8 Proven Ways To Slap Writer’s Block Silly …

Let’s face it, writing all of the kick ass copy you need to grow your business by leaps and bounds is damn hard work.

If it weren’t … heck, every Tom, Dick, Jane and Harry would be doing it, right?

But wouldn’t it be great to have a few tricks up your sleeve to blast through those times when the going gets tough?

You know what I’m talking about – the keys to the kingdom are right there, staring you in the face – all you’ve got to do is tickle the ivories on your computer keyboard and your fortune’s sealed. But you’re stuck. BLOCKED!

Doesn’t it frustrate the living daylights out of you?

Well take heart, because today we’re going to slap writer’s block silly. We’re going to kick its sorry little heinie right around the block 8 ways to Sunday … and show you how to get into the “flow state” that’ll make you RICH!

Way 1 — Oftentimes when you’re blocked, it just means you haven’t thought through the subject you’re writing about thoroughly enough. You haven’t looked at it from all angles …

How do you fix this? Simple, you just start filling your subconscious mind with raw material. Follow the Charlie Tremendous Jones method. Read. Think. Share.

Just start reading everything you can find about the subject at hand. Keep doing it for days if you have to. Don’t stop until you have one of those aha moments. What’s an aha moment? It’s that unmistakable feeling that a light bulb just went off in your brain. All of a sudden, you’ll be compelled to write.

Why does this happen?

Because as you’ve been reading, your subconscious mind has been making connections. That’s what it does, but it can’t make those connections if there’s nothing to connect. Feed your subconscious with plenty of fuel, and it’s far more likely to slip into that flow state that touches off a writing frenzy.

Way 2 — Imagine for a moment that your monitor is a mirror, and you’re blocked. What kind of an expression is on your face? How is your posture? What kind of self–talk is going on between your ears? Please, really do this. Can you see yourself there? Good.

Now let’s try that again.

This time, think of a time when your tail was waggin’ – you were high as a kite because you’d just had the best writing session of your entire life! One great idea after another just flowed from your fingertips effortlessly onto the page. You were hot! Are you there? How do you look – any different? You bet!

Your whole physiology changed, didn’t it?

Now you have a tactic to use the next time you’re blocked. Simply change your physiology into the hyper–productive speed copywriting demon you really are! The great writing will follow.

Way 3 — This should be obvious, but I’ll include it anyway. Start leafing through your swipe file. Take a few minutes to see how other great copywriters solved a problem.

Take note of how they found a way to enter the conversation that was already taking place in their prospect’s minds, and draw parallels to the project you’re working on.

If you see something you really like, stop for a moment and describe what the writer did.

Write your description down.

For example, if the copy in your swipe file reads …

In just fifteen minutes, I’ll show how this “curse” of rising gas prices could well be your greatest financial gift ever.

You’ll be laughing all the way to the gas pump – IF you play your cards right … and if you act NOW!

You describe it as …

1 – The prospect is grumbling about something, so the copywriter enters the conversation by reminding him of it … and then surprises the prospect by saying this bad thing he’s grumbling about is actually a good thing, the best thing! A huge opportunity …

2 – Then the copywriter describes how the prospect won’t be grumbling any more if he takes advantage of that opportunity. Quite the opposite in fact, he’ll be laughing.

After you’ve deconstructed the copy, you simply draw a parallel to your prospect and the product you’re selling. If it doesn’t work, keep flipping through your swipe file until you find something that does.

It pays huge dividends to have the biggest swipe file possible. Just make sure it only contains the best of the best for you to model. The Steal These Secrets Swipe File is a must.

Way 4 — This technique is probably the most powerful of all for unlocking your creative ability and getting your copy written fast. It involves giving your subconscious mind explicit instructions to work on your copy while you are AWAY from your computer.

Is it a magic pill? No. But if you use this technique in conjunction with all of the others on this page, it will work wonders for you. The results will astound you.

