"A problem like Maria"

I hate writing promo copy about the speeches I write - especially when they want the blurb three months before I've even started writing the speech. But there I was: My guy was speaking at a conference and the conference wanted to advertise it.

So I was hunkered down at my desk with promo copy due that very day. Fingers hovering over the keyboard. Staring at a blank screen. And this song starts playing in my head: "How do you solve a problem like Maria?" You know - the song the nuns sing in The Sound of Music. (Other people might hear Beyoncé; I'm a musical theatre geek.)

I shook my head, trying to swat the song away. Fingers over keyboard. Deep breath. "How do you solve a problem like Maria?"

"Shut up," I told my brain. "I'm trying to get an idea."

"How do you solve a problem like Maria?"

And then I realized: The song wasn't a distraction. It was my speech.

How do I get unstuck? (That's what the #YourTurnChallenge folks want to know today.) Sometimes it's just a matter of getting out of my own way.

Oh, and the speech? It won an award. 

You can read the opening here. If you'd like to see the full text, shoot me an email - elaine (at) BennettInk.com