Writer's Block: The Bane of Freelancers

“Don’t be afraid to write junk,” said Northern Illinois University journalism professor Avi Bass to one of his young students (me) back in…well, a long time ago. Luckily, I listened to Prof. Bass. It’s probably the best advice I received from a professor as an undergrad. Bass was a grammar expert, a journalist, and, as first impressions go, somewhat intimidating. But he got the point across to me, and in the years since, every time I've worked with a young writer staring down a blank screen, I've repeated his advice.

"Just let it spew onto the screen. If it's junk, so what." Crappy writing can be fixed. A blank page or screen gives you nothing to work with. Of course, there are other ways to fight writer's block, and I offer them now to fellow freelancers and anyone who fears the blank screen.

• Avoid Burnout. This sounds obvious, but if you schedule yourself too heavily, your brain will need a break. Since I've been a freelancer, I don't have the interruptions of people stopping by my office, staff meetings, and random requests from the boss. That's great, but it also means I can lose track of time and work until my neck muscles scream "Stop!" It can also lead to writer's block; a total inability to write another word. When this happens, take a walk in sunshine if you can, do some simple stretching activities at your desk. Have a snack break. Anything that breaks the routine will give your brain a chance to relax and refresh.

• Get inspired. Some writing work is more inspiring than others, but it is up to you to find the motivation to do your best work. If I'm having a "blah" day, I put some music on (usually jazz--I'm really liking Snarky Puppy and my husband's collection of Weather Report CDs). Brainstorming activities help too. For example, if I'm having trouble with a story about, say, renewable energy, I look over my notes and write down several words or phrases that seem important to the story: sustainability, scalability, carbon footprint, solar, wind, etc. Often the words and phrases lead to full sentences, and then I'm off. Sometimes I try to write a pithy headline. They start out lame and usually improve by about the 10th try. You'd be surprised how a good headline can provide inspiration for the story that follows.

• Conquer your fear. I've often had to talk to respected scientists with PhDs and MDs and other letters after their names. Most are well known in their fields. What if little old me, with my journalism and communication degrees, get something wrong about their work? Again, just like you shouldn't be afraid to write junk, don't be afraid to write something that isn't quite 100 percent accurate on the first draft. You can always ask your source for clarification and technical corrections, but the source can't help you if there is nothing to react to.

• Read and edit. All good writers are avid readers and sometimes, reading other people's work offers inspiration. No, don't copy their work - that's plagiarism. But witnessing how good writers introduce a theme, handle transitions, or use great verbs is enough to get you going. Another technique I use: I go back to other documents I'm working on and read through them, usually editing them in the process. Or I offer to edit someone else's work. I love editing and making content more accessible and sometimes the break from my own writing helps avoid burnout.

• Don't be afraid to write junk. See the top of this post for more on that.