8 Writing Strategies for People Who Say They Can't Write

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If you want to launch and grow a business, chances are you're going to have to put words on the page. Probably many words on many pages. Which means there's no room for saying you "hate writing" or "can't write."

In many cases, the more important the writing task, the more the would-be writer freezes up. The result can be something of a Mobius strip of anxiety turned into fear turned into more anxiety, and what you're left with is a blank page.

To help you work through writer's block, consider the strategies below. (These tips were compiled by this reporter through an informal survey of her own writerfriends and colleagues.)

1. Lose the “I'm just not a writer” syndrome.Everyone has the potential to be a writer. Continuing to tell yourself otherwise is nothing more than an empty excuse. Reverse the energy. You can be a writer. Tell yourself, “I am absolutely capable of writing.”

2. Don’t wait for perfect words. If every sentence has to be a flawless work of art, then you will sit in fear. The sweat might pour, but the words won’t come. Just start writing words on the page. Know that once you have started, you can go back and revise what you have. But until you start, you will never know where you are trying to go. If you are writing on a tight deadline, it is even more critical that you let go of the notion of immediate perfection. One writer friend of mine offered the analogy that writing is like cleaning a messy room: the only way a large mess gets cleaned up is to start tidying one small corner at a time.

Related: Most Content Marketing Fails, So Keep These 3 Tactics in Mind

3. Talk to yourself -- out loud. It’s less stressful for most people to chat with a friend over a beer than to write a grant proposal (even if the content of the conversation is the grant proposal in question). In conversation, it’s generally accepted that we might have to stop, correct ourselves and continue speaking. Allow yourself that same freedom in your writing process. If that’s hard to do, talk out loud to yourself to get the thoughts flowing.

4. Move words, sentences, paragraphs around the page like pieces of a puzzle. The beauty of writing on a computer is that you can move words and groups of words effortlessly. Just reminding yourself of that tends to make it easier to find your writing flow. If you get your mind set that the words will be seen by the audience exactly as they flow onto the page, it can be paralyzing.

For those overwhelmed by the amount of ideas banging around in their head, jot the ideas down, one by one, in a loose cross between thought-notes and an organizational outline. Then, you can slowly work your way down your list, flushing out concepts into sentences and paragraphs without worrying that you might forget something critical.

5. Crystallize your point into a few words. When you sit down to write a business pitch, a grant proposal or a speech, be sure that you have done your research and know precisely what you mean to communicate. If you're struggling to write, it may be a sign that you are confused about what you want to say. Condense the main nugget of what you are trying to say into just a short phrase or sentence and you'll have a better shot at composing a tight, organized piece.

Related: How Not to Be a Boring Blogger: Write Like You Eat (Infographic)

6. Rid yourself of the Internet. Scores of very smart people spend all day long every day trying to grab your attention on the Internet. They’re pretty good at it, too. Eliminate distractions by going offline and opening a document that only allows you to write on your computer desktop. One writing friend recommended using the Freedom app when trying to write. When you install the application, it blocks all of your connections to the Internet for an allotted time.

Also, having a very specific physical routine associated with writing helps some people get into the writing groove. Perhaps there is a seat at a particular desk that you associate with writing. Perhaps you write best at a certain time of day. Perhaps you need to have a tall glass of ice water when you write.

7. Don’t get stuck by letting yourself think that you have to start at the beginning. Just because they call it the introduction does not mean that you have to start at the beginning. If you know what you want the middle paragraph to be, then start there. Write the portion that you know best first and then work out from there.

8. Set deadlines for yourself. Even if you don’t need to write on a deadline, set deadlines for yourself. And stick to them. One writing friend I talked to said she has friends and family follow up with her to make sure she's keeping to her time goals.

Related: Turning Content from 'Meh' to Wow With Storytelling

Article sourced from - http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/233264

HOW TO BECOME A FREELANCE COPYWRITER

So you want to become a freelance copywriter. Well, there’s no room for the likes of you in this profession. Now get out of here!

Just kidding.

