I took a break from business writing the other day and walked my dog, Carly, around the neighborhood. As I turned a corner, I was delighted to see pink flowers cascading from a balcony. And just as quickly, I felt disappointment—even disdain—when I realized they were plastic. The color was bright, the flowers looked (almost) real, and yet I felt duped.

And that’s how I feel about all the outsourced blogs and articles people send out today. To me (and I would bet many readers), their submissions seem plastic compared to a passionate comment or a personal reflection.

In my work as a writing coach, I often meet people who have deep-seated fears of writing. I know these are real issues, but I wonder if, when they outsource their writing, they’re doing themselves any favors with prefab postings.

They’re not, according to marketing expert Marcia Yudkin. “Don’t outsource writing. People want to read articles with personality as well as content,” she writes. “Readers respond to your unique set of attitudes and information, which rarely comes across from a hired writer. And definitely don’t post lousy articles that are little more than keywords strung together in minimally interesting sentences. This just clogs the Internet with junk and wastes everyone’s time.” (Read her entire article here.)

Instead of all that plastic writing, I love to see people blossom into their own style and fresh voice. And here’s the irony: When people do take time to craft a personal blog or article, they stand out. And isn’t that what those blogs and articles are all about in the first place?

If this scenario sounds familiar, here are some tips to help you overcome any lingering fears of writing, speed up your writing process, and most importantly, tap into your own amazing creativity:

1. Write your first draft fast. Super fast. Set a timer for just 10 minutes; you’ll be amazed at what you create. That’s a key word—create—because when you write fast, you also tap into more creativity. Now if you’re pressed for time, turn this draft over to someone to fine-tune. Your stamp is on it, your thoughts are captured. The piece will be yours.
2. Quit worrying about the quality of your first draft. Almost everyone writes terrible first drafts. That’s just part of the writing process.
3. Brainstorm every chance you get. Not only when a writing project looms but when you need a boost or want to create something new. Whether you use free-writing, mind-mapping, or list-making, mine your mind to discover the gold just beneath the surface.
4. Stop looking over your shoulder. Write like you and sound like you. Sure, it’s good to improve, and we learn by observing others. But that can paralyze you too. Just be you. It’s a wonderful thing to be.

What makes you want to job out business writing projects? Why have a blog if it’s really not yours?

Need a writing tune-up? Here’s a great opportunity for you and everyone in your office to refresh your GPS: grammar, punctuation, and style. I’ll be teaching two 90-minute webinars for People-OnTheGo. These are lively and informative webinars at a special price–only $19.95 for both sessions. Check out more about the webinar and then register with the special price. I hope to see you there!

The busiest time in the workplace? The eleventh hour. No matter what time of day, it rolls around just before business writing projects are due.

Many of my business writing coaching clients work at the eleventh hour. They tell me they wish they could change that. They know that writing at the last minute is a bad idea, but they say it’s a lifelong habit.

Well, I remind them, lots of people have quit smoking, and I don’t think writing at, say, the eighth hour—or, hey, even the second hour—is anywhere near as difficult as that. The key is to start, even mechanically—set a timer, write fast for 10 minutes, reward yourself with a break afterwards; use whatever trick of the trade works for you.

Look at it this way: If you went to physical therapy because you had trouble walking, you’d start with awkward, mechanical steps. Eventually, though, you’d get good at it and might even start running. Same with writing. Start mechanically, break the bond of inertia (a body at rest stays at rest), and get to work. Pretty soon you’ll enjoy the boost of inertia (a body in motion stays in motion), and you’re off and running.

Of course, not starting writing projects has more bad juju than just procrastination. There’s the boogeyman of nothing to say. (Not true. More on that in a minute.) Or a lack of confidence. (More next time.) These are real issues that plague writers. If I could, I’d tell every parent, teacher, and boss to knock off the criticisms, already. Harsh comments seem to damage people for life. Sure, show them how to make something more concise or clear up punctuation and grammar errors, but do it in a way that encourages, not excoriates.

