Everyone experiences writer’s block. It’s unavoidable and frustrating. Russ and I have collectively written 1000s of articles for our various sites. We share our own personal tips how we overcome writer’s block (or at least how we make it happen less frequently).
This post corresponds to our latest podcast episode of “Russ and Randy” – a podcast on Healthcare and Medical Internet Marketing. We hope you like “Breaking the Block.” You can find us on iTunes.
Writer’s block happens to every writer – good or bad. No matter what is at stake, sometimes the writing is not natural or smooth and becomes to intentional and awkward.
Russ Likes Green Tea
Russ works best in the AM, especially the early AM. While we think this may be due to the fact that he is an ENT surgeon and the operating rooms start at 7 AM, this may also be the best time he finds he can concentrate.
When writing seems to slow down, he recommends;
- exercising for 10-15 minutes to get the blood pumping
- Russ loves to go for a walk – preferably in the woods with few distractions
- try drinking Green Tea (any variety by decaf)
Russ has the luxury of having his own home gym just outside office. Changing the scenery, such as going for a walk is quite popular for breaking the block. In addition to caffeine, green tea has theanine, an amino acid which improves alpha wave activity in the brain. Alpha waves may be responsible for imagination, visualization, memory and other attributes of creativity.
Randy Likes Routine
I like routine to prevent writer’s block. My routine is as follows;
- write only in the AM (6AM-noon)
- only on desktop (don’t write as well on laptop)
- write best in my home office, when quiet
As I have gotten older and become a more experienced writer, I have learned that I am most productive in the morning. I have also learned;
- you can NOT force yourself out of block
- when blocked I will engage a different activity – e.g. edit a video, build website
- changing my environment does not help my writer’s block
- exercise does not help
Writing By Doctors
While not necessarily “writer’s block,” we do share a few tips on perspective when writing for your website;
- You are NOT writing for a peer reviewed journal
- Avoid too much detail – you are writing to a patient, your job is to educate and not overwhelm
- Avoid perfection – while we all are perfectionists, this is not writing to our peers, our audience just needs information
If you have some questions or tips on how you might break your own writer’s block, please leave a comment below!
All the best!
Find “Russ and Randy” on iTunes!
If you have questions or concerns, please leave a comment here.
Please find us on iTunes and subscribe to either the podcast or here to receive our latest episodes. Thanks for listening. See you next week!
Please download us on iTunes and leave a review.
All the best!
Russ…and Randy
Healthcare and Medical Internet Marketing
Healthcare’s Rx for Web and Social
Leave a Reply