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Well, I sat down this morning to write a cool article on how to overcome "writer's block" - you know, that annoying brain-freeze that happens when you sit down to write, and nothing happens.

So now it's lunchtime, and I'm on the second paragraph ... hmmm ...

OK, the Subway Daily Special was apparently what I needed ... all better now ...

My favorite example about writer's block has to be the one in "Throw Momma from the Train." As the movie opens, Billy Crystal's character goes through endless gyrations (and sheets of paper) trying to complete the opening line to his novel: "The night was …" (hot? wet? humid?) Finally, Owen's lunatic mama fills in the blank: "The night was sultry!" Meanwhile, the author wasted days if not weeks, searching for that perfect opening. (At least he got it!)

As a writing community, our mental blocks are not usually that dramatic, but they do cost us time and cause us frustration. So, here are a few practical ways to avoid writer's block in technical articles and get your creative juices going.

1. Reverse-write the introduction and ending.
2. Suspend criticism (mostly) while you create.
3. Use free-writing.
4. Use flexible outlining.

Reverse-Writing the Introduction and Ending

(No, that doesn't mean typing backwards ...)

Try this experiment:

a) Write a draft of the conclusion to your article first.

b) Write the article.

c) Write the introduction to the article.

The conclusion basically wraps up the major points in the article. So by writing the conclusion first, you're forced to actually come up with the main points first (and make sure they're the right points). Don't polish the conclusion yet - just get it out.

After you've written the article, it's time to create that great introduction. Why? Because then the why's and wherefore's of your article will be staring you in the face, offering some tantalizing possibilities to draw the reader into your world.

Creating and Criticizing: Getting the Order Right

Back to Billy Crystal for a moment ...

As he subjected his own writing to instant criticism, the criticism turned into creative paralysis - and then writer's block. When he learned to let go and just write, things went a lot smoother.

When you're getting your thoughts out onto the screen (or paper), create now and criticize later. Don't polish as you go (or even before you go). Let the thoughts out and steer them in the right direction - in the early stages, criticism definitely takes a back seat to creativity. The best use of criticism in the early stages is simply the small voice of reason keeping you on track with your topic, not the scissors that keep cutting up what you're writing.

This sounds simple, yet for many of us it's an acquired skill. We are so conditioned to heavy-handed editing that we have to un-learn that habit, replacing it with free-flowing ideas. But once you make the break, you'll wonder why you ever settled for analysis paralysis.

Free-Writing

Free-writing is the technique of sitting down at a computer, saying to yourself, "ready, set, go" ... and then typing. Obviously, you will have already done some serious thinking about your subject and what you want to get across to the reader. Then, you basically just write what pops into your head about the subject, and you worry about organizing and editing it all later.

The advantage of free-writing is that it jump-starts you into creative mode (although a bit abruptly at times) and gets the ball rolling. No more staring at a blank screen ...

Free-writing does have its downside, in my opinion. You may have to do quite a bit of organizing and rewriting afterwards, and that can be a bother (although it's still better than brain-freeze). I personally prefer a bit more organized approach - somewhere between free-writing and rigid outlining. I call it flexible outlining.

Flexible Outlining

First, let's talk about "regular" outlining, then we'll get to flexible outlining ...

In school we're taught to use outlines to organize writing. The form and structure of traditional outlines are detailed - and often daunting. You have your I, your A, your 1a), your 1.a.1.a, etc. This type of outlining can definitely feel rigid. There is so much built-in structure that it's hard to move outline items around once you've created them. And moving things around is exactly what you need in the early stages of writing.

Enter "flexible outlining" ...

Flexible outlining is like free-writing a list of topics and organizing them. Here's how it works:

• Think of a topic or sub-topic for your article, using just a few words.
• Write that topic statement on its own line.
• Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you have a decent-sized vertical list of topics.
• Reorganize the list into a rough sequential order for the article.
• Decide which topic statements should be main headings and which should be sub-headings. I prefer to only use 2 levels at this point; lower-level content is likely to be somewhat volatile or temporary at first, anyway.

You can continue this process further, listing elements inside headings as they come to mind. At a certain point you'll reach "ignition and liftoff" - you're ready and excited to turn the list items into real writing.

With practice, you may be able to shift into "auto-pilot" mode, where you create outlines in your mind instead of on screen. You flesh them out one at a time as you write, without actually doing the fill-in exercise. (I'm doing mostly auto-pilot as I write this article.)

Other Tips

Here are a few additional ideas to help you get past writer's block:

* Set up a relaxing, enjoyable environment for writing. If clutter or noise bother you, get rid of them. If you thrive on color or background music for creativity, get them into the mix.

* Spend time relecting on the three main foundations of writing: your subject, your purpose, and your audience. (More on these in a future article ...)

* This final tip is from my friend Heidi, a PR consultant and editor in San Diego. She says, "Don't ever stare at a blank screen - it stifles your creativity. Try starting with text already in your editing window; cut and paste something if you need to. You can always delete it later, but it will look like you've already started writing, before you do."