There I sat staring at the blank page on my computer screen. Thinking to myself, “What should to write next?” Aagh! Writer’s Block. It can happen to anyone. Does this sound familiar? Well, I researched writer’s block and found some great tips to keep you writing without hitting that inevitable writer’s block snag. This article will show how to write articles with blinding speed.

 

Research your topic
Abe Lincoln said “If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my axe.” This is true about writing too. Instead of sitting down and waiting for inspiration, spend time to learn more about the topic. Let your ideas stew in the caldron of your brain for a while and start writing when you feel the idea or topic wants to burst out of you.

 

Forget the Outline and create a map.
It’s simple, writing an outline on a topic stifles creativity. Why? Because writing from an outline accesses the logical part of the brain. I know this one from experience. When I write from an outline, my writing ended up sounding more like a scientific thesis then an interesting article. Boring! Now, I prefer a method of writing called mind mapping. It works like a charm. Mind mapping is a form of free association where you write your topic in the middle of a page and quickly jot down ideas around it. Then you connect similar ideas together by lines and attach it to the main theme.

 

Write fast and don’t look back
One of the largest mistakes in writing is not to separate the writing phase and the editing phase. Most people agonize under each sentence in an attempt to produce the perfect copy the first time. Nothing will ruin your creativity more than editing while you go. SELF CRITISTISM is a writer’s greatest enemy. Give yourself a set time limit to write --- say 30 minutes to write 500 to 600 words than write as fast as you can. Don’t look back to edit, proofread, or correct spelling. Think about it as a rough draft. After writing the rough draft, I usually sleep on it or at least, wait a few hours before re-reading and editing. It’s amazing how a break clarifies your thoughts and gives you more ideas that will improve the final draft.

 

Ask a question if all else fails
When I get really stuck, I find asking questions jumpstarts writing. I ask questions that a reader might ask and answer the question. Here’s some examples of good questions:
1. How can I …?
2. What if …?
3. Who can …?
4. Where is …?
5. When is …?
6. How do you …?
7. Why does …?

Most journalist try to answer who, what, where, when, how, and why questions in their articles and so can you.

 

These tips will get you started producing articles at warp speed. With the proper research and map and a tiny bit of self discipline to control yourself from editing as you go, most writers see increases between two to five times faster. For more tips on writing quickly, I suggest reading Article Speed Writing by Andrew Hansen.