+JMJ+
I wanted to write about writer’s block, and wouldn’t you know it?
I couldn’t think about what to write!
Go figure.
You shouldn’t ever get writer’s block for your emails.
The problem is this: once you get sucked into this black hole, the blockage is like a vortex that clogs up the creative juices, strangling every ounce of hope out of your soul. It’s kinda like a Chinese finger trap, where the more you struggle against it, the tighter it gets.
The good news is … there’s a cure!
With that said, I have a confession …
I had some writer’s block when I sat down to hammer out the daily email to my Marketing Traders.
At first, I was just lounging on the sofa, banging my head against the wall to try and get anything out of it. I’m talking about figurative banging, by the way.
In reality, I was sitting there with my eyes closed, half dozing, half deep in thought, which reminded me of an interview with this guy who’s name I forget who talked about doing the same thing as a writer.
Sometimes, as a writer, it’s your job to sit there and think, and while it might look like you’re wasting away like a lump of human trash to your family, that’s actually part of the gig. Sometimes, you just have to think.
Eventually, the answer hit me with the force of a Mike Tyson uppercut from the 1980s: Just do what that guy from Monty Python said to do.
Have you heard about John Cleese?
He was one of the cast members of the Monty Python comedy series from back in the day.
A few years ago, he wrote a book titled “Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide” which is nothing like the funniest joke in the world, so you won’t die if you read it. It’s more like a roadmap for steering your creativity.
One of the steps he suggests for heating up your creative juices is simple: figure out the point you want to make. It’s a sure-fire way to help organize your thoughts, which did the trick for me.
I made it easy …
I want to help the Catholic entrepreneurs get over the writer’s block so they can get on with their emails and make more sales, so …
I need to show them how.
“Now, you handsome fella,” I said to myself, “go write.”
Another interesting method for curing writer’s block is something I read about that’s attributed to the late, great marketing master, Gary Halbert.
His advice was to just sit down and keep writing the words “blah, blah, blah” until you push through. The idea is to force the brain, just below the surface, to start thinking about a solution without you knowing, which goes back to something in Cleese’s book, but that’s enough for now.
Stay holy my friend, and God bless.
Vic
The Marketing Trad
P.S. There are other ways to obliterate writer’s block. One of the best ways is to pay someone else to do the writing for you. If you’re interested, let me know: [email protected].