Your emotional state will impact your ability to write great copy. How good you feel will reflect the quality of your copy. If you feel down, you will struggle over the writing and the final result will lack sparkle.
Ideally you would only write when you are happy, but synchronising your writing with feeling happy can be pretty difficult, so second best is to change your state at will. Follow the five rules below and you will discover an essential key to your success.
1. Clear Your Mind:
You can achieve this in many ways; find the one that works for you best. Try lying down for a few minutes to relax or if you're feeling sluggish, some form of energetic exercise will get the circulation going and pump extra oxygen to your brain.
2. Get into a Positive Mental State:
If you have something bothering you that's affecting your concentration or creativity, stop writing until you have sorted out the cause of your preoccupation, or see if the affirmations below help.
Stand up straight, hold your head high, look up and put a big grin on your face. Studies with clinically depressed people have shown that smiling makes you feel better. Still in this exact posture, shout out loud in an enthusiastic voice "I feel terrific!" three times and after each time add "yes!" on the end. Repeat this process with the affirmation "I am a creative genius!" and again add "yes!" on the end the three times you say it. You will be pleasantly surprised at how good you feel.
3. Never Write When You Are Tired:
Fatigue will drain your creative energy. You wouldn't operate machinery or drive when you're feeling tired, so don't try and write. If lack of sleep is the cause then sleep will be the best antidote.
4. Never Write When You Are Busy:
You won't be able to write great copy if you're clock-watching. Don't start writing until after you have tended to other demands that may be pressing on you, or have fulfilled any appointments.
5. Don't Write in Bits and Pieces:
If you ever have writer's block or are procrastinating, then sit down at your PC or writing pad and promise yourself that you will write just one page before you get up again. This is a sneaky technique for overcoming both these common handicaps. Even if the first two pages you write are complete and utter drivel, it doesn't matter, writing will get the creative juices flowing and you can always delete or edit this stuff later.
For all you procrastinators out there, getting started is the hardest part, so committing yourself to only one page will get you going, then when this done, most people are happy to carry on. Once your creativity is switched on, writing becomes enjoyable and immensely satisfying rather than a chore, however, you do need to keep going, as stopping will shut down this energy. Therefore, don't stop until you have completed the first draft, preferably not even for meals.