As odd as it feels to admit outside of my mind, sometimes I think I just got lucky – as a writer I mean.

All in all I know I’m a good writer. I know that I was born to write.

But sometimes I lose my thunder. Sometimes I go to write, and I don’t feel like I can put the words together well enough to please you. I don’t feel like what I say is important enough to make a difference.

And so I languish in a place of uncomfortable-ness. Wanting to say something – but feeling nervous and apprehensive about the process and my ability.

And yes… that may manifest itself as a lack of blogging. (But oddly enough, I continue to create new ebooks with no problem.)

There’s this huge part of me that understands how wrong these feelings are. That part of me says confidently to others, “Writing is my natural strength.” And it’s there with me when I offer a consultation, and leave the listener excited with possibilities. That wiser part of me goes through these combative periods with my overly critical side.

Anyway, I thought it would be important to share this with you.

Why?

Because I try to keep it real at all times. I don’t want you to think that I don’t suffer along the way too. I butt my head against the same obstacles as everybody else.

Problems are surmountable though. At least this one is.

Two Ways I’m Combating This Form of Writers Block-itis

1) Templates

One of my goals for 2008 is to write more promotional articles. But I sometimes have a difficult time coming up with a lot of topics at once.

So I recently created a list of 800+ article title templates. Since I completed this massive document I’ve been able to crank out 2 articles per day with total and complete ease.

2) Writing More

Since I’ve begun to increase my promotional article output, I clearly see the value of what I write. My ideas are no longer mere thoughts that I mentally beat up before they can reach my audience. And that’s what I needed to see.

The only way to prove that you have the ability to do something is to just do it. Allow yourself to get stuck by thorns, and still keep reaching for the rose anyway.

Now be creative and prosper.

Often when people purchase Desperate Buyers Only they want to write on topics that come from personal experiences.

But the most common complaint I hear is, “I’ve worked and raised a family. I’ve never had the time for a hobby. I probably don’t have anything desperate to write about.”

Poppycock! (That’s a word I live to say on a weekly basis.)

Nobody amongst us has a “normal” life. “Normal” meaning not being able to extract some valuable life lessons.

Everybody has a salable moment or two. It’s almost always just a matter of shining the light on the moments so that you (the writer) can understand their value.

Here are 10 questions (okay more than 10) that’ll help you extract the desperate topics from your everyday life.

1) What type of work have you done? Were you exceptionally good at a particular task? Did you reach a particularly tough milestone that most people in your position fail to do?

For example, my cousin – a customer service rep – recently got her evaluation at work. She was the only person in her department to have received a 5 (out of a possible 5 points) for the way she handles her customers.

Could that be an ebook? Angled to the right audience, most definitely.

2) Was there a piece of advice your mother, father, grandfather, or favorite aunt imparted to you that rang true your entire life? Did it help you avoid disastrous results? How?

3) Did you have an unusual experience with your children? Did you homeschool a (now) Harvard grad? Was there a crisis (drug addiction, phobias) that they overcame? Did you turn your picky eater into a prolific muncher?

I started teaching my daughter to read at the age of 3. Now at 5 she’s reading 2^nd grade level books with ease. She handwrites letters to her grandparents and even pens her own stories.

Do you think other parents would be desperate to know my techniques? Of course.

4) Do you know more than one language? How did you learn it? Do you have an interesting educational approach to your linguistic skills?

5) Where have you lived? Did you ever have a negative experience with your living situation? Were you evicted? Did you buy a house after a foreclosure or a bankruptcy? Did you find a cheap apartment in an expensive city?

6) Did you get straight A’s in school? Were you able to consistently crank out A+ term papers that were written in 48 hours or less? Were your note taking skills so good that you didn’t have to study? Did you conquer a class that you’d previously failed?

7) Did you lose 100 lbs in 100 days? Have you been able to maintain your ideal weight, even though you love to eat? Have you found that eating a certain food helps you with your physical health?

Have you managed to keep your love life as exciting as the honeymoon? Did you divorce and re-marry the same person? What were your lessons learned the second time around? How do you keep your marriage spicy when your spouse is in the military or travels a lot? If you’re single, how do you keep your dating coffers full?

9) Did you overcome a specific health crisis? Did you beat the doctors predictions with an unusual form of treatment? Do you attribute your super tight abs to something other than exercise? Has your advice on treating the flu always been spot on?

10) Have you failed at something important? What advice can you give to others who are doing what you did? What can you tell them to avoid failure?

After you’ve honestly answered these questions I want you to begin looking at every life situation as potential desperate material. Sometimes the only way to write the ebook is to see the writing in your own life.

Holy smokes, I just woke up from the worst flu bug I’ve ever had in my life. I barely remember the previous 8 days.

But as I lay in the bed semi-comatose, listening to the news channels, I realized that something really wonderful is happening right now if you’re hip to the game of writing for Desperate Buyers Only (DBOs).

In the US we’re teetering on the brink of a recession. The stock market is taking a beating. And it’s all good. Why? Because it’s creating profit opportunities.

For instance, when stock prices start going down, it’s a short sellers paradise. There are plenty of investors with money to burn who still want to play in the stock market, but don’t understand the fine art of short selling. (Which is a tricky investment strategy that works during times like these.)

Can you explain short selling to newbie investors? Can you write an numbers intense sales letter that helps them understand the huge financial benefits of short selling? If you can, THIS is the time to share your knowledge.

Foreclosure rates are skyrocketing right now, which is bad for cash strapped homeowners. But out in San Diego realtors are holding foreclosure tours for investors.

When one person loses, somebody else wins. Your job right now is to figure out who’s winning and who’s losing in this credit crunch game, and sell advice to the potential winners.

Somebody’s gonna do it. If you’ve got the knowledge, let it be you. Hard times can be profitable times.