Here’s how it works. Before you leave your computer, give yourself a very explicit command, such as …

“I’m logging off for the night. I’ll be back at this tomorrow morning at 10am. In the meantime, I’m handing the responsibility over to you, Sub, to develop a theme for this promotion.

“All of the spadework has been done. I’ve looked at this problem from umpteen different angles. Now it’s your turn. By morning, I expect a powerful theme from you for this promotion.”

I know this sounds a little metaphysical to be sure, but try it. Like anything else, it’s a skill that takes practice, discipline, and faith. Trust me, it is worth it.

Be sure to keep a notepad and paper with you when you’re away from your computer. A million dollar idea comes to you in a flash, and it can disappear just as quickly.

Way 5 — You have ideas, they’re just not good ones. How do you strengthen them?

Well, you can turn the literal into the figurative through storytelling and metaphor. You can look for surprising facts and figures to bring your copy to life, giving it form and dimension.

You can add the element of surprise, creating a paradox that will hook your reader and reel him into your copy.

For example, I recently wrote a teaser email for a promotion that essentially said:

“If you’re driving traffic to your website with Google Adwords, your goal should be to pay more for your clicks than anybody else.”

Most people are putzing around with their Adwords accounts trying to reduce their per click costs – not increase them – so they immediately do a double take when they read this. They’re compelled to read on to find out what it’s about, and bingo, they’re engaged.

Another great way to strengthen an idea is to divide it up into parts. Turn it into a list.

For some reason people love numbered lists. Don’t ask me why, they just do. Any argument can be presented this way.

Or combine your idea with another idea to make it more interesting, by drawing an analogy. Relate your idea to something that’s very familiar to your prospects, or to something in the news they’re likely to be thinking about.

Turn your writing into a game of free association, and in no time you’ll have something down on the page that will truly inspire you, and you’ll be in flow.

Way 6 — Swiss Cheese it. Poke holes in your writing project to conquer it in multiple sittings.

Each time you sit down, set yourself a goal:

A page, a section, a reason, a way, whatever … or at the very least, set a timer and refuse to be uninterrupted for a set period of time.

You’d be amazed at how effective this is. Why?

Because each time you come back to a particular piece of copy, you literally see it with fresh eyes. You read it from the top and you get ideas that you would never have had if you had forced yourself to write it all in one sitting.

At any point in time, I’ve got six or seven projects that I’m working on and I just alternate from one to the other, usually in one–hour blocks. Works wonders.

Way 7 — Just let go and have fun. Give yourself permission to suck!

Let your hair down, slay the internal editor – murder the bastard – and allow your creativity to flow. There is no such thing as bad copy. It’s a night at the Improv … one thing leads to another … before you know it, your page is full.

Somewhere in that gibberish is a sign from your unconscious, a clue – a lead that’s trying to point you to the gold! Follow it …

Peter Stone probably said it best. Write fearlessly, edit ruthlessly. After all, nobody has to see what you write. Nobody can criticize it. Think quantity over quality. Just keep writing like a banshee, don’t stop, have fun. Unlock your inner child.

Joe Vitale feels so strongly about this he had a tool developed that makes his monitor go black while he’s writing. He literally can’t see what he’s writing, until he tells the software to let him see it. He calls this unconscious directed writing.

Way 8 — Keep your eye on the prize. While you’re writing, keep your mind focused on why you’re doing it.

If you’re writing a promotion, you’re writing that promotion for a reason. You want to make sales, right? Not just a few, a bunch! More than that, you’re doing it because of the income, the recognition, and the financial freedom those sales bring.

Yet if you’re blocked, I’m willing to bet you’re no longer thinking about those things, are you? Temporarily, you’ve forgotten about them.

Remember them. Take a few moments to visualize how great that promotion is going to make your life when it hits.

Picture yourself logging on to the bank and seeing that behemoth balance… heading off to buy that brand new car you’re lusting after … and knocking off for the rest of the week!

Get your head on straight, and you’ll find yourself loosening up, and ideas will come to you much more quickly and easily.

Until next time, Good Selling!