Tag Archive for writers

Writer’s Word Constipation – 3 Quick Cures

writer's block

Writer’s Constipation

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What Pro Writer’s Do When The Words Won’t Flow

Writer’s constipation is different from writer’s block.

Writer’s block finds you staring at the blank page or screen, lost for what to write.

Writer’s block is more of a mindless state.

Writer’s Constipation occurs when you have too much to write.

Writer’s Constipation is when you’ve been grazing or gorging on information for an extended time, researching or learning, but not producing anything from it.

You’re full of it. You’ve been consuming words, written or oral, and you’ve digested that knowledge and turned it into your own new ideas. But you haven’t gotten any out.

Now, you have such a backlog of research to share, new ideas, perhaps a whole book full of ideas – but the words are packed so tightly in your skull you struggle to get the flow started.

You’re constipated in the head!

Where to start?

I’m experiencing this writer’s constipation phenomenon now.

For three years I’ve been researching and studying the various and many benefits which can be derived from a certain part of our anatomy. A mentor of mine suggests now might be a good time to publish those findings.

But where to start!

Three years worth of words and ideas are swirling around in my head. Flashes of genius call out at random intervals – triggered no doubt by some bling in my immediate surroundings.

Rather like the term writer’s constipation came to me while in the shower today. I don’t know why!

But what to do with all these random stuck thoughts?

Is this where I should start? No wait…

Maybe I should start here?

And as we all know – a confused mind does nothing.

Help! I Can’t Get It Out.

Luckily, I’ve lived long enough to know that we don’t have to panic when this happens.

Much like the other constipation we all know and despise, there are cures. Remedies. Some potent like Magnesium Citrate. Some more gentle, more like MiraLAX.

Here they are:

My Three Cures for Writer’s Constipation

1. Pick It Out.

Literally. Grab a piece of paper and a pencil, not a keyboard or screen – you’ll see why in a bit – and start writing down little snippets. One word about your topic or research. Then another. Then another.

Maybe it’s:

  • Potential headings
  • Potential chapters
  • Industry jargon
  • Report Titles

Expand next to phrases. Important thoughts or ideas. Multiple word groups or short sentences. Don’t edit. Write them down as they come. Quickly now! Don’t stop to think. Write. Write some more.

Once you find yourself slowing down or thinking too much, stop. Or perhaps you’ve filled the page. Stop!

Get up now. Go grab a glass of water, coffee, or some other favorite drink. You need a short break to let your mind catch up.

Go back to the paper now. Add arrows to connect related points. Circle or highlight matching ideas with a colored pens. Number things if that’s appropriate. Begin to organize thoughts and words.

Rewrite these on another paper if that helps you organize.

Now that you’ve got things flowing, keep going.

Work on expanding the ideas you have. Or start on another page if you feel you have more to get out first. The important thing is to keep the flow going once it starts.

Stay regular. Write every day.

2. Map It Out

I love mind maps.

Not the computer kind, I get too lost and angered in the learning or formatting curve to find any benefit.

I love the speed and simplicity of pen and paper. Especially that engineering paper with it’s little blue squares. Legal pads are my second choice, followed by blank printer paper.

Strange as it may seem, a sketch artist once told me his “trick” to getting started with that scary blank page. Simply draw a border around the page!

Yes. A simple rectangle. A border. A frame.

Then, it’s not a blank page anymore. You’ve added “something”!

Typically, I’ll write my working title or topic in the center of the paper, then circle it.

Half an inch away I’ll write whatever word seems closely related to that.

For example, if I wrote BODY in the center and circled it, I might write ARM a half inch away and circle that. Then draw a line to the BODY circle.

Next I might write HAND a half inch out from ARM and circle that. Then I might write FINGERS a half inch out from hands and circle that, or maybe I’d square that. Connect them all with lines.

writer's mind map

I won’t give a whole tutorial here on creating mind maps. There are dozens of websites and videos already doing that. And most of us remember enough how to create one from our school days anyway.

Mind maps help you get your information out bit by bit, word by word, while organizing at the same time.

