We all know that feeling. A report to write, a brochure to finish, words for the website, a witty little piece for the newsletter, a press release and no words will come. You sit there with coffee after coffee, the cursor blinking menacingly at you, the pen mocking you from across the desk.

Here are some top tips to get you writing and keep you writing when words fail you:

Write something. Anything. This is sometimes known as freewriting. It gets your brain working. Having 10 paragraphs you can edit is more productive than sitting staring at a blank piece of paper.

Change tactics. If you use a laptop, get out some paper and a pen. Change your location – try writing in a quieter or even nosier space.

Say out loud what you want to write. Say it out loud and then try and write it down. However, do not do this within earshot of the boss/neighbours/work colleagues as you are likely to find yourself writing in a padded cell.

Stop focussing on the finished piece. Your first draft may be terrible (mine quite often are). However you can always rewrite and edit – at least you have written something.

Try doing something else creative to stimulate your mind. Listen to music, read a book or magazine, even doodling can help.

Pick 5 random words associated with what you’re writing. Write each one on a post it note, stick them on the wall. Look at them and think about them for 5 minutes and then start to form a sentence around each. This will lead to a paragraph, a page of text and before you know it you have completed your mission.

I’ve read a few copywriting books in my time. From supposed top tips (‘Just Stick the Word “Sell” into Everything’ by E. Ternal-Optimist) to rub-your-nose-in-it success stories (‘How I Became a Billionaire by Convincing You All to Buy My Book’ by I. M. Useless), there’s plenty of guff out there about how to be a good writer by people who aren’t actually good writers themselves.

But if you really want to understand and witness first-hand the engaging power of words in business, I recommend you pick up a book by John Simmons.

With a writing style that blends simplicity, imagination and humour, John strips business writing clean of jargon, clichés and bullshit – and in their place installs clarity, honesty and a refreshing dose of humanity.

In doing so, he demonstrates exactly how effective the right words can be – and how important they are in communicating with and successfully engaging customers, employees and stakeholders at all levels.

Most important of all, his creative, easy-to-read style reveals that business writing does not have to be dull – in fact, the more lively and interesting it is, the more effective it is likely to be.

One of my favourites of John’s books to date is part of his Great Brand Stories series – ‘Innocent: Building a Brand from Nothing But Fruit’. Innocent happens to be one of our best-loved brands here at All Words, for their a) wonderfully engaging copywriting style; b) understanding of the value of tone of voice in establishing and maintaining both a brand and company ethos – and c) lip-smackingly gorgeous blackberries, raspberries and boysenberries smoothies. Yum.

This book delves into the success of Innocent’s simplicity to reveal its more complex creativity – and along the way teaches us some important lessons about the often underestimated power of words.

It’s also what all decent books should be (although sadly so many are not) – entertaining.

Give it a go, and let us know what you think.

And if you like it, mine’s a cranberry and raspberry, thanks…