Copywriting is great work. It can be fun and creative. It can pay very well. It can also be a mind-numbing slog on occasion. That’s ok though, because as a freelancer you’ll soon find yourself moving on to something else. If you really don’t like the sound of a project, you can even say no. You’re the boss after all.

So how you can you become a freelance copywriter? There are many different routes into the profession, but in this post I’m going to share my own modest success story and a few tips.

CAN YOUR WRITING SELL?

First though, let’s consider just what in Jiminy Cricketsville a copywriter is. The way I see it, a copywriter is someone who loves communication. Not words, but communication. That’s an important distinction, because a good copywriter never indulges in language for his or her own self-gratification. Successful marketing copy always conveys a powerful message and achieves a real world goal – usually to sell something.

A copywriter’s real skill, then, is in using language to sell ideas effectively.

HOW I BECAME A COPYWRITER

So all you really need to do to become a professional copywriter is prove your words can sell. Simple, right?

It is in a way. Personally I started out as a freelance copywriter, entirely in my spare time, after realising it was the ideal job for me. I had little guidance beyond what I found in booksand on the Internet. I had no clients or contacts. What I did have was the guts and determination to do something that was, thinking back, very risky.

I also had a master’s degree in English, which meant I had technical language skills. But when you want to be a copywriter, technical ability is far less important than the ability to sell. As David Ogilvy put it:

“I don’t know the rules of grammar… If you’re trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language, the language they use every day, the language in which they think.”

Good advice, although the people hiring you won’t always see it that way.

BUILD A PORTFOLIO

So what was my first move? I remember two things that really got my career off the ground: creating copy samples and offering pro bono services. Both are great ideas, whether you want to join an agency or you’re taking the increasingly popular freelance route.

I started by cooking up many samples. A sales letter for the company I was employed by at the time. A print ad for a non-existent bakery. A property flyer I wrote gratis for a company from Glasgow. I put them all in a portfolio folder, which I would take to the meetings I managed to arrange.

My ‘portfolio’ also went up online, on a website I built myself for almost no money. Unbelievably, it soon got me some paid work writing press releases and articles for a web design agency in Nottingham. That was the beginning of my copywriting career and my workload snowballed steadily from there.

THE TRADITIONAL ROUTE: JOIN A MARKETING AGENCY

The other well-trodden path to becoming a copywriter is to join a marketing agency. I have a sneaky suspicion it’s also the best option – if you can find yourself a job, that is.

Joining an agency is something I have no personal experience of. It is however something I would love to do in the future. While being your own boss is great, there’s a lot to be said for having the guidance of experienced professionals. Being part of a creative team means you have other talented people to ask questions and bounce ideas off. Start out as a freelancer and you’ll have none of these benefits.

If you have the opportunity to join an agency, I’d say “do it”. Even if your ultimate goal is to be self-employed, the experience will be worth it.

READY TO GIVE UP YOUR DAY JOB?

Around a year and a half passed between the moment I first thought “I’m going to be a copywriter” and the day I started copywriting full time. Throughout that period I continued my job at a plant hire company and took on copywriting projects in the evenings and weekends. Slowly but surely, I was building up experience and gathering new clients. Yes it was tiring and difficult, but it was also worth it.

In the end, I didn’t leave my old office job the way I planned to. I didn’t hit the point where I could say “Yes, I now have enough copywriting clients to make a decent living” and then quit – which is what you should try to do if you’re taking the same path.

It was more like a leap of faith. I got a big writing job for Quarriers and I couldn’t do both. So I took the plunge, hoping that the extra pressure and time I’d have would help me to find more clients and flourish.

Had I failed, I would have ended up homeless – or sponging off my parents, at least.

Thankfully my gamble paid off. Today I write for agencies and marketing departments all over the UK and Europe, including a couple of famous brands. Don’t believe for a second that it was down to luck, however. My success as a copywriter was built upon dedication, hard work, the desire to keep learning and of course a semblance of writing talent. If you have similar qualities, maybe you can become a freelance copywriter too.

Original article sourced from http://www.evoluted.net/thinktank/copywriting/how-to-become-a-freelance-copywriter