Writer typing out their business book on a laptop computer.

The No. 1 Way to Avoid "Writer's Block"

March 06, 2024•2 min read

The No. 1 Way to Overcome "Writer's Block"

Writer typing out business book on a laptop computer using POWER Process

Most people trying to write any book make a fatal mistake early in the process. They start writing, thinking they will figure out where to go with what they are putting down on the paper or on a computer file as they write.

Good writing doesn’t work that way. EVER.

In more than 35 years of professional writing, I have never sat down to write something without having completed some preparation first.

For this blog post, for instance, I thought about a topic and how I would approach it while driving to a meeting. I jotted a few notes down in my notebook during the meeting. (Don’t tell the person I was meeting with – he thought I was writing notes about the topic we were discussing. I just didn’t want to forget my ideas.)

By the time I sat in front of my computer, I knew what I was going to say, how I was going to say it, what I was going to include and even had an idea of the title, which changed as I wrote.

Staring at a blank page is a waste of time and energy. No one gets healthier by looking at healthy food. You have to prepare and consume it. The same is true of good writing.

You have to invest in the preparation to make it happen.

When I work with writers, we focus on planning more than anything else. That planning revolves around who the small business owner is actually writing to (it’s NOT everyone), what those people really need to read, and then the most powerful ways to convey that message.

Imagine for a second how much easier writing is when you have this floor plan in front of you.

By the time we have all of that figured out, most would-be authors can’t wait to start writing.

Let’s discuss how that process might help you write the business book you need to better market your business.

Bob Graham

Bob Graham is the founder of SpearPoint Ink, where he helps financial advisors, consultants, speakers, coaches and executives turn their expertise into business books and other Authority Assets. He works as a ghostwriter and book coach and has helped more than 25 authors finish their books. He started as a journalist and spent more than 40 years writing, reporting and working in marketing, public relations and business coaching. His work has appeared in newspapers and magazines, on websites and in brochures, speeches, business plans and marketing campaigns. From 2006 to 2012, he was executive editor of Insurance & Financial Advisor (IFAwebnews.com). He wrote The Renegade Way and co-authored The 55 Soft Skills That Guide Employee and Organizational Success. He was a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University from 2014 to 2018, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in business communications, and adjunct faculty at Towson University from 2012 to 2014. Earlier, he was an adjunct professor at Strayer University and Goucher College. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in mass communication from Towson University and a Master of Arts in communications, journalism and public affairs, from American University.

Back to Blog