If You Dread Writing, You’re Not Alone
Tips for Getting the Words Out
Copyright Judy Wardrope
If putting together a new résumé gives you nightmares or if your palms sweat at the thought of producing an advertising brochure or attempting any other writing job, you are not alone. More people than you might think experience a sense of panic when faced with the task of effectively communicating a message in print.
Effectively communicating a message is exactly what most writing projects are all about. That means that writing is more than just typing words; it has a purpose. All of which just adds to the pressure. No wonder your mind goes blank as soon as you try putting words to paper or computer screen.
Here are a few tips for making a wide range of writing projects less stressful. Try one or more of them to see what works best for you.
Before You Start
Try what Robert W. Bly refers to as the TAP test, which means understanding your Topic, Audience and Purpose. For a résumé these would be your accomplishments and abilities (topic), prospective employers (audience) and being hired (purpose). For an advertising brochure they would be a product or service (topic), prospective customers (audience) and selling the product or service (purpose). You get the idea, but remember that the more specific you can make the topic and the clearer picture you have of the audience, the better the results and the easier the writing will be.
Talk It Out
Laurence Sterne said, “Writing, when properly managed…is but a different name for conversation.” So, if you find yourself staring at a blank page or monitor, ask yourself how you would relate the information if you were talking to someone you knew.
Taking that a step further, why not actually talk it out with a friend or colleague? Take notes or record the conversation on tape and make notes from the recording. The notes will help you put the key points in order.
Organizing
The mere mention of making an outline is often met with groans, but, because you already have notes, it is a relatively easy task.
Your outline can be organized in either chronological order or order of importance. From here you can also organize the sections of larger projects. This makes fleshing out the project a breeze…well, almost a breeze.
Bite-sized Portions
Rather than attempting to write the entire project from start to finish, tackle the easy portions first in the preliminary draft. This has a two-fold benefit: it gives you a sense of accomplishment and it gives you more to build on for the remaining portions.
But, no matter how much you may be tempted, leave introductions and summaries to the end of your writing. They will be simpler to write and make more sense after the balance of the project is complete or at least nearing completion.
Rinse and Repeat
Rinsing is the removal of unnecessary or unwanted portions. This means that while you are doing the initial draft, you can put down whatever comes to mind rather than judging whether it fits or not, because you’ll be able to ‘rinse’ it out later.
Repeating is rewriting. Yes, I said rewriting, because it is the key to a polished final product. None of the pros submit their first drafts; they rewrite and rewrite.
Print out a double-spaced copy if you are using a computer or write on every other line if you are doing it longhand. This provides space to edit.
Edit (add, subtract or reorganize) and print out a copy of the updated draft (or drafts), then leave it alone for a day or two; you’ll be amazed at how it reads with ‘fresh’ eyes.
Once you reach the point where you think it is nearly ready, read it out loud to yourself or to others. And read it very carefully – word by word – for spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors before marking it complete.
Remember what Samuel Johnson said: “What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.” And keep in mind that the more you do it, the easier it gets.
Another Option
Having the job done professionally is not necessarily taking the easy way out; it may make the most sense in your circumstance. If a professional writer can save you time (a non-renewable resource) and effort while enhancing your image or brand, that’s good business sense.