Naomi the Wordsmith

You know what it’s like.

You’re writing an email, or an article for your blog. You’re clear on the topic and the overall message. You know what you want to say.

But you’re stuck on how to say it.

There’s so many ways you can write. Tone, perspective and format massively impact writing. And there’s often many good ways to write something – how do you narrow it down to the best one?

Here’s how you can finally defeat the ogre of the blank page.

First, we’ll look at how to avoid the blank page ogre, with good preparation. Then, we’ll move into two ways to beat the ogre: the agile approach and the brute force offensive.

Let’s head onto the battlefield.

The boring (and sensible) answer – plan and prepare your writing in advance

If you’re a blogger, creating a content schedule can be really helpful. And it’s always good to prepare with a planned layout for what you’re writing.

How can a content schedule help you improve your blog?

• You post more, which generates more traffic
• The more posts you do, the more your blog grows
• You can create a series of blog posts. For example, a travel blog could do a series of posts on what it was like to backpack around Europe

There’s even more benefits you can unlock from a content schedule. So…

How can you create a content schedule and put it into action?

There’s a few different ways you can do it.

• Create a content calendar – you outline exactly what you’re going to write on specific dates. If you’re an organised planner, this is ideal for you. The main advantage is this – no sitting at your desk musing on what to write. You’ve already decided, so you can start writing straight away.
• If you’re like me, trying to be organised but often failing, a fuzzier content calendar is better. You plan on a weekly, 2 weekly, or monthly basis – whatever works best for you. You still get the clarity you need, but with the flexibility your disorganised soul desires.
• You can also do this thematically. You build up a list of themes you want to hit on in your blog. And you organise them into an ongoing series, or category. So if you’re writing a cookery blog, you do a series of posts on French recipes. Or maybe a category of summer salads.

Be adventurous in finding what works for you. And if you thrive by deciding what to write on the day, then do that. There is no correct way to be creative.

How can a planned layout make your writing better?

• It gives you clarity. You know what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it.
• It gives you focus. You won’t go off course onto irrelevant meanderings that leave your audience thinking, “Huh?” You’ll stick to your message, with a laser focus.
• It saves you time, in three ways. 1. Instead of staring at the blank page, you go straight from planning to writing. 2. By staying focused as you write, you don’t have to spend ages going back on course. 3. Editing is a lot faster when you have a plan to compare your draft to.

How can you create a planned layout?

There’s a lot of different ways you can do this. You can find them online. Here’s two ways that work for me, one for writing in general and one for blog posts.

A good plan for lots of types of writing you do

This can be emails, academic essays or articles. Any kind of writing, you name it.

The introduction – this is where you say what you’re going to say.

The middle/the body – this is where you say your message.

The conclusion – this is where you say what you said.

This basic plan is a classic for a reason. It keeps you focused on your message, so readers can understand it easily.

Your readers can’t read your mind. They don’t know what you’re thinking as you write that makes everything make sense to you. If you’re reading through your writing and you think, “Is it a little too obvious?” it’s probably just right.

I’ve spent a lot of years writing, and I’ve started in different places. Sometimes I write the middle first, sometimes the beginning. But in general, the ending is a good place to start.

If you know how your message ends, you know where the beginning and middle should go.

Think of the plan as the signpost to your piece of writing.

A plan for your blog posts

Blog posts need a plan that uses the power of headings.

Statistics show that most people only read the headline or skim read the content they see online.

You need to grab readers’ attention, hold it, and keep holding it until the end. The headline and headings are vital to keeping your readers hooked. When planning a blog post, you concentrate on the headings.

First, you do the classic plan above – Beginning, Middle, End. Our blog plan deals with the Middle. Think of it as zooming in on the Middle. Then you divide the middle up into these headings.

For example, my plan for this blog post looked something like this.

Beginning section about how blank pages suck and how you can beat them

Heading 1 – Plan a content schedule – talk about different forms of content schedules, how they work

Heading 2 – Do something else to spark creativity – list different things that can inspire the muse

Heading 3 – Just write and get it over with – don’t wait for inspiration, find it yourself

Ending section summarises the tips

It’s just a basic plan, but it really helped me. I started writing this post a few minutes after my last post, about my poor broken wheelchair. The next day, my health condition flared up.

I was tired and in pain. I wasn’t up to doing any writing, much as I wanted to. But today, a few days later, I felt better. I booted up my laptop, saw the plan, and filled in the gaps.

You want your plan to be clear enough for you to spot the next action instantly. Assume that you won’t remember what you were thinking about when you wrote your plan. This way, if life gets in the way like it did for me this time, you’re all good.

The best plans minimise the friction between plan and action. Think of it as clearing out the obstacles before you even start the course.

Plan, so you can write.

Do something else, to get some new ideas

If you’re staring at the blank page, and you’ve been staring for hours, it’s time to take a break. And not just because of eye strain.

It usually goes like this.

You know what you want to say but you can’t translate what’s in your head into action. You figure you’ll sit there and think about it. As the minutes pass, you become increasingly frustrated. It gets harder to think. If it becomes hours you even start fantasising about throwing the keyboard in the screen. There wouldn’t be a blank page then.

But luckily, there’s something about taking a break that is so creative. It frees you from the cage of repetitive lack of progress.

Different things inspire different people.

Some writers find reading a work of fiction ignites a creative spark. Others prefer to go for a walk among nature, seeing the view and hearing the birds singing. Or they find talking to people gives them ideas they’d never find otherwise.

I find video games help me get out of a rut. When I’m playing a video game, on my console or on my iPad, I immerse myself in the game.

This gives me a sense of release that means when I return to my original task, I’m rejuvenated. I can think outside of the box I was stuck in.

Sometimes the best thing to do when you’re confronting a blank page is to walk away. Evade it, to strike back later.

Just write, damn the consequences

If you’ve tried planning and preparing, and you’ve had a break to reboot your creativity, and you’re still stuck staring at the page…

The best thing to do is just write. Accept that the first draft will be rubbish. That’s okay, you’ll edit it later.

Give yourself permission to write without criticism. You’ll find that as you write, you get into a flow. Before you know it, you’ll have defeated the blank page ogre entirely. Total knockout.

The brute force approach to writing – just write, damn the consequences.

Time for you to tackle your blank page ogre

Here’s a quick recap of your battle strategies:

• Plan and prepare for your writing in advance, so the blank page never rears its ugly head
• Do something else, to reset and recharge for your next encounter with the blank page
• Tackle the blank page head-on, by writing with all your might

The blank page ogre growls and stomps, but it barks a lot harder than it bites. Don’t let it intimidate your creativity away.

Want more writing tips? Find out 10 ways to up your writing game here.