East Dundee Cadillac Escalade rentals ... Chicago Drug testing

Your Writing Anxiety - 10 Ways to Bring Relief

Anxiety, apprehension, cold feet, consternation, dismay, distress, dread, fear, fright, horror, nervousness, panic, scare, strain, stress, tension, terror, trepidation, unease or uneasiness: whatever it's called, you've got it.

And the reason is ... you've got to write an article!

Writing anxiety or 'writer's block' happens to all writers at some point in their writing lives. It may be that you don't know what to write about or, with your topic firmly in place, you don't know where to start.

At this point, procrastination sets in.

Doing anything, rather than actually writing, seems a whole lot better than putting pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard. Even walking the dog, in pouring rain and gale-force winds, has higher priority!

Try some of these ways to restore your writing equilibrium:

1. Avoid starting with a blank page. There's nothing more daunting than beginning from nothing. Work with a template. This will help you to stay focused on your topic. Download and print out some appropriate free graphic organizers from the Internet or use graphic organizer software, like NotateIt, that will help you to rearrange and organise your thoughts in freestyle format.

2. Brainstorm your topic. Take some time out for creative thinking with a friend or colleague. You'll get some new twists on the theme, especially if they're not 'experts' in your subject matter!

3. Write an outline. Just set out a list of headings. They don't even have to be in order - you can always rearrange them later. Write each heading on a separate card or piece of paper and shuffle the result. A new order may emerge that you hadn't thought of, giving you a new slant on your topic.

4. Use a whiteboard. Fix a large magnetic whiteboard on your wall and use it to rearrange your ideas. If a whiteboard on the wall feels too intrusive, try some inexpensive whiteboard software on your PC instead.

5. Break your task down into smaller chunks. From your outline, choose one heading and write. Then go on to another heading and write. It doesn't matter which order you write in, because it can all be rearranged later. Not only that, you're achieving your larger goal in a series of smaller steps and that makes it much more manageable.

6. Write in the way that you speak. It's friendlier to read and it's an easier and more natural way for you to write.

7. Don't worry about perfection too soon. Spell checking, indenting paragraphs, changing font size - this is the icing on the cake. Just let your writing flow and, just for once, forget the grammar. Perfection can come later - at the redrafting stage.

8. Think about your readers in a different way. You may be anxious that your article is not "good enough" to be read by your peers. Remember, even if your audience are "experts", they don't know what you think about your subject. Nor does it mean that they know everything there is to know about a subject area. Target your writing towards an intelligent, enthusiastic, but non-expert, reader and your writing confidence will grow.

9. You've completed your writing. This is your first draft. The secret, now, is to redraft and redraft again. You'd be surprised at just how many things you'll want to say differently when the sun rises tomorrow! Read your article once a day, make changes then put it aside until the next day. In a few days, you'll read your article and find nothing to change. That's when you're ready to publish!

10. Believe in yourself. The first articles you write may not be perfect but the more you write, the better your style will become. It's like learning to walk - all it takes is a little time and lots of practice. (c) 2005 Lynda Blake

You're welcome to reprint this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered, including the "About the Author" info at the end.

Lynda Blake is a UK freelance writer

Resources used in preparing this article:
Whiteboard Software: http://www.notateit.com
Free Graphic Organizers: http://www.nutsinmay.com

In The News:

How To Master Article Writing To Get More Traffic

If you are starving for traffic, can't seem to consistently... Read More

10 Ways To Generate Highly Read Article Ideas

1. Participate in chat rooms related to your targeted audience.... Read More

SEO Article Writing 101

SEO writing is very different from content writing, article writing,... Read More

How To Write Persuasive Articles

You may be wondering what persuasive writing has to do... Read More

Top Ten Reasons to Write Articles for Free Publication Online

Many writers struggle with the decision of whether or not... Read More

Do Free Articles Work?

Take a look around the Web and you'll find thousands... Read More

Direct Sales Reps CAN Write Articles - Heres How!

We all know that article writing is a great way... Read More

Why You Need an Article-Marketing Strategy before Posting a Single Article Online II

This is Part 2 of a 2 part article -... Read More

Do You Have the Characteristics of an Article Writer?

In order to answer the question I've just asked in... Read More

What Posting Articles Online Did For My Google Page Rank In 90 Days

Article Marketing Builds Momentum and TrafficWhen I started submitting articles... Read More

Need a Great Idea? Feed Your Brain

A lot of great ideas happen when two or more... Read More

15 Commandments To Submitting Articles - Article Submission Sites

1) Don't use all capitals in your title:People don't like... Read More

5 Plus One Internet Marketing Strategies to Improve Article Quality to Increase WebTraffic

Writing quality articles is time consuming for the very best... Read More

4 Ways to Outsource Your Article Writing Needs

Not every web designer has the time ? or skills... Read More

Artricle Writing and Promotion: Your Fast Track to Profits

Writing articles, and promoting them for publication, is one of... Read More

Get Traffic to Your Web Site with Articles

It is not my intention to give you a 5... Read More

Microsoft Word Smart Quotes and Article Marketers Dont Mix

By default, Microsoft Word automatically changes straight quotation marks (... Read More

Article Writing: 5 Tips on How to Pull and Hold the Reader

Okay, so you're getting a feel for this article marketing... Read More

Where to Get Great Ideas For Your Next Article

There are times when I want to write an article... Read More

Success Starts with Articles

No one can logically argue against the fact that content... Read More

A Writers Glossary (Part Two)

Find definitions from H to P... ~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~ Haiku... Read More

3 Article Outline Essentials

Most writers I talk with who experience "writer's block" do... Read More

Increasing Web Traffic With Original Articles

The name of the game as far as Internet marketing... Read More

Newbies Guide to Writing and Submitting Ezine Articles

How many times have you read the following? If you... Read More

Use Textpad Program for Easy Ezine and Web Site Submissions To Bring More Sales

When you create your articles in TextPad format, something like... Read More

adding onto a ranch house remodel it deerfield ...