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6 Fresh Approaches to Take on Your Next Writing Assignment

overcoming-writers-blockBy Jill Kurtz
Online Career Tips Contributor

Having a little bit of writer’s block and wondering what angle to take in your next writing assignment? Been there. Here are some ideas to think about:

  • Focus on the process rather than the result. What are the people, processes, or happenings behind the scenes? The personal profiles of athletes that are common during Olympic and other sports coverage are an excellent example of this.
  • Cover a related, but unexpected topic. If you are writing about a company business plan, perhaps focus on how that plan will need to be communicated. If you are writing about an event, look at a person or industry that was impacted by that event.
  • Use a person to bring the topic to life. Tell the story of a person who is directly involved with or impacted by the topic at hand. Bring the impacts of slavery in American to life through one slave’s story. Recent winter weather has affected travel, but the story of the commuter who spent seven hours on the road trying to get home is more interesting.
  • Bring in a pop culture reference. How is your management issue reflected in an episode of “The Office”? What does “The Big Bang Theory” tell us about the state of science and engineering education in the United States? What does Lada GaGa’s latest outfit tell us about cultural expectations? Tie your topic to something that is a popular frame of reference.
  • Document a trend. Give three examples (your topics can be one of them) that illustrate a trend that happened or is happening. This approach adds depth to your writing.

If none of these tips get your writing juices flowing, here is my failsafe. Find someone who likes you enough that they will listen to a three minute explanation of what you need to write about. Tell him or her about your topic and what you are struggling with. Then listen. The ease with which he or she gives you a path forward will lead you to a guaranteed forehead slap.

Now, get writing.

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