Give It Up and Write!

by Elle Ray | Apr 2, 2019 | Writing

The Best Tips for Beating Writer’s Block

Everyone’s heard of writer’s block. But for writers, just the thought of it can cause clammy hands and a pounding heartbeat. Contrary to popular opinion, it’s not procrastination, fear or laziness that cause your inability to write. In fact, it often seems that the harder you try to write, the worse the block gets.

While writer’s block is a real thing that affects writers of every stripe, it doesn’t have to last long. And it certainly shouldn’t take over your ability to put words on a page. As a writer, you are in control, even if you don’t think you are.

Unleash the Magic!

In point of fact, penning any kind of document — from a novel to a blog post — is one of the most effective ways to overcome the affliction. It may sound antithetical, but once the juices get flowing, the dam opens up of its own accord. Most of time, writing isn’t magical, but in this instance, it can be.

Remember: your final version relies on editing, so the words you write now are only a bridge to that final product. You have to build that bridge with words, but they don’t have to be perfect words. To put it another way: it doesn’t always matter what you write, as long as you do it!

The Big Black Block

Writer’s block, as defined by Dictionary.com, is a condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing. That implies that those first few words sometimes are the hardest to write. Without even an idea or a glimmer of a topic, starting any writing project can certainly be difficult.

But even if you have the idea and know where you want it to go, the process may be daunting, especially if you don’t do it all the time. But whether you’re a seasoned writer in the throes of a major block or you’re just trying to get out your weekly blog so you can get back to your real work, you can follow effective tips to ease your burden. And your friends at Ray Access can give you those tips.

Flow, Baby, Flow

These tips are easy and they work. Just ask the thousands of writers who’ve stared down the abyss of writer’s block and found their way to the surface. But like writing, these tips only work if you do them. A block doesn’t often disappear on its own, but it doesn’t have to hold you back from expressing yourself, completing an assignment or creating something you can sell.

You may not need all five of these tips; try them until you find the one that snaps you out of writer’s block syndrome:

1. Hypnotize yourself. Hypnosis isn’t mysterious when you consider that all it entails is that you relax and open your mind to suggestion. Your answers lie within, so it’s relatively easy to tap into them when you take a few moments to totally relax and purge all the worry from your mind. Lie down — or even just close your eyes at your desk. Visualize the noise in your head and then watch it leave. Imagine words flowing out of your fingers. Now open your eyes and write.
     
2. Brainstorm. The opposite of self-hypnosis, brainstorming requires that you let thunder and lightning explode in your mind. Jot down every thought that comes up. Start the exercise with a concept or even just one word that you want to include in your current writing assignment. Don’t edit or monitor your ideas as they pop into your head. Before you know it, you’ll have the beginnings of a great piece of writing. This tip works really well with another person too.
     
3. Upend it. When you insist on starting at the beginning of your article, too often you set yourself up for perfectionism, one of the dreaded downfalls of writers everywhere and a major cause of writer’s block. Start a piece with the ending. Or just map out the various sub-topics you want to include. You can always go back and rearrange sections and paragraphs later. Many proficient writers always wait to write the beginning last because it’s the most difficult part of any writing project.
     
4. Talk it out. If you feel paralyzed by writer’s block, start talking about what you hope to accomplish. Naturally, it’s nice when you can speak to another person, who might even offer some helpful insight. But even if you’re alone in your room, saying what you want to write about out loud triggers a part of your brain that creates sentences and turns thoughts into words. To add another layer to this tip, record yourself!
     
5. Just walk away. Sometimes when you’re in the grip of debilitating writer’s block, you may just need a break. You’ve been trying too hard. Step away from your desk. Do some yoga, dance to your favorite tune, take a walk or work your muscles. Once the cobwebs clear, you can kick that writer’s block to the curb!

Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.

Spring Writing Tips

by Elle Ray | Mar 12, 2019 | Writing

After Hunkering Down for Winter, Get Inspired!

Just as big bears come out of hibernation in the spring, so too can writers take advantage of some writing tips based on the re-awakening that occurs in the blossoming season. Stretch your joints … and your imagination. Pick the daffodils that bloom first in spring and set them on your desk to encourage bright new ideas.

Whether you’re writing your weekly business blog, updating your website with fresh copy or journaling to keep the creative juices flowing, you can benefit from spring writing tips that take you out of the doldrums of winter and into a new season filled with possibilities — including new ways to increase sales with innovative marketing copy.

Why Write in the First Place?

