I was someone who struggled with math growing-up. I liked math and wanted to do well  but had horrible test anxiety. My college math experience was so bad. One day I went to my instructor and plead with him to pass me through my final math class. I had already taken the class and dropped it two or three times.  I was doing okay on the homework but I was bombing the tests. Much to my terror my pleading didn’t work. My instructor told me the worst thing possible. “Hmm…Well…let’s say you fail one or two times, sooner or later you should be able to pass…probably by next summer,” he said.

That was the most discouraging news ever. If I had problems with math before, I had more after that conversation. I believed I was a doomed looser who would never get anywhere in life. I could forget about being an engineer, actuary, economist, etc… Luckily, I learned that there even mathematically challenged can lead happy successful lives.

I’ve found that when it comes to being effective in business the ability to communicate well in person and in print can be an equally great asset.  When it comes to marketing for sure, the ability to enter a conversation already going on in a prospects mind is invaluable.

In fact, the more I involved i’ve become with sales and marketing over the years the greater my need for good plain English communication. I am not talking about college English-paper type of writing. I am talking about simple direct communication that for the most part avoids being overly wordy or profoundly complicated. Good storytelling too - I think - connects with readers in a special way.  At the risk of sounding cliché, everyone loves a good story.

Few days pass when I don’t have something I need to write.  Today I have been writing newsletters, tomorrow I could be writing a sales letter, proposal, or ebook chapter. Whatever the case there is one thing I can’t afford to have, and that is…writer’s block.

A writing instructor in grad school once told me there is no such thing as writer’s block for professional writers. People who have experienced writer’s block would probably disagree. I’ll let you speculate on which truth applies to you. I can tell you however, 5 things that help me avoid writer’s block. These are in no particular order of importance.

1. Discipline - I try to write something every day.
2. Preparedness - carry a notepad around with you and whenever you think of a topic that interests you write it down. Whenever you are feeling that you have nothing to write refer to the ideas in your notepad for inspiration.
3. Try any of these openers to get started:

• Do a top 5, 10, 15 etc… list
• Review something
• Ask a question
• Describe a problem and offer a solution
• Start with a quotation

4. Write a letter to someone describing 5 things you’ve done since you talked to them last.
5. Everyone eats - Write at least 3 short paragraphs describing with some detail a meal you recently ate.

Finally, have fun and keep things light.  Don’t be to serious about yourself or your writing. Remember, if you can talk you can write.

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