My brain’s favorite time to develop writers block was sweeps, when I was slamming copy before the newscast. (Sound familiar? Who’s with me?) It’s not an ideal time to stare at the screen and hope the words just come. So how do you get around that blank screen and blank mind? These techniques just might spark some inspiration.
Keep some of your favorite writing in a folder
Great writing, inspires great writing. Keep a folder with your favorite teases, vo’s and other nice writing handy. This can be stuff you wrote or something a mentor wrote. The point is, by pulling out the folder and reading some of these beauties, you might just get inspired. The techniques you notice in these scripts might trigger ideas.
Look at how other producers or reporters wrote the story, with goal of making yours different
Most of us thrive on the thrill of competition. Hopping into another rundown and looking at how a different reporter or producer wrote the story naturally sets off the “I can top that!” instinct that’s innate in most newsies. It often helps you quickly brainstorm a different approach or angle and, next thing you know, you bang out a bunch of good copy.
Get up and walk around
A change in scenery can really refresh your mind. Get up from your desk or the live truck and walk around. Get the blood rushing to your brain again. The longer you sit, the more comatose you feel and the less you think. You know the drill. A quick walk often gets everything moving again, including your news brain.
Eat a snack.
Keep a little something around to munch on. I know we are all calorie conscious. So, it doesn’t have to be chocolate. In fact, something crunchy, can be a good distraction as well. Often when you reach for the snack you realize you didn’t eat lunch. (Again, sound familiar?) You can’t write well when you are out of fuel.
The most important thing to do is not panic, especially if the writer’s block hits when you are really slamming on deadline. If none of these tricks work and you are down to one story, see if someone else can throw in a first line for you. That can be enough to get the ball rolling and finish the script. Bottom line, you will get the work done. You have to!