As for what to do when you’re stumped about what to write (or when you’ve got spaghetti head, i.e., too many ideas), try brainstorming. Set a timer (it quiets your ornery editor) and write and write. There, you’ve got a terrible first draft (which is what 99 percent of us write, anyway). Now you’ve started, tricking the body-at-rest inertia into becoming body-in-motion inertia. Speedwriting not your style? Try a different brainstorming technique—mind-mapping, listing, devil’s advocate, who-what-why-where-when-how, to name a few.

Just do it. Just start.

What’s keeping you from starting before the eleventh hour? What helps you get started sooner?

Need to kick-start your writing? We’ve got lots of ways to help: 1. Brainstorming Grab ‘N’ Go Webinar 2. Award-winning Words at Work 3. The Writer’s Companion e-book 4. Creativity @ Work e-book and 5. Membership newsletters and support to get you off to a good start and keep you moving forward.

“How do you overcome writer’s block?”

As a business writing coach, I hear that question a lot. My longtime colleague Virginia McCullough and I recently delivered a webinar about kick-starting the book-writing process, and, not surprisingly, many participants asked about writer’s block. Writing a book is a big project, and that means more time for your fear gremlins to attack.

That’s right—fear gremlins that creep in and steal your enthusiasm and confidence. As Virginia puts it: “Writer’s block is a scary thing … but we believe that what is usually referred to as writer’s block is actually fear that leads to procrastination. Many people think writer’s block comes to them, as if it were a disease. But it’s a combination of self-doubt and fear that leads to procrastination. Our creativity isn’t blocked.”

Especially with our nonfiction writing (not just books but articles, blogs, proposals—all kinds of business writing), Virginia and I have found that we have to write through any concerns and problems. Deadlines loom—and our incomes depend on turning in assignments on time. Maybe we have to research more information or interview someone to get back on track. Maybe we take a few extra breaks and quietly listen for insights our brains have been working on (more on that in future blogs). But we keep writing.

Not to be glib, but the best antidote to writer’s block is to write. Don’t worry about syntax, word choices, or typos. Just let it rip. There. It’s done, that awful first draft or next chapter. As you wrote with abandon, your writer’s block disappeared. So what if your draft is lousy? Guess what? You’re in good company—writers you love to read write terrible first drafts.

I struggled with this early in my career. I thought if I wrote bad first drafts, I was a bad writer. Then I read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. All those years of agonizing over my embarrassingly bad first drafts, and in an instant I was cured. What I learned from Anne is that just about everyone writes terrible first drafts! Anne gave me permission to let myself go. Now, I let the words come any way they want (which is a real boost to creativity too).

So, let me be your Anne Lamott. It’s okay to write dreadful first drafts. All you have to do is write and write. Just get your ideas down. You can always go back two, five, ten times and make it better each time. In fact, don’t think of your first draft as writing—it’s more about planning and organizing. Capture that jumble of thoughts, and in the process, you’ll give writer’s block the heave-ho.

To learn more about the book-writing webinars and retreats Virginia and I have planned, just write me at director@afcbw.com. We’ve joined forces for an exciting new enterprise entitled The Book Catalysts. We’ll soon launch a series of on-demand and live book-writing webinars, coaching packages, and writing retreats (both virtual and on-site).

How do you overcome writer’s block? What tips can you share about overcoming fear and procrastination?

Next time you read something that grabs your attention, stop!

Ask yourself what’s so special about that piece. Not just the great lead paragraphs or the exciting headline, but why you are you so attracted to it. Some writing makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up—not because it’s scary, but because it creates an electric charge in me. I used to just keep reading. Now, I stop and look at why I’m so energized.

Over the next week, notice the business writing that wakes you up rather than puts you to sleep. Examine those that make you wish you could do something similar. Pretty soon you’ll find a pattern developing. Maybe you love articles. Or blog posts. Maybe you’re attracted to written content on a certain topic. Or maybe you love the style. Tear the content apart to discover why.

