The Day My Well Went Dry

My Dear Readers,

Let me start by stating the following: I have never, and do not currently have a well. But I do have this memory of Mrs. Wilson's well. It was around the corner from my grandparent's house, right in the middle of her front lawn, and we would drive by every time we we went to visit. Maybe it wasn't a "real" working well (I never got close enough to see it) but it had the characteristic pail, and wench above ready to draw water. My parents would tell me that Mrs. Wilson didn't want to pay the government for water or electricity, so she used the well's resource for all her bathing and cleansing needs. What happened when it snowed? Or a drought? I never thought to ask, but during my entire childhood, I believed it to be true.

I’ve been writing for a living for over a decade, which means much of my time is spent staring blankly at a blinking cursor wishing for inspiration. Some call it writer's block, but I prefer to think about I call it the "The Well Going Dry" that moment you realize your brain is not, in fact, an infinite fountain of brilliant ideas, but a slightly rusty hose that sometimes needs a good shake.

When I struggle, it's not about not having content. The content is almost always there. It's about the approach, analyzing the target, thinking about long-term versus short term impact, it’s about the mental exhaustion of translating complex business goals (or product features) into human emotion. We are selling things, sure, but we’re also selling convenience, aspiration, and trust.

Is it Writer's Block?

How do i get the thoughts flowing? It's not a secret. I stop. I don't stop trying to write, I stop trying to write good content. I just write bad content. Seriously. I open a fresh document and type the most nonsensical, unstructured, rambling thoughts I have about the product or topic. I liken it to cleaning the clutter, or taking out the garbage. It's easy to lower the stakes, and gain a level of clarity. That clarity may come in the form of one sentence or phrase. Something small emerging, allowing me to delete everything else and start building.

It may take an hour, or a day, but if you've ever found yourself stuck, stop trying to write the headline, stop trying to write the perfect opening hook. Just type. You can fix bad writing, but you can’t fix a blank page. And honestly, the best content is usually born from the sheer panic of an impending deadline. That’s just human nature.

By the way....some years ago, I went back to the neighborhood, but the well was gone. I guess I'll never know what Mrs. Wilson would have done should the well have gone dry!