You may be one of the forward-thinking business owners who’s incorporated writing tips from the pros, like those at Ray Access, or left the writing to those very same professionals. But even if you’re not the author of your marvelous weekly blogs, you can benefit from spring writing tips.

Whether you just want to add a snippet to your daily Tweet or post a Facebook meme designed to bring in new business, you need fresh ideas that always include words. (Search engine algorithms, after all, can’t see graphics.) And even if you have your monthly newsletter written professionally, there’s nothing stopping you from a sending a personal email to your loyal customers on a regular basis.

Deep Patel, author of A Paperboy’s Fable: The 11 Principles of Success, writes in Entrepreneur that “a clever and inventive mind opens doors to success.” And creativity is tantamount to innovation. Writing in a journal every day is one of the easiest ways to open pathways of creativity that may actually illuminate other areas of your mind to construct better products and services within your own specialty realm.

10 Spring Writing Tips to Get You Started

So here’s what you need to know to get started. You don’t need to pen a novel or even let anyone else read your writing for it to effectively jump-start your left brain creative process. Just try some of these 10 tips:

1. Let it go and let it flow. Release all preconceived notions of what you think is good writing. Be like the Nike pronouncement and just do it. Try a little self-hypnosis and don’t even read as you let words flow onto the page. You always can edit later.
    
2. Reserve judgment. Put the critic aside. These writing tips also stress expelling the word “should” from your vocabulary. So quit “shoulding” on yourself. “Should” has no place in the creative process.
    
3. Look at art. While your mother-inspired judgment is turned off, look at a piece of art or visit an art museum. Allow some creativity to come in through your eyes.
    
4. Visit Mother Nature. She has no judgment. Walk through the woods, stroll on the beach or just sit in your yard taking in the sounds, sights and smells of the ultimate creator. This is an especially powerful exercise for springtime writing that may have gotten all stuffy and closed staying indoors all winter.
    
5. Listen for a note. Music and the lyrics bound together within chords carry so many layers of inspiration that it can be difficult to sort through it all. So don’t. Just let the music stir your soul and then turn to your pen or keyboard and allow the flow to ease through your fingertips.
    
6. Work out. Some of your sleepiness and foggy thoughts get expelled through your sweat when you exercise rigorously. Whether you’re a runner or like to follow a particularly rambunctious dance instructor, get sweating. Physical attention takes your mind off mental obsession to make way for new ideas.
    
7. Read. One creed that all writers live by is “writers read.” Pick up a new genre that you don’t normally read, like a national magazine or a science fiction novel. Just seeing words in new places jogs loose your own unsaid words.
    
8. Change your scenery. Just like a vacation in an exotic locale refreshes your mind and body, writing in a new place can refresh your creative spirit. Take your laptop to a coffee shop if you normally write at home. Or rent a room with a view in a mountaintop motel for a fresh splash of inspired writing.
    
9. Brainstorm. Brainstorming — just letting ideas flow — is another one of those writing tips that needs to be done with no judgment. Even if the words seem disparate and irrelevant to your goal, let them flow. When you go back and read them, you may be surprised at what came out during the session.
    
10. Clean your room. This isn’t mother talking. Instead, it’s the wise Chinese masters of feng shui who say that a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind. Straighten up your writing area so that it’s orderly and clean. Creative energy prefers to land in a place that shines with good intentions and deliberate invitations.

Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.

Get Your Readers Moving … with Words

by Elle Ray | Jan 14, 2019 | Writing

Power Up Your Writing with the Active Voice!

The active voice moves readers, while the passive voice gives them pause. So when you’re writing marketing content for your website, the last thing you want visitors to do is hesitate to contact you because they’re trying to figure out what you’re asking them to do — all while keeping their mouse pointer hovering over the Back button. Tell them what to do — buy now or contact us!

Active voice relies on action verbs rather than words that refer to something happening in the future — anything that takes place later. For example:

• Passive voice: “You’ll be taken to task for not using active voice.”
• Active voice: “I’m taking you to task for not using active voice.”

If your boss said one of these to you, which one causes you to snap to it? And which one gives you time to straighten up and even ponder the ultimatum? Or is it an ultimatum? We wrote it, and we can’t even tell!

Get ‘Er Done

Active voice supposes that the noun is doing something. Passive voice infers that the noun may do something in the future. And with that inference comes the possibility that the noun won’t even do that thing. For example:

• Passive voice: Using this blog post as a guide for good writing can help you get more customers.
• Active voice: Use this blog post as a guide for good writing to help you get more customers.

