Consistently writing original content is really tough! I often sit at the desk banging my head against the keyboard and scanning through a sea of blogs and news media for inspiration. Fortunately, I've run across a few tricks that keep me on track. The biggest challenge is the initial idea- once you've got a brilliant idea, it's easy to write about it.
Great...so how do you consistently stumble across great ideas?
1. Set parameters for yourself. Instead of sitting in your chair and thinking about all the thousands of things you can write about, focus on just a few. Clearly establish what you'll be writing about. For instance, it's really hard to start writing about "chiropractic" but it's really easy to write about "the symptoms of sciatica". The more specific your initial guidelines are- the easier it'll be to write.
2. Stop backspacing every two seconds. Don't edit your writing before it's even written! Who cares if you said "for instance" twice in the same sentence? If it's really awkward, you can change it after you're done writing. Nothing kills creativity like continuous editing.
3. Casual is good. Nobody wants to read over-wordy, professional, dry writing. Want to see an example of horribly unreadable corporate writing? Check out Halliburton's website. Sure, they sound professional - they also sound boring, mechanical, and outdated. Worst of all, stuffy professional writing is unmemorable. People read that kind of writing and immediately forget it.
4. Say something different. Rather than re-writing a textbook definition of sciatica, talk about the debilitating effects it can have and create a clear image of what it's like to live with persistent sciatica. Readers want clear imagery, a casual tone, and a narrative style.
My two cents!
Rod Campbell
Marketing Director
Chirohosting.com
