come later - at the redrafting stage.

8. Think about your readers in a different way. You may be anxious that your article is not "good enough" to be read by your peers. Remember, even if your audience are "experts", they don't know what you think about your subject. Nor does it mean that they know everything there is to know about a subject area. Target your writing towards an intelligent, enthusiastic, but non-expert, reader and your writing confidence will grow.

9. You've completed your writing. This is your first draft. The secret, now, is to redraft and redraft again. You'd be surprised at just how many things you'll want to say differently when the sun rises tomorrow! Read your article once a day, make changes then put it aside until the next day. In a few days, you'll read your article and find nothing to change. That's when you're ready to publish!

10. Believe in yourself. The first articles you write may not be perfect but the more you write, the better your style will become. It's like learning to walk - all it takes is a little time and lots of practice. (c) 2005 Lynda Blake

You're welcome to reprint this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered, including the "About the Author" info at the end.

Lynda Blake is a UK freelance writer

Resources used in preparing this article:
Whiteboard Software: http://www.notateit.com
Free Graphic Organizers: http://www.nutsinmay.com

---

Ambition versus Dedication

All writers aspire to recognition, but are we dedicated? Ambition... Read More

Free Reprint Articles That Will Interest Publishers - 4 Tips

Have you been writing and submitting your free reprint articles... Read More

Five Reasons You Should Write to Help Your Business

Most business owners are overwhelmed with the day to day... Read More

Dont Miss These 10 Must Know Facts About Promoting Your Website with Article Writing

Most all ezine publishers need fresh content. Article writing is... Read More

Ive Got An Article To Submit, Now What Do I Do With It? (6 Tips)

You submit it, that's what you do! And submit it... Read More

Got Lingo? The Terminology Of Marketing With Articles

Every field or discipline has its own specialized vocabulary and... Read More

Newbies Guide to Writing and Submitting Ezine Articles

How many times have you read the following? If you... Read More

Direct Sales Reps CAN Write Articles - Heres How!

We all know that article writing is a great way... Read More

Article Writing: SEO, Expert Authors and the Dumbification of the Internet

Article authors who use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) keywords to... Read More

Create An Article Reference Box That Calls To Readers

There are two primary factors in creating a successful reference... Read More

Guest Articles: Good for Some, Bad for Others

A recent debate started me thinking about how some marketing... Read More

Using Anecdotes - Remember, People Like to Read About People

Okay, I admit it: I'm a keen people-watcher. (Most writers... Read More

How Article Marketing Will Make You a Fortune

Article marketing-the simple act of writing one 400 word article... Read More

10 Article Writing Quirks

Much has been touted about the effectiveness of article writing... Read More

Five Great Ideas For Your Next Article

It's amazing how quickly free articles can generatetraffic - my... Read More

Ezine Article Writing In 10 Easy Steps

1. Choose A Topic.You need to choose either a hot... Read More

Article Marketing & Copywriting Secret: How To Make Your Article TITLE Sell

Most authors are wasting their time producing dozens to hundreds... Read More

A Writers Glossary (Part Two)

Find definitions from H to P... ~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~ Haiku... Read More

Marketing Articles: Promoting Your Site Twice!

I recently became aware that promoting your web site in... Read More

SureFire Ways To Get Free Publicity Using Articles

Free publicity can help to spread the word about your... Read More

Article Marketing for Real Writers: Launch Your Freelance Career!

Looking to build your freelance writing career but don't know... Read More

Free Articles = Free Publicity (Or, How To Get Free Publicity For Your Business)

Publicity?you're business can survive without it, but it certainly won't... Read More

How An Online Writer Can Easily Self-publish Their Way To A Fortune

Online writing is really self-publishing made easier and potentially much... Read More

Writing Articles to Boost Your Sites Traffic

Two important factors that play a part in the rankings... Read More

Article Marketing 101: The Perfect Author Resource Box

If you want to really make your article "SELL" then... Read More

Article Writing Mistakes - 7 To Avoid

Making your articles available for reprints by other ezine publishers... Read More

Re-fresh, Re-hash, Re-write

You are running out of ideas, you sit down in... Read More

Personal Promotion Through Publishing

One of the best ways to build credibility and promote... Read More

How To Write A Profit Pulling Article

Having an article published is one of the fastest and... Read More

Writing for Dollars - How To Get Started

"When you provide good information from which readers can learn... Read More

Content and Articles to Improve Revenue

It is important for all webmasters to realize that if... Read More

6 Best Places to Submit Your Articles

You know that writing articles is the best free way... Read More

Five Tips to Write Winning Web Articles

Looking for another no cost promotional tool? Your fee will... Read More