How Can Editors Overcome a Lack of Inspiration?
To help editors overcome creative block and find inspiration, we asked industry leaders for their best advice. From engaging with your audience to taking a breather and trusting yourself, here are the top seven tips these professionals shared.
- Engage With Your Audience
- Change Your Environment
- Collaborate With Colleagues
- Release Your Tension
- Use a Creative Outline Diagnosis
- Maintain a Content Spreadsheet
- Take a Breather and Trust Yourself
Engage With Your Audience
Writer's block for editors often stems from the isolation that can come with the job. Spending hours at a desk writing and editing, with only the occasional interview, can lead to a disconnect from the community. When editors immerse themselves in their audience, engaging in conversations and really listening, they gain valuable insights into what readers want to learn about, the topics that spark interest, and those that don't. It's easy for editors to focus on subjects that they personally find intriguing, but the key to resonating content is to align with the interests of the readers. Connecting with the audience is crucial to overcoming writing blocks and producing content that truly resonates.
Change Your Environment
I've had my fair share of creative blocks, and one thing that always helps me is changing my environment. Whenever I hit a wall, I head to a quiet café. There's something about the relaxed atmosphere, the gentle hum of conversations, and the aroma of coffee that helps clear my mind.
Also, I like to casually read about the topic I need to write about. It’s amazing how a bit of light reading can spark new ideas and provide fresh angles.
So, if you're feeling stuck, step away from your usual workspace. Find a cozy café, enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, and let your mind wander.
Collaborate With Colleagues
A strategy that has worked wonders for me is collaboration. When you’re feeling stuck, don’t hesitate to reach out to colleagues or friends for a brainstorming session. Sharing your challenges and hearing different viewpoints can reignite your creative spark. At RecurPost, we often hold team meetings specifically designed to tackle creative blocks, where everyone contributes ideas and solutions. This collaborative environment helps in generating fresh ideas and fosters a supportive community where creativity can thrive. Remember, creativity often comes from unexpected places, and being open to different sources of inspiration can make a significant difference.
Release Your Tension
I believe that creative block is nothing but TENSION. That's it. It's not a lack of creativity; it's not having 'no creative bone in your body'; it's just tension. And it's tension in one or more of three places: your environment, your body, or your career strategy. When it comes to editing, let's break this down:
Environment: If you're an editor but living in an uninspiring home or space, you're likely not going to be at your most creative. This is why it's so important to have a well-curated and designed home or find places around you that align with your design dreams. Interior design and decoration are so much more important than you might think in creative careers!
Body: When was the last time you exercised? Stretched? Ate a nourishing meal? Drank water (this is your sign to fill up your water bottle)? Chances are, if you're not treating your body like the temple it is, you're not going to be able to have the energy or inspiration to edit. After all, you need your body at its peak to get your best ideas. Imagine trying to make perfect apple juice from an unripe apple—no matter how hard you try, you'll need to let it do what it needs to do to make its delectable juice.
Career strategy: What type of work are you editing? Is the work you're doing sparking joy or giving you that flutter feeling in your heart when you think about it? Or is it draining? This tension in your career could be why you're feeling a creative block—you're not doing what you're aligned to do.
In summary: Creative block isn’t real. Tension is. Release your tension, and your creative blocks will be gone!
Use a Creative Outline Diagnosis
When the well of inspiration runs dry, don't panic. Embrace the power of a creative-outline diagnosis. By dissecting your content's structure, flow, and impact, you can identify hidden gems, spark new ideas, and reignite your creative fire. It's like giving your writing a tune-up—sometimes all it needs is a little adjustment to get back on track.
Maintain a Content Spreadsheet
I have an expanding list of content, relevant to my publication, on a spreadsheet that is categorized by genre and includes at least a website. If possible, I include how, where, or from whom I learned about the subject and the date I entered it on the spreadsheet, which helps keep the information relevant. If a trend returns, and I haven’t yet used the source, I can easily find it. I am diligent to move the entry to another sheet when I assign it to a writer so my database stays fresh. If I ever wonder what we should write about next, I visit my list and can choose one organization from each category and fill an entire issue.
Take a Breather and Trust Yourself
Take a breather, pause your work. It has to come organically, and while a break from input could be useful, you can go about your normal routines of reading and getting inspired. The important thing is to close your work and get your creative juices flowing using one simple rule: stop working and learn to trust yourself.
