You must write something.
“But, I can’t think of anything to write!”
Finding Something to Write About
Sometimes, when I’m knocking around with other writers, they’ll talk about that time they couldn’t think of anything to write about, or how they can’t ever think of anything to write about.
This always makes me roll my eyes, for two reasons. First, as a writer, you should know better than to throw around the word, “ever.” Words have meaning, and as a writer you should do a better job than most at using them properly. Clearly, if you can’t EVER think of anything to write, then you don’t ever write anything.
Second, is that it really isn’t true. One of the things that makes a good writer is writing a lot. One of the reasons writers write a lot (besides that’s how we earn our paychecks) is because we are constantly thinking of things to write about. If you aren’t coming up with articles, posts, and even email replies in your head a lot of the time, then you probably aren’t really cut out to be writer. When people ask me if they should become a writer I always ask, “Do you write things in your head while you are taking a shower, in the car, waiting in a room?” If the answer that question is yes, then you are already a writer. You just aren’t doing the act of moving it from your head to the page. If not, you should try it. Can you think of clever sentences, turns of phrase, and deliver a better understanding of something you care about? Then that is a good base as well. If you have no idea of what I’m talking about, you can still compel yourself to be a writer, but you may not enjoy it much.
On the other hand, sitting down at a desk and demanding that you write something is probably a lot like when someone walks up to a comedian and says, “He can you say something funny?”
Catch Your Muse and Her Ideas Where They Live
Just plopping down in front of your computer and willing a clever topic out of your brain isn’t really the kind of thing that you can just make happen. Too often, we writers call this writer’s block, or we worry about our motivation, when the real problem is that we just can’t demand a topic rise to the top of our brain.
Fortunately, this is a fairly easy problem to fix.
First, carry around a notebook, or a scrap of paper, or some app on your phone. When an idea pops into your head and you find yourself writing a ten-page post on whatever it is that jumped to the front of your mind while you were waiting for that left turn arrow to go green, jot it down. Then, the next time you end up in front of a keyboard with nothing to write about, pull it out and get going. It will probably flow pretty easy. I have notebooks full of pages of half-conceived notions, questions I wonder about, and thoughts that I think, or thought at the time, might be useful, valuable, or fun to write about.
There is a mind-trap here. Do not beat yourself up or question your productivity about how many of these ideas you actually end up writing about, no matter how wonderful. The point is to have an infinite well of ideas, not to clear the list. If you feel like you are losing great ideas to the back pages of a notebook rapidly filling, then move the best ones out to your writing calendar. The slightly less problematic issue is the constant urge to start new websites because of all the great ideas you have just sitting there in that notebook.
If that doesn’t work, or if you don’t have your notebook (mine’s out in the car, right now), then try this.
Writing Meditation
Lean back in your chair and close your eyes. Do NOT try and think of something to write about. It doesn’t work that way. Instead, let your mind wander. In few minutes, any real writer will have at least one idea stampeding through your otherwise relaxing thoughts. This is a form of meditation. The only difference is instead of completely quieting your mind, you go ahead and listen to the writing ideas.
If that doesn’t work, open up your Word document, or whatever you use, and start typing about how you are stuck and why that is a bummer and what you had for lunch.
Next thing you know, you’ll be deleting the dumb parts and fleshing out the good stuff.
And, if all else fails, write about writer’s block.
We writers love doing that.