Writer's Block

Sometimes it's hard to think of what to write about. When this happens, I check twitter.

beesham tweets, "RT: @FusionPR: How to Promote Your Blog and Keep it Fresh with Content http://blog.fusionpr.com/?p=527."

I follow her link and then follow that link till I land on Paul's blog post, Overcoming Blogger’s Block.

As I read this, I wonder, "Does everybody get writer's block? If I can't think up material for a blog, is it possible that speech writers struggle writing speeches from time to time? If so, how do we overcome this?"

I have a few suggestions. Some even relate back to Paul's blog.

1. Don't just choose a topic, choose one about which you are passionate. If you don't care about what you're saying, why should anybody else? You may be asking, "What happens if I really don't care about what I'm saying, but I have to prepare this speech for my job, my client, my class, or my sister's wedding?" The truth is, there is really no way out of these types speeches, and they have to matter. That is, they have to matter to someone. If you don't care about your topic ask yourself, "Why might this topic matter to my audience?" Try pretending you are passionate about the topic. Study it. Talk to people who have a passion for what you are writing. Maybe you will at least gain appreciation for your subject matter. Above all, develop enough passion that you can at least deliver a winning speech.

2. Discuss possible speech ideas. In 18th century Britain, some of history's most famous authors, Jonathan Swift, Alaxander Pope, and John Gay, were members of the Scriblerus Club. This club was made up of a group of authors who gathered to intellectualize. It was through this club that Johnathan Swift came up with his idea for his satire, Gullivere's Travels. Here, also, was John Gay encouraged to write his Beggar's Opera. Without a place to formulate these thoughts aloud and without people to accept or reject these ideas as good or bad, some of our greatest minds may never have produced such great work.

3. Relax. Don't search so hard for that new idea. Let it search for you. Some of my best ideas have come to me in my sleep.

Overcoming writers block is a challenge for many. Bloggers, authors, and speech writers alike struggle to remain original, but it can and must be done.