This one time in a singing lesson, I pelvic thrusted my way to hitting a solid high A flat with ridiculous confidence. It was brilliant. So brilliant (and gorgeous, I might add) that my singing teacher started to laugh; so hard, in fact, that she ended up toppling over on the piano bench, interrupting my beautiful singing. I mean…can you believe it?
Apparently, I was the first student she ever had who used this “thrusting” technique.
What in the world do pelvic thrusting and singing have to do with copywriting?
Surprisingly… A LOT.
Over and above the fact that it’s okay to add a little extra POP to your style every now and then (if it’s originally you, of course), I took away some truly valuable lessons when it came to creating that day.
A Flat Lesson One: If something is not working, try a different way.
Every time we ran that section — over and over and over — I failed to hit the note; my confidence deflated FAST. So, I purposely joked around the next time, trying to do something else with my body so I wouldn’t think about the note itself. By relaxing and trying something TOTALLY different and unrelated to what I was trying to accomplish, I succeeded.
This lesson of “relax and try something different” has helped people with creating content time and again. If you’re struggling to think of topics to write about or simply frustrated that for every three words you type, you delete two, try one (or all) of the following:
- Brainstorming sessions. No topic is off-limits. Just remember — topics your audience cared about three months ago are VERY DIFFERENT than the topics they care about today. Think about what they are really asking now and how you can help to provide some guidance.
- Free-flow writing. Put a topic at the top of your page and just write everything you know about it. No rhyme or reason, bullet pointing if you have to. As Elsa from Frozen always says, “let it go” and release your judgement and critical eye of your writing.
- Record simple relaxed conversations with clients and colleagues (LEGALLY, of course). The insights from these convos are GOLDEN NUGGETS to the real questions that are on people’s minds these days.
- Write in a different style or format. Turn your report into a letter, your blog into a series of bullets, your marketing proposal into a thank-you campaign, your bio into a series of knock-knock jokes. The point is to literally not focus on what you’re trying to write…but on practicing a new style of writing without judgement.
- Change where you’re writing. Really, change the physical location you’re in. Some locations simply do not support creative writing flow. So, try moving to a different space. Write in the park or try a coffee shop (when safe to do so again). If in your home, try different areas there. I personally have an office…but I do many first drafts at my kitchen table, my painting station, the patio, or even on the couch.
If you’re not struggling to write, but your content doesn’t excite or connect with you; if your content gives you a complete and total panic attack each time you think about the “live” date approaching; if you are simply BORED with your writing even though you like the topic, try doing something different!
A Flat Lesson Two: Trust the foundational work you’ve already done.
Weekly lessons, vocal scales, warm-ups, theory lessons, years of RCM exams — the foundational work was there for me to hit this note. But my head didn’t trust my body. When I stopped thinking about trying to hit the note, the training I had done supported me in actually hitting the note because I DID THE FOUNDATIONAL WORK ALREADY!
It’s the exact same with writing. You already have the knowledge that your audience wants to hear. You are putting in the effort to further your own knowledge through experience, research, further education, supporting your own clients and seeing their results, and so forth. The writing, like any other skill, gets easier over time as you find your voice – it’s really just simple branding — and understand who your TRUE audience is (it may not be who you currently think it is). Then, identify how to connect the two. This takes practice and doing the work. But it gets easier over time.
A Flat Lesson Three: You may help someone with your out-of-the-box style.
My teacher has since incorporated this thrusting technique with other students. I did, after all, perfectly hit the A flat with ease as I used my hips the way Elvis would. It works because the singer isn’t focused on hitting the note, but on thrusting…getting them out of their own way and letting the TRAINING naturally take over.
I’m sorry to say that what you say most likely has been said before by someone else. It’s true for most everyone, myself included. BUT it will not have been said in your way, with your unique insights and connections. THIS is what your audience craves. YOUR VOICE because it actually HELPS THEM.
While I may have looked like a fool, I actually helped my teacher help others later on because IT WORKED! Knowing this, how can you get out of your own head to trust that the content you’re sharing actually needs to be heard by someone? Not sure how to start, read this blog on the lies we tell ourselves to stay in our own way.
I’m not telling you to go out pelvic thrusting to start to trust your own writing (unless that’s what you need to do). I’m really challenging you to question why you’re not currently sharing your brilliance and insights with your audience. If “writer’s block” or “I have nothing to share” are your answers, let’s have a chat and coax some topics out of you, because I assure you, you do!