© Best Practices in IT Leadership, Mosaic Media, Inc.
Communications for the IT Leader: Breaking through the problems of writer’s block
BY GEORGE HALAS, III

In the world of the IT leader, virtually all written communications must be completed by a certain time. Deadlines rule, and missing one can have serious consequences. You don’t have the luxury of waiting for a burst of inspiration or until conditions are “just right.’’ And you certainly don’t have time to struggle with “writer’s block.”

As a sportswriter whose workday is defined by deadlines, I have had to deal with this problem many times. In this article, I want to share some of my favorite tricks for beating writer’s block.

Understanding writer’s block
Whether you’re an IT manager, a team leader, or a developer, you have probably found yourself in this situation more than once. A request for proposals (RFP), a staff member review, or some other document is due to a manager tomorrow. You make time to write and, just as you begin, writer’s block strikes. The primary symptom is a complete inability to get started. You stare at the screen and…nothing. Any word that comes to mind just isn’t right or sounds awful. The slightest noise becomes a major distraction. Deadlines loom larger and closer. The first and most important step to beating writer’s block is to understand that it exists only in your mind. It is a phenomenon you create for yourself; only you can give it any power. Since people generally don’t intend to create a traumatic episode for themselves, writer’s block is usually the product of stress or the inability to focus. It’s up to you to realize this, then find ways to get yourself moving.

Don’t jump right in
The remedy, which is more easily said than done, is to relax. The best way to do this is to start slowly; don’t worry about jumping right in and whipping out a complete document. Instead, take a little extra time to get yourself together:

• Think about the content, length, and objectives of your document. Try to envision it in its completed state. If you have written a similar document before, or if you can use a template (as is often the case for RFPs and reviews), look at it for ideas and inspiration.

• Create an outline or a list of the major points you want to make, in their approximate order.

• Decide how many words to devote to each point.

• When a good idea appears, make a note of it and return to the place where you left off.

Now get started
As a sportswriter, I am always on deadline. Much of my work involves covering an event then writing about it immediately. Often, the biggest challenge is just getting started: writing the first paragraph (or “lead” in journalist lingo). In those situations, I’ll do one of two things:

Just to get words on the screen, I’ll write a lead I know I won’t use. When I’m done, the rest of the story will help me rewrite my lead.

Otherwise, I’ll use the Associated Press’ famous “wh-what-where-when-how” strategy for fast, factual writing. By using a “by-the-book” technique, I start the process, engage my brain and move past the most difficult hurdle.

Either one of these tricks can work when writing on IT issues—or in any kind of writing, for that matter. Try it yourself. Another way to get started (and to stay on track once you’ve gotten started) is to think about the reader. Your document’s first paragraph has one major objective: to induce reading of the entire text. So, if neither of the preceding tricks helps you get started, ask yourself questions like “what is the point of this piece?” or “why is this information important to the reader?” The answer may serve as your lead.

If you’re really stuck, sleep on it
I almost never have time to compose a rough draft or an outline. However, when I’m really stuck, and when I actually have the time, I use some variation of the following approach:

    • Get a grip on the document’s parameters. That is, determine what points you want to communicate, identify the audience, figure out the proper length, and isolate your objectives.

    • Assemble a list of major points. Think seriously about the document you need to write. Then, forget about it for a while and attend to something else or (if time allows) sleep on it overnight . By engaging in preliminary thinking and then sleeping on it, you allow your brain to do one of the things it does best: batch processing. While you sleep, your brain is hard at work organizing and making sense of all the data you have taken in during the day. Enter the data then go to sleep.

In the morning, your brain will be humming like a finely-tuned database application. When you return to your writing project, you’ll probably find it much easier to complete. 

 GEORGE HALAS, III
© Best Practices in IT Leadership, Mosaic Media, Inc.