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Tips to elminate writers block

by MikeMarin
16 replies
I used to struggle when writing salesletter. It would take me
forever. I would stare out the blank page, I would think and
try to be creative.

That was until I learned a few secrets which I will share with
you on how to cure copywriter's block forever

1. Writers WRITE

It wasn't until I started writing on a daily basis did my
writers block stop. If you look at any of the great copywriters
they write every single day. Now if you starting out and
do have alot of client work you can copy out ads by hand. That's
what I was told to do... but for me that didn't really work.

What worked is when I started to write a daily email or blog
post.

2. Write to formula

There are a ton of good copywriting forumlas out there. If your
stuck just write a piece of the formula. David Frey's formula
I've found helpful

3. Gary Benecivenga's cure for writers block

It was during his interview with Ken McCarthy that he said the
cure to writers block is Research. When I heard him say that
years ago it kind of went over my head, but I now realize that
he's right. If you've done the research the writing of the salesletter
should be really easy. In fact, you could if your a beast, do
it in one session.

Hope this helps

Best,

Mike Marin
#block #elminate #tips #writers
  • Profile picture of the author DavidG
    Thanks for sharing this info...

    Something I do is keep writing...except it's everything that's on my head.

    Sometimes I'll get "stuck" and when I catch myself struggling I'll just write whatever is on my mind...even if it's irrelevant.

    That gets me back into flow.

    It's something Gary Halbert taught in one of his newsletters, except that whenever he gets stuck he writes - "blah,blah,blah"





    David
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    • Profile picture of the author Shadowflux
      Hey Mike,

      These are some great tips. I swear by number 2 no matter what I'm writing, although I will use different formulas.

      When I'm writing copy I usually follow a particular strategy. First, I like to talk with the client and get to understand the product or service being offered. I like to learn as much about the client and what they're selling as possible.

      Then I let it ferment.

      Instead of jumping right into the writing, I give it some time and do something else. Sometimes I'll play some video games (right now I'm hooked on Medieval Madness on my ipad) or maybe work on a model kit or even just go out for the day with my wife.

      More often than not, some great angle or a few great lines will pop into my head. I'll generate a better understand of how to sell a particular product or service. I try to come up with an abstract concept and then write from there.

      Writer's block can be a real pain but I found that it's best to not fight it, just do something else and it will go away shortly.
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  • Profile picture of the author masterz
    Originally Posted by MikeMarin View Post

    I used to struggle when writing salesletter. It would take me
    forever. I would stare out the blank page, I would think and
    try to be creative.

    That was until I learned a few secrets which I will share with
    you on how to cure copywriter's block forever

    1. Writers write

    It wasn't until I started writing on a daily basis did my
    writers block stop. If you look at any of the great copywriters
    they write every single day. Now if you starting out and
    do have alot of client work you can copy out ads by hand. That's
    why I was told to do. but for me that didn't really work.

    What worked is when I started to write a daily email or blog
    post.

    2. Write to formula

    There are a ton of good copywriting forumlas out there. If your
    stuck just write a piece of the formula. David Frey's formula
    I've found helpful

    3. Gary Benecivenga's cure for writers block

    It was during his interview with Ken McCarthy that he said the
    cure to writers block is Research. When I heard him say that
    years ago it kind of went over my head, but I now realize that
    he's write- right. If you've done the research the writing of the salesletter
    should be really easy. In fact, you could if your a beast do
    it in one session.

    Hope this helps

    Best,

    Mike Marin

    Thanks for sharing this useful tips.
    for me, i like writing headlines first (i have a template ebook format that I use). This works not all the times.

    so, the moment i discovered that this doesnt work ie am not flowing with the writing as am supposed to,i start looking at the person's website in most cases and start writing out the benefits.

    after this, i check out my swipe ads, by the time am done reading/studying one or two of ad swipes, i get into gear.the rest of it flows normally.

    kindest regards
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  • Profile picture of the author RickCopy
    imo research is definitely the key to eliminating writers block. In fact...if you've researched enough and have a decent swap file to get some ideas from then I dont really know how you can have writers block.
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  • Profile picture of the author abugah
    Human being are creatures of habit. Anything you do repeatedly becomes easier and easier as time goes. That's why if you just write, no matter how bad it is, daily you will find writers block melting away quickly.

