photo credit: lowsalt

In response to Jaime’s super awesome post Tuesday, I felt compelled to write about what to do after you’ve planned your posts. How do you get inspired to actually write them? What to do when you face writer’s block, and how to press through it?

By now, you should have 10-15 post ideas based from Jaime’s post. Pick the easiest for you to write and go from there. I always work from easiest to hardest, as it’s nice to have a solid warm-up in place. You wouldn’t run six miles after a year-long hiatus, would you? Nope— you’d start out slow [hopefully, unless you're totally crazy]. Writing is much the same— an endurance sport where distance is key.

When you’ve chosen the post you’d like to start with, take a few steps/precautions first:

1. Turn it off. Close all chat windows, calendar alerts and Internet browsers [with the exception of any research you may need to do]. Switch your phone to vibrate or turn it off completely. This is important, because chances are, if you write your first article, you’ll snowball into a writing frenzy and may be able to hash out 6-7 posts. With guaranteed isolation, your chances of continuing your writing are much, much higher.

2. Grab a notepad. One thing that happens when I’m writing is that my mind wanders. I know it’s bizarre, but I sometimes finish a paragraph and realize I’ve been in auto-pilot the entire time, thinking about umbrella stands while I’m writing about tents. [Does this ever happen to you?] This is what the notepad is for. While your mind wanders, write down any traceable thought so you can revisit it later. Maybe it’s a subconscious way of finding great new post ideas. Regardless, be sure you write them down, because you’ll be much more likely to let the thought leave your brain if it’s written down. You want to focus on your writing and your writing alone.

3. Treat yourself. OK this is a total Freud thing, but I have a problem writing if I don’t have something tasty to drink while I’m doing so. My favorites lately are iced coffee and/or a cucumber lime spritzer. For some reason, if I have either of these drinks, I feel inspired to write and vice versa— if I don’t have these drinks, I can’t settle down to write. Maybe you have a pair of pants you love to write in, or a certain hairstyle that makes you feel more like a writer [hello, Braid Wednesday!]. Whatever it is, be sure you have those conditions to gear yourself up for a few hours of writing.

4. Just do it. Easier said than done, yes, but start writing the meat of your post or a few key sentences. The rest will flow from there, and if it doesn’t, perhaps the topic isn’t organic for you. I recently submitted a freelance article on camouflage accessories and HATE camouflage. So naturally, I had to gear up for the post by reading a few benefits to camouflage, or look at a few ways camouflage can be used in a cool-ish setting. By the time I finished my research, my hatred lessened for camouflage and the article flew from my fingertips. Sometimes all it takes is a bit of a mind-opener.

Whatever you do, don’t give up. Writing is certainly a gift, but it does take practice, and we all know what our mothers say— Practice makes Perfect. Or in my case, Practice makes for One Heck of a Spritzer Addiction.