Tell your story, even if you’re not sure how.
Maybe your friends frequently say things like, “You’ve had an experience that many people could relate to and learn from; why don’t you tell your story?”
Everyone has a story or experience worth being put into writing. If you run a business, odds are there are other people who could learn from your experiences. It isn’t a lack of engaging content that keeps most from writing. Instead, it’s a mental block that says, “I don’t have time,” “no one would want to read that,” or “I only got a B in English, so I’m not a good writer.” Throw in a healthy dose of procrastination that exists in most of our busy lives, and it’s easy to never get to writing anything.
Maybe there’s something else blocking your desire to write. It’s easy to get hung up on the methodology, thinking there is only one particular way to write. For example, maybe you had training in “the writing process” in high school English. The teacher explained that you begin with an idea, create an outline, start writing paragraphs, go back and edit, and then combine things into a final cohesive product. Hey, if that works for you – go for it! If it doesn’t work for you, don’t let it stop you.
Here’s the secret to writing success:
Just write. Apply the Nike tagline to your writing, and just do it. Here’s an easy, flexible plan to get started:
- Write down your ideas. Use your smartphone or something you always have access to so you can write down any phrase, idea, or experience right when it’s occurring or when it comes to mind. Don’t wait until you get home; you’ll forget what it was. If you’re out for a walk, daydreaming, and suddenly remember an event that would be an interesting anecdote, pull out your smartphone and make a note about it.
- Once you’ve got a lot of notes and ideas, look for common themes. Look for interrelated ideas. Do you see a pattern – chronological or theme-based? What can be combined? How can the ideas be organized? This should help you form a basic outline for what it is you plan to write.
- Write. Pure and simple – just write. And write in a place/method that works for you. Find a spot, get the equipment you’ll want…and just sit yourself down and write. And don’t think you have to do it all at once or for several hours a day. If you feel the inspiration and it lasts for only five minutes, then write for five minutes. Don’t worry about editing and grammar during the “just write” phase. That comes later.
- Read what you wrote. Beyond the obvious check for typos (if you’re typing and not writing by hand) and misspellings, look for awkward grammar, repetitiveness, things that seem out of place and might work better in a different part of the paragraph or page and make a note of it or change it. But don’t spend too much time on this right now. The goal at this point is to just write.
Use this method to get everything you can think of written down or typed. Then, the process of editing and producing a publication, collateral, or blog post comes next. But we’ll get to that later.
If you need help telling your story and designing your organization’s brand identity, schedule a consultation with us.
Jon Stanton has a degree in communications from Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan. He’s worked in communications and marketing for over 20 years, most recently as the Creative Content Coordinator and Chief Proofreader for State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. Jon recently published his first book and blogs regularly at hopefortheheavy.com.