Writing is hard enough when you know what you are supposed to write about. But what about when the field’s wide open and there are no parameters – like when you have a blog, for instance? Or, you’re in charge of the company newsletter? Where do you start? Staring at that blank screen is intimidating. It’s like being in a candy story with just $1 to spend. You want to make sure you make the right choice!

Far from fostering creativity, having that much freedom can actually stand in your way. Having guidelines, limits and parameters can actually help you focus and produce. This is true if you’re blogging, writing an article or sending a note to a friend. The guidelines should be just that – guides – not hard, inflexible rules.

Here are a few tips to getting past “I want to write, I just don’t know what to write….”

• Define your subject area. If you run a cleaning business, you could write about cleaning tips, cleaning products or the cleaning industry, for instance. If you run a writing business, you could write about writing.

• Define your audience. Who do you want to read the piece? Customers? Potential business partners? Friends? What do they want to know about?

• Define what you want to write. Create a list of the types of posts or articles you could have. A “how to” maybe, a book review, an interview with an employee or with a customer. Setting certain posts for certain days gives readers something to look forward to. A crafter could set up “Make it Monday,” for tutorials; a foodie could have “Table talk Tuesday,” with restaurant reviews. This applies to newsletters too. Define the content – a” letter from the director perhaps,” or “upcoming projects.”

The most important thing is to just get started. You can always change things later.