Projecting your gold
There’s a name for what you’re experiencing: projection. And it’s more valuable than gold for understanding where you want to take your career (and your business writing). You just have to pay attention and know what to do with the information.

Here’s how projection works. As I write in Words at Work:

Projection, according to the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, is an automatic process in which the contents of our own unconscious are perceived to be in others. Another way of putting that: It’s as though we have a slide show inside our brains that we don’t know exists. Every now and then, a worthy screen shows up (in my case, my fascination with journalists) that turns the projector on. The screen lets us watch our inner slide show, and when we pay attention, we can learn a lot about ourselves from what we’re projecting. In my case, that was my love of writing, especially journalism.

… To get to know yours, watch for your slide shows and become conscious of what holds special vitality for you. At work, pay attention to people you admire—and figure out why. Study books and reports you think are excellent—and think about why. Chances are you’re projecting something important about yourself. Once projection rears its head, it tends to rev up its message until we finally take notice.

More often than not, the slides are about our “becoming,” i.e., something nascent inside of us that wants—and needs—to be developed. Because of the gap in desire and reality, the initial experience can be troubling. But these negative feelings can offer sage advice when we know what to do with them. Everything within us is part of the real deal, the whole person we’re growing into.

Making it happen
Next time you read an article, for example, that excites you, analyze it. Then begin to write that way in your own business writing. Use those techniques and practice, practice, practice. You’ll start living into the real you.

The only thing holding you back is confidence. Maybe one of my three favorite adages will help you:

• Everyone can learn to write well.
• Good writing is really good editing.
• Bad writers just stopped too soon.  

Just do it. Start anywhere—just start.

Hey, I just thought of a new adage: The worst writers never started!

Last month, I received a well-written sales letter about a new Web designer in the Bay Area. I didn’t anticipate any major changes on my site, but I filed it just in case. Funny how these things go–a week later I realized that I did need to make a change to my site. So, I e-mailed the designer and explained that I’d received his letter and would like to discuss some ideas with him.

The next day, I received this e-mail:

Sure. What do you need?

No hello, good-bye, thanks for contacting me. Just five terse words.

I like to give second chances, so I wrote back that I didn’t want to type it all out and wondered if he could call me. His response?

OK

No third chances. I waited a day and wrote back that I’d found a different solution. This time, I received the 21st-century mantra:

No problem.

By now, I’m picturing a guy who looks like the dude above. After all, I have only his words to form my impression. (Keep this in mind as you correspond with people who know you only by your business writing!)

And based on our e-mail exchange, I now know that he couldn’t have written that original sales letter. He probably hired a professional writer, which is fine. Delegation is key to maintaining a successful small business. But when you buy someone else’s business writing, make sure you’ve got a plan in place to follow up appropriately. Respondents to direct mail are gems who need to be warmly welcomed.

Instead of thinking you aren’t up to the writing task or don’t have the time, I want to encourage you to write your own templates for sales letters, FAQs, thank-you letters–whatever business writing you send out regularly. Templates save time and have your stamp on them. Tweak the templates till they convey not only the information but the spirit of your business, and then you can delegate to others the task of customizing and sending them.

To start the template, just get your thoughts down as fast as you can. Let it rip!  Then edit it several times (in short bursts instead of one long, grueling editing session). You’ll create something original, and your sales writing will be more in line with your company’s mission.  That way, when someone responds, you’ll feel more connected, and you’ll be able to answer them with more respect—in less time.

Here’s what Marcia Yudkin, an e-marketing expert I admire, says about outsourcing. (You can read her entire article on the subject at http://tinyurl.com/ezacase.) “Don’t outsource writing. People want to read articles with personality as well as content. Readers respond to your unique set of attitudes and information, which rarely comes across from a hired writer. And definitely don’t post lousy articles that are little more than keywords strung together in minimally interesting sentences. This just clogs the Internet with junk and wastes everyone’s time!”