See the difference? When you use words like “can,” “may” or “might,” you leave room for interpretation that infers, “on the other hand, maybe not.” The active voice tells you that, yes, this is a fact to which you should pay attention. There is no ambiguity to active voice.

You’re the Authority

Perhaps one of the reasons so many writers use passive voice goes back to their upbringing: they’re taught to not act up in polite society. Don’t be pushy. Don’t assume that everyone agrees with you. Don’t tell people what to do; ask them nicely.

But marketing — and in particular, content marketing — is the exact place to define and exhibit your authority. Readers and clients want to believe you. They need to believe you. When visitors to your website and readers of your blog see the indecisiveness of a wishy-washy passive voice, they wonder just how much you really know about a subject.

You know your industry. You know your company’s offerings. So tell your readers. Give them the facts. Establish your authority by using the active voice in all your writings. For example:

• Passive voice: Ray Access may be able to help you improve the conversion rate of your website.
• Active voice: Ray Access improves the conversion rate of your website.

And It’s Just Plain Easier to Read

Besides providing the ultimate calls-to-action without actually sounding like sales-speak, sentences written in the active voice flow better and are easier to read. According to the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin, passive voice sentences usually rely on excess words, and they’re very often vague. Typically, using the passive voice leads to a jumble of prepositional phrases that sometimes require two or three passes to digest.

On the other hand, using the active voice leads to active buyers, not further contemplation and confusion. Read the difference:

• Passive voice: We can be contacted online through the contact form.
• Active voice: Contact us online through the contact form.

Read it and do it!

Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.

What Is Your Tone of Voice?

by Elle Ray | Dec 4, 2018 | Writing

And Does It Matter on Your Business Website?

Studying the art of communication, you learn that about 55 percent of communication between people occurs through body language. Only an average of seven percent of meaning is achieved through the actual words you say. That leaves 33 percent left over, and that’s where your tone of voice communicates your intent.

Tone when speaking includes the pitch of your voice. You can be screeching or high-pitched, as if you’re excited or nervous. You may be a “low-talker,” which may infer to others that you have secrets or lack much confidence. When you’re speaking, the wrong tone of voice can cause misunderstandings and mixed signals.

Write with Tone

Writing too has a tone of voice that very often portrays your message even more forcefully than the words you choose. According to the Nielson Norman Group, a UX research and consulting firm, your tone in writing is just as valuable as the tone you use when speaking. How you feel about the subject you’re writing about comes through in your tone of voice.

Tone of voice in writing also lets your personality shine through. It tells your readers subtly whether you have a sense of humor, you’re bored with your work or you’re truly passionate about the subject matter that’s bubbling out of your fingertips. Your tone lets readers in on your cynicism or irreverence. Especially important in business communication is whether you’re more formal or casual in your approach. And that comes out in the tone of your writing voice.

Your Tone of Voice Is Personal

One of the aspects of writing that slows down amateur writers is a belief that their tone in writing should differ from the tone they use when speaking. As a result, their writing comes across as stilted, awkward or full of words no one would use in everyday speech. Formal writing, like that used in academia or grant proposals is not based on everyday language. That’s why we encourage writers of all levels to write like you talk.

And how you speak is very personal. It betrays your regional origin and education level, as much as it does your thought process. The personality that comes through in your written voice is an integral part of your message — so much so that how you say something is just as important as what you say.

Why Worry Now?

Writing blog posts and website pages should play an integral part in your overall content marketing and messaging strategy. It’s one of the main reasons that business owners and marketing firms are so hesitant to hire outside writers. They’re afraid of losing their “voice” — the intangible thing that makes them unique.

Tone of voice, also referred to simply as tone or voice, is just as important, however, to professional content providers like Ray Access. When we write for you, we want to keep your voice, not give you ours. So before we begin your project, we like to see something you’ve written or at least listen to how you talk about your company.

We often hear clients tell us that what we’ve written sounds just like something they would say. We don’t always have to be that spot on, but we get close enough to make you feel comfortable putting your own name to the words. As professionals, we leave our voice at the door. No one should be able to tell that you didn’t write the words on your site.

In the Final Check

Editing plays a big role in maintaining a consistent voice on your website. Editing also can help soften the blow of poor grammar or less-than-fluid thinking. You can keep your voice while maintaining proper punctuation and grammar. One does not preclude the other, no matter how much slang you use in your everyday speech.

Editing also ensures that a consistent voice flows through your words, even when different writers contribute to your site’s content. An editor who respects and understands the value of voice and the tone you want to portray is more valuable than all the thesis writers at Harvard combined. So write like you speak … because you connect with people that way.

Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.