    One of the tricks I use is to lock myself in a room with no option of getting out of my seat. In two hours I can't do anything but to write. And the more I force myself to write the faster the universe supplies ideas.
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  • Profile picture of the author DoWhatWorks
    Definitely, Mike. On a related note, I found that watching videos on YouTube, for the market I'm writing in also gets the creative juices flowing. Just hearing people talk about things related to the market you're writing for does something, in terms of getting the brain thinking about the subject matter. I recommend having your document open, so that, as the videos play, you can keep switching back and forth from the video to writing in your .doc file. After about 5 or 10 minutes, I usually decide to close out of YouTube and get back to full fledged writing mode. :-)

    -Terry


    Originally Posted by MikeMarin View Post

    I used to struggle when writing salesletter. It would take me
    forever. I would stare out the blank page, I would think and
    try to be creative.

    That was until I learned a few secrets which I will share with
    you on how to cure copywriter's block forever

    1. Writers WRITE

    It wasn't until I started writing on a daily basis did my
    writers block stop. If you look at any of the great copywriters
    they write every single day. Now if you starting out and
    do have alot of client work you can copy out ads by hand. That's
    what I was told to do... but for me that didn't really work.

    What worked is when I started to write a daily email or blog
    post.

    2. Write to formula

    There are a ton of good copywriting forumlas out there. If your
    stuck just write a piece of the formula. David Frey's formula
    I've found helpful

    3. Gary Benecivenga's cure for writers block

    It was during his interview with Ken McCarthy that he said the
    cure to writers block is Research. When I heard him say that
    years ago it kind of went over my head, but I now realize that
    he's right. If you've done the research the writing of the salesletter
    should be really easy. In fact, you could if your a beast, do
    it in one session.

    Hope this helps

    Best,

    Mike Marin
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  • Profile picture of the author Cyberdog1
    Yeh that's good going, I would add also that if you get writer's block as it's called -get up, away from the computer and go and get some fresh air.

    There's no substitute for real life
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  • Profile picture of the author Formal Shorts
    Originally Posted by Greg Wildermuth View Post

    Lots of great tips in this thread. I think writer's block usually comes from overthinking and being a perfectionist. I try to write whatever comes to mind, not worrying whether it's brilliant or not because I'll go back and edit/clean up/destroy later. You've got to silent that inner perfectionist and just get the words on paper.
    I take a similar approach. Force yourself to keep writing, then go back and review. Often I completely rewrite the work when reviewing, but having something on the Page can really help you zone in.
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  • Profile picture of the author CharismaticMannequin
    Like Rick said, with enough research there is no such thing as writer's block.

    It's been said by Makepeace, by Schwarz and several others. Remember, you're not creating anything - you're uncovering what you need to write.

    All your research should give you everything you need, from start to finish, to write killer copy and be getting crazy sales. This is why research takes 60-80% of the actual copy process.

    If you're getting writer's block when writing sales letters, it tells me one thing - you're not researching enough!


    Ben.
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  • Profile picture of the author sabinavarga
    Great tips everyone! I'd add reading to the list. Reading swipes related to your market (and maybe handwriting them as well), or just a good book or some blogs. It really gets the juices flowing.
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  • Profile picture of the author writerdame
    True. And always have that trusty tickler to write your creative thoughts on. And, read. It will inspire you and will enable you to think about things. IT will help your imagination and will educate you at the same time.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jennie Heckel
    HOW TO STOP WRITERS BLOCK BEFORE IT STARTS....

    Now there are many tried and tested methods for this...

    Assuming you have some research done and you are sitting in front of your computer with a deadline looming over you!

    What works for me is...

    1. Write the P.S., the P. P. S. and the P.P.P. S (you want either 1 or 3 not 2 P.S.'s)

    2. Then take a break, GET A SODA OR COFFEE WHATEVER TRICKS YOUR TRIGGER = IT IS A REWARD FOR GETTING STARTED!

    3. Write the close -- the main reasons why you LOVE this product and why. JUST TYPE DON'T WORRY ABOUT IF IT SOUNDS FUNNY... JUST ALL THE REASONS ANYONE WOULD LOVE THIS PRODUCT EVEN THE SILLY ONES... (ie. the dog wouldn't eat it!)

    4. Write some FAQs - PUT YOURSELF IN THE BUYER'S SHOES - what would your BIGGEST QUESTIONS be about this product? Biggest fears? Biggest objections?

    IMPORTANT THIS IS THE OLD "SO WHAT???" REASON -- WHY DO/WOULD I CARE TYPE QUESTIONS...

    This product is only $xx.xx - answer "So what why would I buy it?
    This product is the latest whiz bang thing - again "So what why would I buy it?
    Ditto... Ditto... Ditto until you run out of STEAM!

