Article Marketing Tips: Learning To Write When You Don’t Feel Like Writing

Ever have one of those days?

Have you ever had one of those days when you knew you absolutely had to write articles, but your heart  and your mind just weren’t in it?

It’s a terrible feeling, and I get these days too.

Does this mean that your writing schedule has to be thrown off track?

Does this mean you go to bed tonight feeling like you didn’t accomplish something you really needed to?

Does not feeling like writing mean that you really can’t write?

Absolutely not!

I have run into my fair share of “don’t feel like writing” days, and I’ve thought to myself:

You must find a way to do this. You have work that needs to be done, and it is not an option not to do it. Now, figure out a way to get yourself writing!

It’s tough love. I know that the longer I put it off the worse it will be, so over the years I have developed some effective (for me at least!) and creative ways to get myself writing when I don’t feel like it.

Here are some of my unconventional article marketing tips on this topic:

1) Do something crazy. Set a writing goal for yourself that you have never even attempted before.

There have been times when I have thought,

I have to do this–why not try to write all 8 articles today and see what happens? If I can do this, then I can relax for the rest of the month. I only have to get the rusty wheels of my brain turning on one day, rather than several days.

Drastic measures such as these are not needed every month, but every once in a while I need a bit of a jolt to get me started.

Note: I have motivated myself with the goal of writing 8 articles in a day, but I have never reached that goal. Nonetheless, I think that a challenge is an excellent way to spur yourself on. It is no coincidence that my most prolific writing day ever was on a day when I set the goal of writing 8 articles in one day.

2) Shake up your writing schedule.

If you normally write in the mornings, then try writing at night.

Or, try waking up super early (say 4 a.m. or so), put on a pot of coffee, and situate yourself in front of your keyboard.

If I can find a block of time when the house is quiet (everyone else is sleeping or else out of the house), then that usually helps me with writing. There is also a little adrenaline rush of seeing how many articles I can write before people wake up or return home.

3) Dangle a carrot.

Create a reward for yourself that you can have after you get done writing a first draft to an article.

Or, say “I’ll write for an hour, and then I can go to Starbucks for a latte.”

Or, if you’re more hard core you can say, “I’ll write my heart out all day long, and then we’ll go out to dinner tonight.”

A reward helps you overcome the inertia that is keeping you from writing. Dangle that carrot, and you will start to chase it.

4) Write about something personal.

For example, you can write about something that is frustrating you (perhaps a topic like ‘not feeling like writing’), or ideally something that your readers could relate to.

Sometimes people think that being an expert means that you are above the problems that your readership usually experiences. They have the problems, and you are the super human person who has the solutions.

I don’t think so.

If it is appropriate to your niche (and it may not be), try writing about some challenges you are having that are contributing to a feeling of being overwhelmed and stressed out. Write about some area of struggle in your work, and then work your way through it and pass on your lessons to your readers. (Sort of like what I’m doing here.)

Give Yourself Permission To Play

Sometimes you need to be the "race horse" for a day...

You’ve probably noticed that several of my techniques involve turning writing into a game. There is a psychology behind this–the more general pressure you put on yourself to write, the harder it can be to do so.

But if you focus that pressure — give yourself a time limit or a writing goal –then you slip into a different mode. You are not in “work horse” mode; you are in “race horse” mode.

What’s the difference?

A work horse has daily work that needs to get done. The work is very helpful and necessary, but it is often repetitive and not that exciting.

The race horse does bursts of work. He has a starting point and a finish line. He enjoys the thrill of competition. When the race horse is working, the crowds are cheering, and the horse is driven to perform better than he ever has before.

As a writer, you may spend most of your time in “work horse” mode, but sometimes you need a change of pace. You need the chance to sprint and play the role of the champion.

Conclusion: What works for you?

These are my tips, and I realize they are unconventional, but they work for me.

What works for you?

Do you have any special tricks that you use for getting yourself to write when you don’t feel like it?

Photo credit:

Writers Block (8) by JonnoWitts

Horse Racing by Kristian M

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