I’ll usually run out of room on the page and have to start over. Or get a bigger piece of paper.

Mind maps provide a structure which helps things start flowing.

Nature abhors an empty space and will suck the words right out of you – if you let it.

3. Take A Writer’s Dump

This last one, I first heard from the late, great copywriter Gary Halbert.

It’s a technique he used and recommended for fighting the constipation’s dreaded cousin, Writer’s Block.

You just start writing.

Nonsense. Any words. Any sentence. Nothing has to make sense. You can write your favorite nursery rhyme. Song lyrics. Anything goes. “Four score and seven years ago…”.

How to bake bread. How to draw a cute kitten. How to safely clean your ears with a Q-tip even though the box says don’t.

Just start writing. Dump it all out. It’s the warm up. Nothing really matters…to me!

It works on the same principle as syphoning water.

You suck and suck until you get it to flow, then it just flows – all by itself.

Conclusion…

Try one or all of these three remedies next time you get a bad case of Writer’s Constipation.

You’ll feel better fast. You’ll thank me.

The Magic Potent Bonus Cure!

If you haven’t got your flow going yet, or are looking for a faster start, I’d recommend you grab a copy of my most potent writer’s remedy, The Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit.

Even if you’re NOT writing sales copy!

Its psychological themes and colorful graphics offer unique and timeless insights into inner the workings of the human mind.

It’s like Draino for idea flow.

Using its fill-in-the-blank templates and forms, you can’t help but find the ways and means of presenting your information in a form that readers will eat up. It will literally pull the thoughts from your head in an organized, compelling form.

Use at your own risk*

Available by prescription only…and I’m prescribing it for you here!

Be forewarned though… Ideas will flow out so fast it will make your pen spin. Best to have that paper ready to catch them.

*Safe and effective when used as directed.

There you go. Or at least, I hope you do.

Otherwise, you’ve read this far just to increase the log-jam of information that got you here in the first place.

Take action!

That’s the only way out of this mess.

“Here’s to your struggle-free, strain-free writing success!”

– Robert Schwarztrauber

35 Best Online Copywriting Courses to Start Your Career

Copywriting Courses for Beginners

Copywriting is a promising career path for writers in the digital age. Average salaries for copywriters range can from $40,000 to $70,000 annually, and demand is growing as more businesses require web content, social media marketing, and other promotional materials.

Copywriters can also negotiate royalty or profit sharing deals to significantly increase their income, or use their skills to promote their own or another’s products.

Many with copywriting skills work as affiliate marketers, letting others do the hard work of product creation and delivery, while they simply write compelling copy which leads the prospect to the sellers page – if the prospect buys, the writer receives a commission.

This article shares the top online courses you can use to launch a profitable copywriting career. Whether you want to work freelance or in-house, the courses listed below will build  your skills in areas like headlines, branding, SEO, persuasion, and more.

Standout Beginner Copywriter Courses

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Copyblogger (www.copyblogger.com) – One of the top sites for learning copywriting. Has free articles, tutorials, guides, and paid courses.

The Writer’s Cookbook (www.writerscookbook.com) – Free online copywriting course with 10 modules covering headlines, benefits, persuasive writing, and more.

Free Online Copywriting Courses

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1. The Writer’s Cookbook (www.writerscookbook.com) – Free online copywriting course with 10 modules covering headlines, benefits, persuasive writing, and more.

2. HubSpot Academy (academy.hubspot.com) – Free courses on writing blog posts, emails, landing pages, social media content, and more.

3. Semrush (www.semrush.com) – SEO and content marketing platform with free copywriting classes.

4. Google Skillshop (skillshop.exceedlms.com) – Free online courses from Google, including training on writing effective ads.

5. Facebook Blueprint (www.facebook.com/business/learn) – Free courses on writing compelling Facebook and Instagram ads.

6. CopywritingCourse (www.copywritingcourse.com) – Free introduction to copywriting concepts like headlines, openings, and getting attention.

