Nailing a Blank Wall – Or How to Repurpose Your Thoughts

Repurposing is making use of the old to suit new uses. For example, in the recycling of old outfits, you give still “good as new” blouses an updated look by cutting off sleeves or cutting slits on the fabric. Well, this time, I’m talking of repurposing old articles into brand new ones by snipping here and there to suit current trends or perspectives. There’s a treasure trove in your Google Drive just waiting to be discovered/recovered. In fact, you need not alter so much as the ideas will endure the test of time.

What holds true for the past will hold true for today, as long as there’s truth in what was said. Although there may be a slight shifting of values, most traditional values are treasured and hold true for most cultures. Concepts about love, family, friendships, kindness, and missionary spirit are filtered down through time, uncontested. So, here’s a repeat of what I’ve said in the past about pleasing your boss and meeting deadlines.

“When he hammers into the pool of writers – where I am – 100 articles in 12 hours, one better sweat out in lurid text or this person is done for.”

Deadline – is this the most dreaded word for writers? Nah, there is something more frightening – a blank mind! So, it is really a monster that I am looking at, with apologies to Barry Feldman. A blank page is making me sweat a storm. Feeling helpless? Yes. Can’t harm me? Ah, you do not know my boss. When he hammers into the pool of writers – where I am – 100 articles in 12 hours, one better sweat out in lurid text or this person is done for.

It is little comfort that Barry Feldman has been writing “marketing communications content for 25 years with an emphasis on digital marketing ”. What proved helpful during this encounter with the monster is this invitation for a 30-minute video tutorial— “Nail It and the Reader Shall Respond. There’s relief in hearing a human voice quietly telling you, “Start,” and you are over the hump of starting to write on a blank mind. Get it?

There’s no other way to swim than get into the water.

Just the other day, there was this inviting bluish swimming pool and my daughter was in it, urging me, “ Get in, water’s fine”. Is it? I balked at the idea of wetting my swimsuit. I came with her for the Gopro shots, not to be miserably wet. After some more prodding, I did get in – the water’s wonderful! This also goes for my writing tasks. Wading in took no less than E. Hemingway who encouraged me with, “The first draft of anything is shit.” This straightforward man is a darling. In no time at all, I was into the flow of high-class writing.

“There’s relief in hearing a human voice quietly telling you, ‘Start,’ and you are over the hump of starting to write on a blank mind. Get it?”

Fear of water is sometimes only self-induced.

Feldman’s practical prescription for “self-induced paranoia” of writing is simple: speak to yourself whatever you want to write, especially when you are stuck. He says that is the best time to speak to yourself. Get your smartphone (you need one with a recorder on it) and speak what you are trying to say – in plain language, your style. Then, listen to the recording of your own voice. Say it again and record when convinced. Type what you said. For more thoughts, repeat the process. Simple.

“Editing doesn’t go first – write first.”

In swimming, my hurdle was arguing against the merits of the water even when I haven’t laid my tiny toes on it. In writing, a blank screen becomes a monster because of my taking the wrong direction. Feldman says that a blank screen creeps writers out because of going about the writing process in the wrong order. Stagnancy apparently results from editing in the head. Remember this tip, “Editing doesn’t go first – write first.” So, still a blank wall? Nail it! (Or peep into your old dependable compositions!)