I love writing. I’ve loved it since I was in Grade 2 and was asked to write about my holiday. I stumbled across the article I wrote not so long ago, and you can tell that I had fun with it, because it was far more sensationalised and exciting than I remember the holiday actually being.

A couple of years later in Grade 4, I had the opportunity to write my first fictional short story and, again, I remember it being one of the best school assignments I’d ever had to do. I couldn’t even believe it was homework, because it was so much fun.

This continued for the rest of my school career, and into my college years, studying Copywriting at AAA.

So, Your Job’s Pretty Easy Then?

Well, no. As much as I love writing, and telling a story that people will enjoy and want more of, it’s often much easier said than done.

Let me go into some of the personal obstacles I face:

1. The Proverbial, Yet Totally Real, ‘Writer’s Block’

This has been an issue for me since I started writing. The plain white piece of paper. My mind just seems to go as blank as the page when I look at one. As I’m writing this post, I am writing over an old article and erasing it when I’m done. It’s a very weird mental thing on my part, but it works for me.

I do the same thing when I paint. I can’t seem to get inspired with a blank canvas, so I first put some colour and texture on it and work over that with the actual artwork.

There are also many articles on the Internet that give tips for conquering writer’s block. One of the most universal methods is to create a mind map on the subject of your article.

2. A Not-Conducive-to-Writing Environment

As great as it is to be in a social environment, sometimes a little peace and quiet can do wonders. At the office we are often faced with a painfully loud vacuum cleaner, music from all corners, people shouting and laughing (having far more fun than me!) and other generally irritating noises. I find myself having to work after hours to get into the ‘write’ space.

Coming in at 6am is an effective way to combat this, and I’ve often gotten more done in the two hours before anyone else comes in than I have in the full work day. Unfortunately, my plans to wake up at 5am don’t always work out as well as I’d hope.

3. Ridiculously Tight Time Constraints

“Here, write this amazing article. You’ve got two hours. Go!”

Yes, that happens. And, when you get to those last 30 minutes and you aren’t even half way through the article, you start to panic. This is made even worse when you are working on anything up to five or six clients in a single day and your mind can’t focus on just one at a time.

The best way to get past this is to have open communication with everyone involved, and not to be afraid to request more time if it is justifiably needed.

4. The Fear of What Others Think

I’m painfully shy. Those that know me may disagree, but I think I hide it rather well in my social life. When it comes to my writing, I get very nervous about what people may think. Maybe it’s because this is such a big part of my life, and I put a bit of myself into everything I write.

This is something I desperately need to overcome, but I am working on it and I believe I have gotten better... I’m writing this post after all.

Still Passionate about Words

Despite the obstacles, I still love writing as much as I did when I wrote about my holiday in Grade 2. The pressure simply injects a little additional excitement into the life of a copywriter and I can only hope that my child-like passion for words never goes away.

Do you love your job? Tell us some of the obstacles that make your day a little more stressful or perhaps more exciting.