    5. Write the bonuses part -- that should be easy if you have them as they are just simple descriptions for now -- DON'T GET HUNG UP ON THIS JUST 100 WORDS FOR EACH.

    6. Write some bullets - copy and paste some from a great sales letter and rewrite them to match your product. WRITE AT LEAST 10 OR SO IF YOU CAN.

    7. Write the intro/deck copy. Don't get fussy about it just TYPE!

    8. Write 10 headlines. THEN TAKE A WELL DESERVED BREAK FOR AT LEAST 1 HOUR.

    9. Write about 30 TO 50 more headlines - YAH NOW THE JUICES ARE FLOWING NOW -- YOU'RE HOT! IDEAS ARE POUNDING IN YOUR HEAD AND YOU JUST HAMMER THAT KEYBOARD LIKE A MANIAC!

    WHY?

    BECAUSE WHEN YOU DID ALL THE PREP WORK SUBCONSCIOUSLY WHILE YOU WERE TAKING YOUR 1 HOUR BREAK -- YOUR MIND WAS SUBCONSIOUSLY IN WRITING GEAR!

    10. Pick the top 3 headlines you like, then copy and paste the deck copy under it and then rewrite it to match the headline.

    11. THEN TAKE A LONG BREAK -- AT LEAST A COUPLE OF HOURS and get away from the computer. A WHOLE DAY IS BETTER IF YOU CAN DO IT.

    12. Now normally I like to write copy from the TOP down, (ie. I am a visual writer.) For a female that is rare as visual women are only 20% of the population.

    But subconsciusly this is how I think about the sales letter I am VISUALLIZING IT AS I AM WRITING IT -- PIECE BY PIECE.

    I visually imagine each part on a series/or section. There are blank places until I fill them in.

    BUT IF I GET STUCK THAT IS WHAT I DO.

    ANOTHER GREAT TRICK IS TO CREATE THE SALES LETTER DOCUMENT ONLY IN WORD AND USE A COPY AND PASTE OUTLINE AND PUT IN THE TITLES OF EACH SECTION AND ADD THE NAMES OF THE PRODUCT AND THE BONUSES.

    Then "Save" it and close it.

    That may be enough for today. YOU HAVE THE SALES LETTER STARTED...AND THEN THE NEXT PART GETS EASIER BECAUSE THERE IS NOT A BLANK SCREEN STARING AT YOU!

    Every writer has their own methods for PREVENTING writer's block.

    Another thing that works is to DOODLE!

    THAT MEANS TO DRAW A FUNNY CARTOON OF YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER... some of my cartoons are soooo hilarious! Funny man scratching.... well, you get the picture!

    If you can't draw at all that is OK.

    Instead just go online and find a stock photo from a stock company and snitch the "preview photo" and then print it out and tape it to your monitor. THIS IS A PHOTO OF YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER, WARTS AND ALL!

    Then pop open your Word doc and then start typing like you were talking to a new friend you found online that had never heard of your product before.

    Then CHAT TYPE like you would online in a chat box telling him/her all about it.

    THAT WORKS WONDERS TO ADD A CONVERSATIONAL ELEMENT TO YOUR COPY.

    Many times I use the chat type of copy for my lead in/deck/intro copy.

    So those are some of the ideas I use to MERCIFULLY KILL OFF MY WRITER'S BLOCK.

    Good luck writing copy!
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  • Profile picture of the author TamilYoung
    Good share, Writer's block is really something we should try to get out of. Even if we are not into Copywriting or stuffs like that, any IM should sometime be in a situation to write a few paras and this would really do good.
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  • Profile picture of the author apim
    I think sometimes "writer block" is really procrastination...I tend to find dedicated writing time away from everything means you can overcome writers block quite easily...

    ...Now I just need a cure for procrastination
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  • Profile picture of the author JonMills
    It comes in time. Having done it for over 11 years for all manner of clients its like anything else related to writing.

    First drafts are vomit passes. The real writing occurs after that.

    If the product or service is good, a sales letter writes itself.

    Unfortunately there is a lot of crap out there that people want selling

    Still, its like any product or service. It should solve a problem

    All your doing is highlighting that problem, highlighting the solution and directing them to where to get it. Now obviously there are gems that let you do it effectively so that it doesn't even seem like they are reading copy but that comes in time and comes through writing your fair of crap in the early years.

    And like novel writers, script writers etc... you will do you fair share of rewriting other peoples copy if your hired. I have read a lot of other peoples work out there. Ones where I can't believe they would give that to a customer.

    But some are in it to make a fast buck vs wanting to help the client reach his goal/market
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