How to Structure Your Book - Part 6 Writers block

Writers’ block hits us all.

To get around it, first of all, except that writers block is part and parcel of book writing process. (And it’s a great way to an instant state of mind like meditation – suddenly you find there is nothing in your head at all!)

  1. Keep writing. When this happens keep writing is the first thing I would say. Even if you feel it is complete drivel, creating a habit of structure, accountability and discipline is essential. Especially if working with a publisher who will have created a deadline for you, and that can feel like it’s looming up in front of you very quickly! (Which can make the writer’s block worse as you create stress attached to writing.)
  2. Create discipline and deadlines. Discipline yourself to keep going, regardless. Ask yourself if you are someone that is disciplined enough to just get on with writing every day or do you need to blank out time in your diary to ensure you stick to your deadlines? If you are going to self publish (we will look at this in a later lesson) you will need to create a firm deadline for yourself - a deadline for first draft, a deadline for first and second edits, a deadline for publication and a deadline for getting it in your desired routes to market. Don't fool yourself by putting it off. It will never happen if you do!
  3. Diary and record. When you create discipline and deadlines, work out if you need to diary that you will write for 10 minutes a day, 1 hour a week, or 2 half days a month. To do this it is a good idea to see how much writing you can get down in 10 minutes. (I follow Nicole Johnstone's Writing Tribe (Nicole has some great writing courses, training, coaching and resources.) This then give you a guide on how long your book will take to write if you don't stick to the plan, create a structure, schedule some time and discipline yourself to stick to it!
  4. Consider your environment. Does it motivate you? Is your chair comfortable? Does your back ache from sitting at the desk for hours? Literally ask yourself "Am I sitting comfortably?" It can stop you from thinking clearly and that can stop the writing from flowing.

For me when I was starting to ache from hours at the desk or had writers block, I would revisit my proposal for the book and re-read the chapter outline. I would then get in the hot tub with a cup of tea and a small notebook and pen. In this way, I had it fresh in mind what was in this chapter and what I wanted to talk about.

5. Mindmaps to refocus and restructure your muddled thoughts. I would then create a mind map relating to this chapter. (See below a visual of a mindmap I created for a speaking engagement that then became a blog.) I would then on the page opposite the mindmap work out what parts seem to gel together and what would need to come first.

In this way, I was able to create the acronym that became very powerful in my book. (In Fight the Fear each chapter is broken down into 4 parts – F; Fear E; Examples and exercises, A; Actions and R; Results. This acronym spells fear, which is the subject of the book. And is an easy way for readers to get the information that they need quickly and retain it.) It now features in a lot of marketing and content I create for other courses, books and speaking engagements. Remember the content you create now can be used in multiple ways in the future to help you with your book goals.

6.Excuses. Once my mindmap was designed I would then return to the office or the dining room table (because it’s my favourite place to sit) and carry on writing, but not until I made a cup of tea!

Now, this may seem minor or irrelevant, however, I realised that myself, like my clients and children find that we are very good at creating excuses to why we need to do something else, and for myself, it was get up and make another drink. Thus whenever I came back in from the garden and the hot tub. I would make a pot of tea, a jug of milk and a pint of water. That way I had no excuses that I needed a drink to re hydrate my brain so that I could keep going. And this really worked!

ACTION; What excuses are you likely to make and how can you counteract them?

7.How to flow. It is important to remember the power of flow. Research has taught us that if you are disturbed from a task it can take on average 15 minutes to get back “on flow”. As you re-read the last thing you wrote, you end up checking your notes for what was coming next or you return to your writing discover you were half way through a sentence and you've no idea what you were going to write because the thought is gone! etc, etc. So if you allow yourself to be distracted that can take a lot of your day very quickly!

ACTION; Remove the things that stop flow - phones, social media notifications, visual distractions, what in your environment puts you off and distracts you?

8.Restore your mindset. I also use aromatherapy oils to help me stay calm, motivated and focused. At this stage of writing your book, you don’t know if it’s going to sell or work for your readers. And those negative thoughts can trickle into your mind before you know it and start impacting on the quality of your writing. So oils really helped me.

ACTION; Consider what visual or sensory items can help keep you focused, motivated and writing.

9.Is silence golden? A silence was preferential for me. So ask yourself do I work better with music or in silence? There are studies that show that classical music can stimulate the mind, so you could try different music.

Take every aspect of your environment seriously and dismiss nothing.

Final Straw?

And if writer’s block becomes unbearable then leave it and do something related to your work or subject matter however not directly linked to the book. Ideally, you should aim to do this other task for 10 minutes. Studies have also shown that we are able to create better solutions, faster when we challenge our brain in this way.

And a walk around the garden or the block can help too. Stop thinking about your book and you will solutions pop (like magic) into your head.

And lastly, actually ensure you turn all notifications off on your phone and do not have social media available anywhere. It will enable procrastination and you don’t have time for that!

Complete and Continue