"Content writing is just all about writing whatever that comes to your mind? What's there to stress?"
"What's so difficult in writing? I mean I have been crafting stories and writing articles since my college days."
"Content writing is so easy; I could hop on my laptop any time of the day and within some minutes, I am done writing and publishing contents."
These are the kinds of comments that many content writers can relate to when discussing their profession with individuals who have little to no understanding of content writing. Sometimes, these comments can be so frustrating that they make us regret even starting the conversation. It's not that initiating such discussions is wrong, but the feedback can be both amusing and infuriating. At times, it's hard not to laugh, but it also makes me want to shake some people.
To these people, content writing is absolutely all about drafting whatever that comes to the mind and publishing it for the audience to read and engage with, without realizing that there is more to it other than typing away on the keyboard making meaningless sentences and random jokes.
This is no joke, neither am I exaggerating the fact that content writing can be a bit of a struggle just as any other work or job, both to the newbies and pros in the game. One of the common challenges encountered by content writers is what is called "The writer's Block"
Writer's block is a situation where writers find it very challenging to create new content or brainstorm ideas for their blog. It is often characterized by staring at the screen for a long time and not being able to do anything, feeling unmotivated to work and struggling to put words together to be able to create an article.
Imagine waking up one morning as a full-time content writer and your brain decides to shut out on you and doesn't wake with you, you're weak and all that, managed to drag yourself out of bed and struggle to get things done and not be a couch potato.
On days like this, since your brain is at rest or rather on a total blackout, writing becomes a very big issue; you have absolutely no idea what to write about, how to begin, or even brainstorm blog topics. It is a total disaster because the possibility of being unproductive on such days is at a 98.9%.
Writer's block often stems from a number of things such as negative reviews and criticism. When a writer keeps getting bad/harsh reviews from the audience and engagers, this can mess up the person's state of mind, create mental barriers, and might discourage the person from being productive.
A writer that receives bad reviews all the time tends to overthink and worry a lot about what people might say next. In some cases, he or she may try to improve or even try to become perfect, of which might involve the person going above and beyond just to get positive feedbacks. When such a person continues to strain and stress, it may lead to a total blackout and a state of confusion, and that is why we have cases of writers taking a break for too long or actually quitting because of their mental health.
Reviews and feedback from users and the audience no doubt are very necessary for continuous growth, as they help companies and individuals identify areas for improvement. However, when done wrongly, It's a complete catastrophe.
In addition to getting constant bad reviews and harsh criticism, stress is yet another major factor that leads to writer's block. Ordinarily, a tired, drained, and worn-out individual might have a hard time getting tasks done. That is the same for a writer who is tired and stressed from the daily activities of life; he or she could have trouble concentrating and trying to get work done. Stress could make a person physically, emotionally, and mentally drained and can even make an individual procrastinate. When under stress, the brain becomes overwhelmed and can make it difficult to concentrate on creative tasks, leading to a mental blockage that prevents the flow of ideas.
Conclusion
In summary, content writing, contrary to popular opinion, is no picnic, and just like any other worker in other jobs, writers experience numerous challenges creating blogs, and writer's block is just one of them. Bad reviews and stress can affect a writer's mental state and could even lead to abrupt retirement.Lack of inspiration arising from low engagement and not getting deserved rewards for hard work can also discourage a writer and potentially lead to a writer experiencing writer's block for a period of time.
Despite all these challenges, there are many great men and women who have successfully carved a niche for themselves and have been able to make a name and also make a living through writing. Does that mean those are aliens or supernatural beings with tails and horns? Certainly not. Then how do they manage to scale through and not let these challenges define them? Find out in the next article.
credits
first image from freepik