The Word Wrangler

Charles Schulz was once asked how he dealt with writer’s block and his answer was, “Writer’s block is for amateurs.” To that, let me also add, “If you get writer’s block, you’re not trying hard enough.”

Now I admit that I don’t get writer’s block. Please, save your applause. It really has less to do with my super genius intellect than it does with my inability to shut up. I tend to go on and on - even when I’m writing. Like now.

But seriously, as professional freelance copywriters, we can’t afford not to write. We have clients who expect work to be done on time or else we don’t get paid.

So the first thing you need to realize about writer’s block is that the very notion of it is absurd. A block implies that there’s something physically in your way that’s keeping you from completing your task. That simply isn’t true. You may not know what to write, but you CAN write.

The trick is to always pretend you’re talking to someone who is standing right in front of you when you write. Think about it: Have you ever been in a conversation where you simply turned and walked away because you couldn’t think of something to say? I doubt it. You may have said something stupid, but you did say something.

That’s the key to making sure you’re not ‘blocked’ when you write. If you can’t write something intelligent, write something stupid. The beauty of writing is that (unlike the conversation) we can go back and edit our stupidity so that it reads like genius.

Remember, writer’s block only exists if you allow it to exist. There is nothing stopping you from putting words down. We’re copywriters who don’t necessarily have to follow the rules of polite society.

Thus, your rule should always be: If you can’t say something nice, say something stupid.