7. Warrior Forum (www.warriorforum.com) – Active internet marketing forum with discussions on copywriting.

8. Quicksprout University (www.quicksprout.com/university) – Free online courses in copywriting, SEO, and content marketing from Neil Patel.

9. Daily Blog Tips (www.dailyblogtips.com) – Free blog focused on blogging tips with lots of copywriting advice.

10. Copyhackers (copyhackers.com) – Free library of copywriting resources, examples, and tutorials.

11. The Landing Page Course (www.thelandingpagecourse.com) – Free email mini-course on writing high-converting landing pages.

12. Conversion Copywriter (www.conversioncopywriter.com) – Site with a free 10-day bootcamp teaching persuasive online copywriting.

Paid Online Copywriting Courses

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1. Copyblogger (www.copyblogger.com) – One of the top sites for learning copywriting. Has free articles, tutorials, guides, and paid courses.

2. Coursera (www.coursera.org) – Offers a Copywriting: Achieving Impact and Influence certificate program through the University of California, Davis.

3. edX (www.edx.org) – Platform with a Writing Case Studies: Science and Medicine course to learn copywriting for scientific contexts.

4. Udemy (www.udemy.com) – Marketplace with dozens of copywriting courses from expert instructors. Covers different focuses like email marketing, SEO, Facebook ads, and more.

5. Skillshare (www.skillshare.com) – Subscription learning platform with copywriting classes for all levels.

6. LinkedIn Learning (www.linkedin.com/learning) – Subscription learning site with copywriting courses for social media, websites, marketing campaigns, and more.

7. Contently (contently.com) – Articles, resources, and courses for aspiring freelance copywriters, content marketers, and creative professionals.

8. Lynda (www.lynda.com) – Subscription learning site with dozens of copywriting courses for marketing, social media, branding, and more.

9. Skillcrush (skillcrush.com) – Paid online courses and bootcamps in content writing, social media marketing, and UX writing.

10. Udacity (www.udacity.com) – Platform offering a paid nanodegree in digital marketing with copywriting training.

11. FreelanceWriting (www.freelancewriting.com) – Articles, resources, and paid courses on copywriting for freelancers.

12. AWAI (www.awai.com) – Paid courses and training on direct response and long-form copywriting. Fellow writers club to promote collaboration, comaraderie, and share tips.

13. The Adweek Copywriting Handbook (www.amazon.com) – Highly-rated copywriting book with writing exercises.

14. The Copywriter’s Handbook (www.amazon.com) – Classic instructional book on copywriting.

Mixed Free/Paid Learning Platforms

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1. Creative Live (www.creativelive.com) – Platform offering paid live online classes in copywriting, content marketing, email marketing, and more.

2. General Assembly (generalassemb.ly) – In-person and online classes in digital marketing and copywriting skills offered in various cities.

3. Amazon Kindle Store – Numerous ebooks on copywriting available for Kindle devices. Search “copywriting”.

4. Problogger (problogger.com) – Blog for bloggers with articles, tools, and resources for writing online content.

5. Moz Blog (moz.com/blog) – SEO blog from Moz with tips on optimizing copy.

Copywriting Courses Conclusion

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Taking an online copywriting course is the best first step to launching your career. The courses offered will help you build a portfolio, network with other writers, and stay on top of fast-moving industry trends.

The Copywriter’s Persuasion Toolkit is an essential resource for every copywriter who wishes to write faster, more compelling promotions. When you really need to get to the heart of the buyers pain points, true desires, and press their buying hot buttons, (always!) this toolkit will give you everythng you need. The templates provided, and the simple graphic overview will put you light years ahead of competing copywriters who lack this resource.

The bonus reports included let any copywriter get their first paying gig fast.

Using our copywriting tools and templates will maximize your productivity and speed your way to the writer’s fast cash.

Click the link above or below to get the one tool you need to succeed as a copywriter.

Or, reach out today to learn more!

How else can I help you?

– Robert Schwarztrauber

P.S. The quick links and urls provided are for your convenience and  were accurate at the time of writing this post – and are always subject to change. If you find a boken link, just let me know and I’ll correct it or remove it. Thanks!

copywriting tool kit