Break your fear of writing in just 5 minutes.
And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. ~Sylvia Plath
Sometimes I’m at a loss for words when writing articles for my site. The ideas just don’t seem to flow unto paper even though I can write down anything I want. Then I realized, it is not so much that I have nothing to write about, but rather that I’m
Scared.
Scared to post writing that isn’t ‘good enough.’
Scared that no one would be interested in what I have to say.
Scared that my topics are too off base.
Scared that I haven’t revised my post enough.
Scared that I don’t have my facts right.
This can go on forever.
Of course it’s a little scary to post an article that is accessible to millions of people. You are putting yourself out there for everyone to see. But just think, isn’t that why you started your website in the first place? To reach, teach, and learn from others? Take that fear and write about it. Fear is a wonderful topic in itself. Not only can you learn a lot from yourself by writing about your fears, your readers will learn a lot from you as well. They will see that you are a human being with faults and fears, just like everyone else. In fact, I’d bet that your readers will be the first to support and encourage you. Anyone who laughs is a dirtbag anyway. They are too insecure to admit their own fears.
You think you don’t have any ideas, but that’s not true. Writing just seems like a trip to the dentist, prying out stubborn ideas, when you have self-doubt. That’s ok though. Lets channel that self-doubt to the pen.
Take out a pen and piece of paper, and write continuously about ANYTHING for 5 minutes without stopping.
Don’t worry.
Don’t worry about grammar.
Don’t worry if you write something that doesn’t make sense.
Don’t worry about making sentences.
Don’t worry if your handwriting looks like chicken scratch.
It doesn’t matter.
One rule I forgot to tell you about. ABSOLUTELY NO ERASING.
If the same thought comes up over and over again. Write it down over and over again. Draw diagrams and pictures if you have to. The point is not to articulate your topics as best as possible (although that wouldn’t be bad), but to train yourself to just write, to just get used to putting a pen to paper. If typing is easier, then do that.
When I used to teach 7th grade English at summer camp, I would begin each class with the same exercise. The stuff these kids would come up with is pretty creative. I don’t have the actually papers anymore, but a short sample might go like this.
“This sucks this sucks this sucks this sucks this sucks this sucks this sucks this sucks why am I here? this sucks this sucks this sucks I wonder what is for lunch if they don’t have chocolate milk I will be angry I want chocolate I want chocolate when I have chocolate I’m the mayor I’m the master of the universe. I’m going to hit 4 homeruns in kickball. I don’t know. What time is it? Time to get my TV show sipping on chocolate milk.”
Then I would take that paper, and ask
“What do you mean you have nothing to say? I want you to write me three pages in detail about what your TV show is going to be about. Master of the universe? I never knew you had super powers like that? I want you to walk me through a routine day for a master of the universe. Make me feel like I know what you go through.”
No topic was too silly or too serious. All I did was ask them to elaborate on their own ideas. Before they knew it, their fear of writing had vanished by the end of the summer. In just 5 minutes of speed writing, the kids had a wealth of topics to write on.
You have 5 minutes to spare. Try it. If you come up with something interesting, email me, or post your session as a comment. Let’s see what we come up with.
Image by Mayr