A friend and colleague of mine shared a great post by Seth Godin: Talker’s block. Why don’t we ever experience talker’s block like we do writer’s block? Great question. Part of me believes it’s because we are not so prone to extreme editing when we speak. It seems so much easier to call upon your inner critic when you can see your words on paper. Maybe we feel that when we jot something down it becomes permanent, there is no going back, as opposed to talking. Once your words leave your mouth they are lost in space. Maybe?

So what does Seth propose to help us get over writer’s block? WRITE. Write often and write how you talk.

Here are 5 things you can do to get your writing on par with your talking:

1. Choose a time during the day that allows you to write with no interruption. Consider first thing in the morning and perhaps write about what you dreamed, or at night before you go to bed write about your day.

2. Commit to writing every day. You cannot expect to improve on any skills if you only put in 50%. Make a promise to yourself to go all the way and not just half way.

3. Choose to write for a small, bite-size chunk of time. Just 15 minutes a day is all you need to practice your writing. It’s a reasonable amount of time to fully commit to.

4. Write how you talk. I find that if I speak aloud and write what I am saying, it helps me be authentic and really commit to writing how I talk.

5. Finally, review your work. In order to ensure that you are improving, take a moment to look back at your writing to see how you have improved.

When you put pen to paper or fingertips to keyboard or even voice to recorder, you are giving yourself the time you need to truly express yourself and be authentic. As we move forward in technology, let’s not forget the simple things: the gift of words.

Happy writing!

P.S. This was my 15 minutes of writing for the day.