Feeling stuck because you’re not confident as a writer?
STRATEGY #6: Hone your writing skills.
“When I started writing, it was like playing the guitar,” Hyatt says. “Remember how horrible it was at the beginning? It felt very rudimentary, robotic, uncomfortable, a lot of work for a little music. But if you persisted, somewhere along the line as you practiced and honed your skills, it got more fluid, it got easier. There was less friction between what you thought and what you produced. It’s the same with writing: The more you do it, the easier it will get.”
Some ways to hone your writing skills:
- Subscribe to writing blogs, like Copyblogger, ProBlogger and com
- Read writing books: Hyatt recommends “Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich” by David Garfinkel and “Writing Riches” by Ray Edwards.
- Hang out with other writers, whether in person or in online forums.
[_] ACTION ITEM: Subscribe to some writing blogs.
STRATEGY #7: Use the right software.
In 1979, Hyatt invested a heap of money in a fancy, state-of-the-art IBM electric typewriter. Over the years, as technology advanced, he tried almost every word processor, from WordStar to WordPerfect. When he started blogging, he used tools like TypePad, BlogJet and MarsEdit. Now, he recommends that bloggers learn MultiMarkdown – which works in any text editor, but he prefers WordPress.
[_] ACTION ITEM: Consider using a simpler, easy-to-use editor.
STRATEGY #8: Outsource the more difficult stuff.
By keeping the entire blogging process on your own plate, you’re denying someone else the opportunity to do something they’re good at and enjoy. Maybe you write the blog, then hand it off to someone else to upload it into WordPress and add tags and images. Maybe you outsource the research. You can even outsource the writing.
“You can be the architect without being the contractor,” Hyatt says. “If you’re struggling with consistency and you like the idea of dynamic content that will draw people to your website but you don’t have the time or competence, consider outsourcing that. You can give the basic structure like an architect would, but let somebody else hammer the nails, saw the wood and put it together.”
[_] ACTION ITEM: Consider what you could outsource so you can focus on what you do best.