Help! I Should Be Writing but Don’t Know What to Say

By Shanna Belott

The scariest sight for any writer is a blank page. That blinking cursor hanging out on a clear snowbank, waiting expectantly for you to say something. Anything. 

In these paralyzing moments, the pressure of that blinding white seizes my neurons. My creative brain vaporizes. The faint sensation of panic creeps in. A little devil starts whispering into my ear: You know nothing and have forgotten everything. You have nothing meaningful to add to the conversation. All things worth saying have already been said. Who do you think you are? 

Now, mind you – this imposter syndrome tic never pops up when I’m writing for others, which is what I do as a content marketer and ghostwriter for thought leaders. My clients are experts! Visionaries! Of course they should be capturing and promoting their ideas! They’re providing valuable information, using compelling content to solve people’s problems, building audiences around shared interests! Their content strategy is obvious, their opportunities unlimited!  

Channeling the wisdom of my clients and putting it into words is never the issue. It’s a privilege to help others make sense of their thoughts and create content that connects with their targeted niche. Channeling my own wisdom? Well, that’s another story. And when I hit rock during my personal excavations, I have greater empathy for my clients during those many times when they feel stuck and I’m their storytelling Sherpa.

Writer’s block is the battlefield of self-doubt. It’s a mental war zone that most of us have stumbled upon at some point, whether we’re professional wordsmiths of some sort (ahem) or just business professionals who have to communicate about our work. The truth is, we all have to be writers to a certain degree. 

That’s never been truer than now, when companies and ideas fight to get noticed amidst the digital noise. Effective marketing – about your business, your ideas, and you – revolves around thoughtful content that helps people. 

OK, fine - you already know all of this. You know that you want to be creating stellar business content, getting more of your words onto the page and out into the world in some form. But you keep getting lost about what to say. The brooding is happening; the writing is not.

Here’s what I’ve discovered: The very act of writing forces you to think. Your ideas sharpen and grow as you engage in this exercise. Don’t delay writing about what you know just because you don’t know what to say in this moment. Don’t let the dread of that blinking cursor discourage you. Be comfortable in the unknowing. Look at writing as part of the process of thinking. Through writing, you will discover your thoughts, like inching through a dark cave towards the light. 

And that light that you’re reaching for should always be about helping your readers. Unless you’re penning an autobiography or creating bad sales copy, your writing should never be about you. It’s about using your experiences and expertise to immediately provide value for others.

The way forward is simply to do. Stop overthinking. Stop doubting. Just write.

Then, when you show up at the page, how do you avoid the blinking cursor snowman? Every writer has their own personal rain dance for summoning the muse. Vast scholarly troves are dedicated to this area, much of which I’ve foraged through in desperation. Along the way, I’ve picked and poked at many pearls of writing productivity wisdom and found the hacks that work for me. 

The way forward is simply to do. Stop overthinking. Stop doubting. Just write.

Basically, it all comes down to lying.

To myself, that is. Tricking my brain that it’s not really jumping off of a high dive, taking that leap of faith that readers will care. No, it’s just stepping over a puddle. 

Perhaps you don’t need to engage in self-deception to get professional thoughts onto the page. Good for you - do whatever works! But if your writing brain is a bit like a wild stallion, you need to develop taming techniques that keep it from running away. Here are three of my top writing cheats that get my brain to relax so that it stops resisting and starts thinking: 

Writing trick #1: Don’t start writing

Maybe your idea doesn’t need anything but your personal reflection, and maybe you’re chomping at the bit to get it down on paper. In which case, bravo and giddyup! The rest of us may need to ease in slowly, with some idea exploration. Research isn’t really writing, you can tell your grumpy brain. This is the fun part, where you can tease out your idea, see how it’s being discussed elsewhere, build data around your nascent thoughts. Copy some quotes, notes, and links for reference, play around with headlines, and just enjoy the reading ride. See, that wasn’t so bad – and now – look! Your blank page isn’t blank anymore. No more snowbank.

Writing trick #2: I say tomato

Everyone has their productivity hacks; for me and many writers, the famous Pomodoro (aka tomato) technique is a lifesaver. If you’re unfamiliar, Pomodoro breaks down tasks into 25-minute work intervals (try this free timer to get started.) After each interval, you get one five-minute break; after four intervals, you get a 15-30 minute break. While the timer is on, you’re doing nothing else but the task at hand. No answering emails, or checking your phone, or reheating that cup of coffee you’ve been nursing all morning. It’s only 25 minutes, you can reassure grumpy brain – that’s not such a big deal, right? And knowing that there’s an end point will help you keep writing and thinking even if you’re stuck, instead of meandering to other tasks.

Writing trick #3:  You’re not really writing

Anytime I can feel myself procrastinating about a writing project, I remind myself that I’m not actually writing words that anyone will see. Yet. Somehow, that trick makes all the difference in getting me going. Break up your writing into stages, with the first part being for your eyes only. Your perfectionist tendencies won’t flare up and you’ll keep stage fright at bay when you’re just working on an outline that no one will see. Then a draft that no one will lay eyes on. Nothing to see here folks, move right along; this writing is under construction. Walk away from each stage and come back later (ideally a different day). You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment at each mini-completion.

This mental framework makes writing feel like play, instead of work. By the time you get to the actual business of writing, it’s easy; you’ve already covered the terrain with notes and drafts, you feel confident in what you’re saying, and now the words flow because you’ve knocked down those terrifying writer blocks.

“Writing is a bloodletting,” a writing instructor once told me. She didn’t mean it in a bad way, she was just being honest about the frequent challenges. The process is rarely perfect, and you will often have to fight to get to the finish line. The battlefield isn’t a bug of the writing experience; it’s a feature. If you want to write more frequently, expect the obstacles and don’t let the mental gamesmanship of writing scare you away from asserting your unique voice.

About Shanna Belott

Shanna Belott is the founder of preDiction, a content marketing firm for thought leaders. As the company’s Chief Content Officer, Shanna ghostwrites and markets compelling content to elevate the visibility of leaders, companies, and ideas. Guided by deep research, preDiction helps innovators shape their thoughts into the stories that no one else is telling about their industries and the world. An L.A. native, Shanna now lives in Nashville with her husband and two sweet little boys.