Alright we are doing good! Everyone has awesome suggestions so far I'm sure most of you are looking forward to finding ways to overcome that pesky Writer's Block, and OWL has another great resource with ideas!



*Symptom*
You have chosen or been assigned a topic which bores you....

*Possible Cures*
Choose a particular aspect of the topic you are interested in
Talk to your mentor or peers about how you can personalize the review to make it more interesting


*Symptom*

You are anxious about writing the review... (this would work great for video reviews as well)

*Possible Cures*

Focus your energy by rehearsing the task in your head.
Consciously stop the non-productive comments running through your head by replacing them with productive ones.
If you have some "rituals" for writing success (chewing gum, listening to jazz etc.), use them.

*Symptom*
You are so stressed out you can't seem to put a word on the page...

*Possible Cures*

Stretch! If you can't stand up, stretch as many muscle groups as possible while staying seated.

Try tensing and releasing various muscle groups. Starting from your toes, tense up for perhaps five to ten seconds and then let go. Relax and then go on to another muscle group.

Breathe deeply. Close your eyes; then, fill your chest cavity slowly by taking four of five short deep breaths. Hold each breath until it hurts, and then let it out slowly.

Use a calming word or mental image to focus on while relaxing. If you choose a word, be careful not to use an imperative. Don't command yourself to "Calm down!" or "Relax!"

*Symptom*

You're self-conscious about your writing, you may have trouble getting started. So, if you're preoccupied with the idea that you have to write about a subject and feel you probably won't express yourself well...

*Possible Cures*

Talk over the subject with a friend or mentor.

Assure yourself that the first draft doesn't have to be a work of genius, it is something to work with.

Force yourself to write down something, however poorly worded, that approximates your thought (you can revise this later) and go on with the next idea.

Break the task up into steps. Meet the general purpose first, and then flesh out the more specific aspects later.

I do those last two suggestions a lot. Something we learned in school was to keep writing and write ANYTHING you are thinking of to get through writer's block. It still works pretty well for me. less

Hahaha. SInce I have a long-distance relationship, that isn't an issue, but I, too, take mental notes the first couple times. Except with the combo of the Duo Obsessions Lavish & the Rechargeable Fairy. There wasn't anything mental involved in that. I should've tried them out separatelly. less

Alright we are doing good! Everyone has awesome suggestions so far I'm sure most of you are looking forward to finding ways to overcome that pesky Writer's Block, and OWL has another great resource with ideas!



*Symptom*
You have chosen or been assigned a topic which bores you....

*Possible Cures*
Choose a particular aspect of the topic you are interested in
Talk to your mentor or peers about how you can personalize the review to make it more interesting


*Symptom*

You are anxious about writing the review... (this would work great for video reviews as well)

*Possible Cures*

Focus your energy by rehearsing the task in your head.
Consciously stop the non-productive comments running through your head by replacing them with productive ones.
If you have some "rituals" for writing success (chewing gum, listening to jazz etc.), use them.

*Symptom*
You are so stressed out you can't seem to put a word on the page...

*Possible Cures*

Stretch! If you can't stand up, stretch as many muscle groups as possible while staying seated.

Try tensing and releasing various muscle groups. Starting from your toes, tense up for perhaps five to ten seconds and then let go. Relax and then go on to another muscle group.

Breathe deeply. Close your eyes; then, fill your chest cavity slowly by taking four of five short deep breaths. Hold each breath until it hurts, and then let it out slowly.

Use a calming word or mental image to focus on while relaxing. If you choose a word, be careful not to use an imperative. Don't command yourself to "Calm down!" or "Relax!"

*Symptom*

You're self-conscious about your writing, you may have trouble getting started. So, if you're preoccupied with the idea that you have to write about a subject and feel you probably won't express yourself well...

*Possible Cures*

Talk over the subject with a friend or mentor.

Assure yourself that the first draft doesn't have to be a work of genius, it is something to work with.

Force yourself to write down something, however poorly worded, that approximates your thought (you can revise this later) and go on with the next idea.

Break the task up into steps. Meet the general purpose first, and then flesh out the more specific aspects later.

I do those last two suggestions a lot. Something we learned in school was to keep writing and write ANYTHING you are thinking of to get through writer's block. It still works pretty well for me. less

As long as it is done in a decent amount of time, it can be started whenever.

If I really like something I can start jotting down points about it in the template and then go back later to elaborate.

If it's something that's meh (as I mentioned before) it takes me a bit longer to get started on. Unless it's something I really dislike , like those damn Phallix toys. less

If you're using the extended template, sit down and write one section at a time. The standard template only lets you save with 300 words or more, so you can sit down and start writing part of it, fill in the rest with gibberish as a place holder, and come back later. That lets you work on it piece by piece rather than having to sit down and do the whole thing all at once. Non specific mental block can sometimes be broken by starting to write about something inane like the packaging. That's been the start to many a review when I'm not quite feeling like writing much. less

If you're using the extended template, sit down and write one section at a time. The standard template only lets you save with 300 words or more, so you can sit down and start writing part of it, fill in the rest with gibberish as a place holder, and come back later. That lets you work on it piece by piece rather than having to sit down and do the whole thing all at once. Non specific mental block can sometimes be broken by starting to write about something inane like the packaging. That's been the start to many a review when I'm not quite feeling like writing much. less

Huh, that's different from what I do. I usually have read all the reviews before I buy the product (which is good, I think, because then I'm aware of exactly what I wanted to know that nobody else had mentioned.)

Though, I guess, I don't really re-read them again until after I receive the item and it's written and published. less

Lol, Girl With Fire has a great written template that she's normally pretty willing to share. Well, less a template and more of a "these are things that should be covered on these products" kind of thing. It's hard for me to come up with general things like that right off the top of my head, but I'm always more than willing to answer questions in messages, so if you get stuck you can always shoot me one to talk about it less