Block
I sat at my desk today with just one goal: to write the web design survey results article for A List Apart, or at least to make a good start of it. As the day draws to a close, I have not written a word on the subject. And I know I will not. Maybe tomorrow.
I write well, but find the work daunting. Beginnings, especially.
Tags: writer’s block, webdesign, webdesignsurvey
Filed under: A List Apart, glamorous, industry
So it doesn’t get easier?
Dont put off ’til tomorrow what you can do the day after.
:)
I would start with “In the beginning there were…”. That has seemed to work well for other publications.
Start in the middle, do the beginnings later ;-)
I need these results for raise-ammunition when my annual review comes next month!
Seems like starting is always the toughest part of any job. Sometimes it seems better just to go for it with a crappy start and refine it over and over. The writing equivalent of thumbnails to comps.
Somebody needs a hug!
Make a podcast No writing necessary.
Not enough interesting results?
Too many interesting details?
Not sure what it all means?
Have to vs. Want to?
Hemingway said to write one simple declarative sentence and the rest would flow like water. It has never worked for me, but it’s worth a shot.
Insert a picture. That’ll take care of the first thousand words…
I would start with “It was a dark and stormy night”.
You could start by taking a look at this website. It might remind you that there a web designers who have never heard of standards, A List Apart, validation, or a way to create web pages without the aid of the wonderful FrontPage.
Oh no! You should now totally ignore that e-mail I just sent you about…that.
The truth about why so many podcasts are so awful is revealed!
Oh! How exciting!
A case of procrastination, mr. Zeldman? Just add some structure to it, and you’ll do fine. ;-)
Curse you Aaron! My eyes! My precious eyes!
The owner of that site loves you Aaron… they got more hits today from that one link than they’ve had all year!
Hi, Jeffrey,
When I get stuck like that, one approach I use is to just start ANYWHERE, not just at the beginning. Chances are you can write SOMETHING somewhere else, anywhere else. For example, write what you thought of when you first saw the results, or your first impression of the results. Don’t worry about grammar or how you put it all together at that point. So often writing something elsewhere (not the first sentence of the first paragraph) will help get things moving forward and get you unstuck.
For myself, I so often find that it’s AFTER I’ve written other parts of an article that I then start writing that introductory paragraph, and it all comes together.
Another thing I do that works is to write an outline of what I want to write about, and once again, I don’t necessarily start at the beginning. I start anywhere.
Other times I just set the article writing aside and go walk my dog or do something else for a little while. Coming back later usually unblocks the block. ;-)
I use one or all of those approaches whenever I feel that writer’s block, and they all work for me.
Sounds to me like you already know what works for you when you’ve got a writer’s block - that you need to walk away from it for awhile, take a break, and try again later.
Good luck, and I look forward to seeing those survey results, Jeffrey.
It is… um.
Undoubte… er.
I know what you… no.
I concur.
Words are hard to start. Development is hard to finish.
-ch
One nice short walk, some good chocolate ice cream (or soy treat-your choice) and you’re ready for anything (until the ice cream wears off). Writers block usually menas to much monitor time.
Holy shit, GK Nelson is still alive and blogging.
Ok try this. I’ll start - you can finish.
Once upon a time, when the world was a lot smaller, there was a Web Design Survey and……
Ah, the block. Seems not only we poor creative writers suffer it, if that’s any consolation.
But seriously, the best advice on writing I’ve ever read is this little book, the advice of which applies not only to academic writing. It has helped me to get over quite a few writer’s blocks, and even better to avoid them in the first place.
A little tidbit found in thecomments of a Zeldman post, “Hemingway said to write one simple declarative sentence and the rest would flow like water. It has never worked for me, but it’s worth a shot.”
Hey,
Have you tried using an outliner? My experience has been using an outline is a great means of prioritizing and organizing your thoughts. Since you can see most of your paper/project all at once, you can start where you want and tie things together as needed.
There is no need to write in a linear fashion for a non-narrative just as there is no need to design a web site in a strictly linear fashion.
Will be interesting to see the results. Would also be interesting to see a synopsis and comparative analysis done by an independent third-party, possibly a respected university [college] with expertise in both statistical analysis and Internet communication/development/design. Would conclude, also, that access to that database might be a nice profit center for lease/sale of the raw data.
We’ll provide an anonymized version of the raw data for those who wish to do their own number crunching.
It will be free.
Like the report.
The web design community has given us a lot. We want to give back. Simple as that.
BTW, I’m so over the block, but I’m keeping comments open. It’s good to hear how others cope with the problem.
I recommend “Wild Mind” by Natalie Goldberg. Gets me going every time…
I figured just declaring the block would cure you, Jeffrey. My block tips are here:
blockbusters and balancing acts
Gah, now you’ve got me anticipating both part 2 of Hockenberry’s article AND the survey results article. When did ALA become a cliffhanger serial? :)
How about this for a possible solution (even though you said you were over the block already):
Quite a bit of folks took the time to fill out the survey.
Its been over a month with no word on results.
Some people could really use these results for their own career path.
Does that help?
I use Google Calendar and Google Inbox widgets, but not that often. I’m not a big dashboard kind of guy. It’s easy to forget it’s there.
Aw man that comment was supposed to go on http://www.zeldman.com/2007/09/06/ill-show-you-mine/#comments
Sorry… wrong tab in view :(
The hardest part of any project is starting. I meant to write this response yesterday.