Home
>
Writing
>
Overcome Writers Block with Snake Dancing

Overcome Writers Block with Snake Dancing

Writer's block! Even columnist Dave Berry has it. He admits that at least 30 times a day when writing his humor column, he gets up from his computer to sip his Pepsi to divert his attention when he can't think of what to write. Recently, he reached for the cola and instead found a coiled snake. He tried barbecue tongs to carry it away, but when it landed in his pool, he kept the dance going trying to catch the thing.

As a writer you may think you are blocked because you think your book may not be significant enough, you don't know how to format it, or since you aren't famous, your book won't sell. Or, like Dave you can't think of something great to say.

Let the book coach encourage you beyond your doubts. Know that your book is unique and offers useful solutions to help your audience solve their challenge or problem. You don't have to write like others, and yes, you can write a saleable book.

What is Writer's Block?

To me it's just that I'm distracted and don't seem organized enough with what's important to write for my particular audience. It's a signal that my brain won't focus temporarily. Like Dave Berry, I need a break.

To some of you, it's like stepping off a cliff and plunging into the abyss. You don't have all the answers to start, so it becomes overwhelming to even put words to paper..

Why do we have Writer's Block?

1. We have too many ideas/ choices. We need to focus on one thing at a time. Write down 3-4 topics you are passionate about. Take some deep breaths, and let the #1 come forth. Write on one book primarily, and just put new ideas into the others' folder. Stay with your #1 book until you finish it. When we don't finish a project, we feel guilty--and hence more stuck!

2. Fear. Really, "False Evidence Appearing Real." Our performance anxiety keeps us from taking that next step. However, we can get direction and skills from a how-to book on writing or a qualified book coach if we are willing.

3. We don't have enough information to move forward to write a clear, compelling book. Perhaps we aren't sure of how to publish our book. Or, we don't know how to put a chapter together. Book writing information is easily available from the Internet. Do a search on "book coaching" and find helpful resources.

4. It seems an enormous task in time and money. What most emerging authors don't realize is that they don't have to write the "end all, be all" book. Just choose one focus such as solving one problem or writing for only one preferred audience per book. Targeted audiences are much easier to sell to.

How to Get Unstuck

1. Warm up! Writers need to relax, get into alpha state each time before they write. So take deep belly breaths for 1-2 minutes first. Another way to set up your book writing success is to listen to relaxing music before you set out to write. You may even warm up by handwriting something before you commit it to your computer.

2. Got the blank page blues? Write a little the day before-then you have a partial page to hook new related, information onto. I wrote this article in two sittings because I didn't like my old introduction.

3. Switch tasks, but honor a time set aside for writing each day. If you are stuck in #1 book, add research stories, or how to's to the #2 book. If stuck on one chapter, start or work on another one.

4. Organize your book, both on your computer and in paper files. For your book, name it and save as the main folder. Add new files to this folder such as
- The introduction
- Chapter One and the rest
- Table of Contents with Chapter Titles
- The back cover, sales letter, or 30-60 Second Tell and Sell (sales message).

5. Start a promotion folder too. Name one folder "traditional" and another one "online." Start adding files of promotion information as it comes to you.

Then, when your book is almost finished, you'll have your promotion foundation ready to hit the ground running for fast, continuous sales that keep your cash flow going.

6. Love your topic. When you have passion for your book, you won't have many blocks. You'll be excited to sit down and spend special time each week on it. You may want to work daily like I do. When you do one "high level" activity a day on your book, you will finish before you know it and you will feel exhilarated and satisfied at your results.

Remember a page a day yields 365 pages a year. Think about a shorter book of only 25-50 pages you can deliver as an eBook or print book. You can finish one in less than a month!

Judy Cullins, 20-year book and Internet Marketing Coach, Author of 10 eBooks including "Write your eBook Fast," and "How to Market your Business on the Internet," she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, The Book Coach Says...and Business Tip of the Month at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 140 free articles. Email her at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml

best cleaning company Des Plaines ...

In The News:

Ahold Delhaize's cybersecurity incident knocked online ordering and digital coupons offline at Stop & Shop, Food Lion, Hannaford and Giant Food stores.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Amazon's About You feature includes personality details from your shopping history, and some shoppers are finding hilariously awkward results.

Identity theft recovery starts with securing bank accounts, freezing credit and enabling two-factor authentication within the first 24 hours.

Apple's $299 HomeView smart display uses facial recognition to personalize screens for up to six household members and show live security camera feeds.

Domonique DuBose spotted red flags when a man on Hinge with 85,000 followers and a blue checkmark claimed to be a San Francisco 49ers player.

Your phone's location data can expose visits to doctors, pharmacies and places of worship. The FTC took action against data brokers selling this data.

Hackers targeted Danfoss refrigerator controls across French supermarkets, forcing chains like Carrefour and Monoprix to discard massive food stocks.

iOS 27 finally lets iPhone Shared Albums store photos and videos at full resolution in iCloud, but new items count toward the owner's storage.

A fake Facebook Marketplace text scam uses your real name as the seller to trick you into replying, and Malwarebytes warns even one response helps.

The Pentagon data breach exposed 2.76 million Social Security numbers and military records, raising long-term identity theft concerns for veterans.

Kodiak AI plans to haul IKEA freight on Texas highways with no one in the cab, raising urgent cybersecurity and safety questions for drivers.

Apple Intelligence in iOS 27 adds Extend and Reframe tools to Photos, letting iPhones generate new background areas beyond your original borders.

Microsoft's X account was hijacked to promote a crypto pump-and-dump scheme, exposing its more than 13 million followers to a scam campaign.

Scammers can combine your name, phone number and address with data breach details to attempt SIM swaps, phishing and even identity theft schemes.

ChatGPT Work, Meta Muse and Gemini Spark can monitor flight prices, sort your email inbox and track important deadlines, but savvy users start small.

iPhone, Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel each hide a built-in tool that turns a video frame into a separate photo without any screenshot needed.

Operation KillSwitch dismantled KillSec's ransomware infrastructure, but investigators say a 16-year-old allegedly ran the entire cybercrime operation.

The Fox News Artificial Intelligence newsletter covers where voters will decide on AI data center ballot measures and Jeff Bezos' tech vision.

Apple's Impersonation Risk Detection in iOS 27 can flag suspicious activity inside apps, but the setting is off by default and must be enabled.

Federal Election Commission records can expose your name, address, employer and donation history once contributions exceed the $200 threshold.

Cybersecurity expert Morgan Wright says human skepticism remains the strongest defense against AI-driven phishing scams and voice cloning fraud schemes.

iPhone, Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy each handle security updates differently, and one screen saying "up to date" may not tell the whole story.

Deborah Del Mastro heard what sounded like her daughter's terrified voice on the phone, launching a five-hour virtual kidnapping scam ordeal.

Hotel TV privacy risks go beyond forgotten passwords when you sign into Netflix or other streaming apps on shared devices you don't control.

Overcome Writers Block with Snake Dancing

Writing