I first read the following in an online forum full of screenwriters.
And there was a discussion about what to do when writing gets too convoluted, loses its way, you’re not sure where you’re going or if what you just wrote makes sense or if you are spending an inordinate amount of time writing, fixing your writing, editing, and obsessing over some writing that is stuck, not doing what you want, sucking up your patience & time.
This can be for any kind of writing:
From screenplays, to fiction, to non-fiction, emails, sales copy, VSL scripts, etc.
And this simple tip I am about to show you has been immensely helpful to me over the years, and has radically improved my work quality. It has also radically saved me time, even though it seems like it might take more time on the surface.
Anyway, here goes:
“When stuck, throw it all out.”
Yes, literally take your entire document, trash it, start over.
I don’t care if it’s an email, a 20-page sales letter, or even a 300-page novel.
Just sac up and delete the whole dayem thing.
If you’re too paranoid and/or too much of a cowardly mush cookie to do that, then put a copy somewhere on the cloud, but don’t even look at it after that. Instead, just start writing whatever it was totally from scratch. The reason this works and even saves you time is because what you remember (and what worked) about what you first wrote probably does belong, while what you forgot is almost certainly irrelevant and can safely be cut, forgotten, and left out anyway.
Too simple for you?
Well, I don’t know what tell you then, Hoss.
Other than, this may be one of the single most powerful tips for dealing with burnout, writers block, or feeling “stuck” that has ever been invented – especially by writers who sometimes have just 48 hours or less to churn out a completed script just to get paid and feed themselves.
Screenwriters have all kinds of valuable advice like this.
It’s one reason I like to study them, and recommend other email and other marketing-related writers do as well.
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Ben Settle
