Write in Bullet Points - 5 Ideas to help your writing practice be consistent

Developing a Rhythm and Practice of Writing - Part 10

How do you overcome writer’s block? 

It’s hard to keep writing consistently especially when writing is not our work and there are no “consequences” to not writing.  The ease to stop is so much greater than the discipline to keep writing. 

Here are five ideas to help you overcome writers' block:

1. Talk to yourself
2. Write in Bullet Points
3. Prompts and Questions
4. Rewrite & Edit
5. Writing Challenges

Write in Bullet Points

Whenever I get stuck on what to write or how to write, I write in bullet points using a tool called Roam Research.

• Roam Research is a note-taking tool for network thought.

• It utilizes bi-directional linking to help you process unorganized thought.

• You don’t need to use Roam Research to do this. You can do this with any note taking tool.

The key to writing in bullet points is the ability to sort and organize them. There are three steps.

1. Write down everything that is on your mind in bullet points.
2. Read, sort and organize the bullets into categories, patterns, or a sequential process (Similar to what I am doing with these three steps).
3. Write a header for each grouping. It should have one main idea or category.

You can also do this on paper. Below is a practice I guide people through in my coaching practice.

• Use Post-It’s or Note Cards. It’s important to be able to sort and organize them into categories.

• Set a timer for 10 minutes.

• Ask yourself a question. For example, “What do I want?”

• One post-it or note card for each answer.

• Read them, combine them, and sort them. Create a new post-it or note card as you need to.

• Then prioritize them based upon importance.

If you are feeling stuck in your writing, write in bullet points. Give it a try.

This entry is for Month-long writing challenge for our The Beautiful Future Members. Every weekday, we write and share with one another to build and strengthen our practice of writing.