Five strategies to avoid writer’s block in technical writing

Technical writers explain complex topics in easy-to-understand terms. Comparably, this sort of work might seem a bit easier than other forms of writing. Do technical writers also get stuck on the blank page? Yes! As you can see in this social media poll and this Reddit thread, technical writers also get stuck.

Staring at the blank page for hours or even days leads to frustration and anxiety when your deadlines keep getting closer. So, how do you break free from this loop?

When it comes to overcoming writer’s block, there is no one-size-fits-all, and the effectiveness of a strategy varies according to each person. Moreover, as pointed out by Earfinders, writers can get blocked at different stages. That’s why this guide will help you understand the symptoms of writer’s block and provide a range of strategies to overcome it. You can try these strategies to find the one that helps you get unstuck.

Understanding Writer's Block

The job of a technical writer comes with its unique challenges that can contribute to writer’s block. At its core, technical writing is about communicating complex ideas in a clear and concise manner. According to a poll conducted by Joe Pairman, Director of Product Management at Tridion, one of the biggest pressures technical writers feel is to ensure readers reach their goals with the documentation. To achieve this, technical writers need the following:

• To have a deep understanding of the subject matter.
• To have a deep understanding of their audience’s goals and struggles.

The nature of technical content is also a challenge. Reading complex information can be tedious, so technical writers have to devise creative ways of engaging readers’ attention and maintaining their interest to get their message across. Other reasons technical writers cited as blockers are related to information overload, perfectionism, and the pressure of tight deadlines, as can be seen in the following survey.

Now that we understand the factors that contribute to technical writer’s block let’s now list the different strategies we recommend to unblock you and get you back on track with your writing.

Preventive measures

• Establish a consistent writing routine and environment. Some people benefit from consistency. Having a dedicated environment for writing and scheduling time blocks for this activity can boost productivity. Using this approach can condition your mind to enter a focused state.

• Manage your time and set realistic goals. There are many different methods for managing your time, one of the most popular being the Pomodoro technique; however, some people find it doesn’t suit their needs. If you think Pomodoro is not the right solution to manage your time, here is a list of time management techniques that the University of St Augustine for Health Sciences recommends.

• Take regular breaks and maintain a work-life balance. Prevent burnout and maintain mental freshness by taking regular breaks. Distract your mind with any non-related work activity. Ensure you have a clear separation between work and personal time to avoid mental fatigue.

• Stay organized and minimize distractions. Use project management tools like Notion to track your tasks and deadlines. Turn off all notifications to maintain your focus.

Brainstorming and Ideation Techniques

• Write freely: Set a timer for a short period of time, for example, 10-15 minutes. Write freely without judging or stopping to edit. The goal is to let your ideas flow as they come and jot them down on paper. Choose whether you prefer pen and paper or a digital medium.

• Mind map and outline to structure thoughts and content: Visual tools like mind maps can help you organize complex information and reveal connections between concepts. You can also share your mind maps with your colleagues and subject matter experts to validate or rectify your understanding of the topic you’re writing about. Remember to iterate over your mind map until you are satisfied with the result.

Writing strategies

• Start with the easiest and most familiar sections first: To build momentum, begin with the sections that you feel most comfortable with. Using this approach can help you boost confidence when you tackle the most challenging sections.

• Use templates or style guides to maintain consistency: As we mentioned before, consistency can boost productivity, and style guides contribute to that. Also, a style guide can reduce decision fatigue. If your organization or company doesn’t have a style guide, you can use a public one, for example, Google developer documentation style guide, GitLab documentation style guide, or Microsoft writing style guide. Templates, on the other hand, can help by providing structure and avoiding blank pages that can contribute to writer’s block. If your company or organization doesn’t have templates for technical documentation, you can use The Good Docs Project templates. They’re free open-source templates based on good practices.

Measures to overcome perfectionism and self-doubt

• Recognize and challenge negative thought patterns. Be aware of self-critical thoughts and challenge them by focusing on past successes. Remember that ‘perfect’ is not the goal, but clear communication is.

• Forget about your audience (for a moment). Obsessing about your audience and waiting to find the last bit of information about them can lead to procrastination. Use what your team has gathered at the time and improve the documentation as you learn more about your readers. Alternatively, you can create a pen portrait to build a human connection with your audience and start writing.

• Embrace constructive feedback and learn from mistakes. View feedback as an opportunity to improve your work and improve your writing. Actively seek input from colleagues and mentors and evaluate which suggestions help you reach your goal.

Revitalization techniques

• Change environments or routines to stimulate creativity. We mentioned before that having a consistent environment and routine are important for productivity. But breaking out of the routine can be helpful, too! Changing scenery to a cafe or a library can spark new ideas.

• Explore using different writing tools, apps, or techniques to spark inspiration. Mix and match different techniques and tools and continuously experiment to find what best works for you. Use different types of media to write. For example, in the previously cited poll, more than 30% of respondents said they start writing with a tool that is not the final one.

As we have explored, overcoming writer’s block in technical writing is a journey of continuous testing and adapting. But you don’t have to face this challenge alone. Join the Hackmamba Creators community on Discord and connect with fellow technical writers, share your experiences, and discover even more strategies to keep your writing flowing.

Whether you're looking for advice, feedback, or simply a supportive network of like-minded professionals, our community is here to help you thrive.

Conclusion

Overcoming writer’s block in technical writing requires a combination of preventive measures, self-awareness, and creative techniques. Remember that different methods may work better for some people than others, so don’t be afraid to experiment with different strategies and iterate over them.

The key to technical writing is to stay curious, continually refine your skills, and be open to feedback. With practice and determination, you can overcome writer's block and thrive as a technical writer.