Make Blogger’s Block a Non-Issue
Blogger’s block, like writer’s block is difficult to overcome. And there are so many theories about what to do to overcome your lack of creativity.
For me, I see a difference between writer’s block and blogger’s block.
You see, bloggers are expected to post on a regular schedule. Be on top of the latest news for their niche, and report often. And while the majority of us are not journalists, we’re still expected to maintain a posting standard.
It’s this type of pressure that gets us. With the blogosphere buzzing about losing RSS subscribers if you don’t regularly post or our own need to have high traffic volumes that as bloggers we feel like we have to constantly keep at it, keep going, keep buzzing.
This is not an easy standard to live up to.
I’ll be the first to point out my gaps in blogging, if only for a few days at a time. But is it all writer’s block?
Not at all, I’ve got a full web design plate. Then there’s a family, a child, a life to maintain that at times has kept me from posting.
We all deal with these same issues and if it’s not web design for you, it’s something else. Knowing that we all deal with the same issues, on similar levels, I thought we could address how to overcome blogger’s block while still maintaining our normal posting schedule.
Set Your Posting Rate
Know how often you want to post, which days are the best days for you to make a post on and ditch the stress on the other days. By paying attention to your website statistics for just a few weeks you can gather up enough information to tell what are your highest traffic days of the week. Once you know that day or days, you can ensure, above all, that you have new posts on those days.
On I’m Blogging That, I know that I’m going to take a huge hit to visitors over the weekend (when I regularly don’t post) if I haven’t posted something on Friday. However, a post on Friday will keep my traffic up on the weekend and if the post is a tutorial or blogging informational post, the traffic will be even higher. Likewise, I better follow-up with a post on Monday!
Find Inspiration
Inspiration to blog is all over the place. The key to seeing it though is to not be looking for it. Sounds like an oxymoron right? But haven’t you noticed that some of your best blog posts come from moments when you’re not even thinking about blogging? By living your normal life, you’ll find inspiration all over the place to create a blog post that is uniquely you, even if it’s inspired by the post of another.
Books
Remember when you curled up on the sofa with a warm cup of tea, coffee or maybe a soda and read a book? You know, blogging hasn’t taken that away from you. Read the books you love, it doesn’t have to be about blogging, Internet, or computers. Your normal every day books are great sources for inspiration and usually will help you turn out some of those great blogging is like ____ posts.
Television
Watch news documentaries, your favorite movie, that seriously stupid laugh out loud show that you love. Taking your mind off of blogging is the key so if you go mindless in front of the television, you’re still removing the pressure of blogging. If you cannot gain inspiration from what you watch on TV then at least you can clear your mind to come back to focus on a blog post.
Blogs
Nothing wrong with finding inspiration from other bloggers! Read posts in your niche, see if you see a topic that you can expand on and give the blogger some link love. If another blogger sparks something for you there is no reason why you cannot expand on their thoughts and make any post a cross blog topic of conversation. The blogger will appreciate the link love and your visitors will enjoy an extra read from another perspective on the same subject.
Read Comments
Dig through the pages of you own blog and hit up your most popular posts. Read through the comments your visitors gave you to see if you can elaborate on a question that was asked or if the topics took a turn off topic to give you something completely new to talk about.
Get Out
You know, get in your car and go someplace? Maybe you want to put on your walking shoes and take a stroll around the block. If your house is like mine, your kid will love you for it and you’ll feel refreshed and just may come back with a new flow of inspiration for your blog post. And, don’t lose inspiration while you’re out and about! Take a notebook with you so that if something comes to you while you’re out, you can jot down notes to keep your inspiration when you get home.
Change the Scene
Maybe your normal work space is getting stale and boring! If you have the portability of a laptop, change the scene. There’s no reason why you have to be connected to the Internet to write a blog post.
Hit a café, the nearest park, another room in your house, the options are unlimited. You may find that a simple change of scenery is all you needed to get that jolt of creativity you were waiting for.
Allow Questions
Bloggers that regularly post tutorials or how to tips get asked a lot of questions from their visitors. If you find that’s the case with your blog, give your visitors a place to specifically shoot off a question to you. Answer your visitors questions will full posts. Chances are they’re asking because it’s a subject you know a lot about and they trust your response. Invite your visitors regularly to inspire your blog posts by asking you questions.
Network
I mean really, how many times have I said this? And I’m not just talking about your standard social networking here. Are you a member of any blogging forums? Chat with people on a forum and cruise a wide variety of topics. Bring up your hidden StumbleUpon toolbar and start stumbling posts. You’ll reach yourself out into a wide variety of topics that inspire you while still taking your mind off of the need to write that next big post.
Build a Post Arsenal
Now that you have found your inspiration for new posts, there’s no rule that says you only get to write one post at a time. If you have high inspiration to write and a variety of topics in mind, write them! Store your posts in your WordPress dashboard or simply save them to your hard drive to format for posting later.
When your post content is not time sensitive, there’s no reason why you cannot write several posts in one sitting. Don’t limit your creativity or inspiration! If you’ve got it, run with it. Later, when you reach another point of blogger’s block, you’ll be thankful you sat down and wrote out your ideas from the last jolt of inspiration. And your visitors will never notice that you had a tough time writing that day or week.
So, next time you’re starring blogger’s block in the face, how will you overcome the challenge and ease the stress? How do you build your inspiration and do you keep an arsenal of posts ready to be fired off?
March 10th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Not at all, I’ve got a full web design plate. Then there’s a family, a child, a life to maintain that at times has kept me from posting.
Exactly. I get most of my blogging done at my full-time job. HA!
Also, to keep me from forgetting what to blog about, I added a “Upcoming Posts” list on my blog so I can remember that I wanted to blog about these things and that it is something people can look forward to in the future.
March 10th, 2008 at 9:18 am
I’ll admit to blogger block, and I’m getting it more and more with Random Amusements, more so than There’s More to the Story, because TM2TS is more personal than anything. RA is usually just my opinions on things. It’s hard coming up with ideas on that sometimes.
I don’t get questions very often, on either blog, which sort of makes me sad. I was hoping to get a few, so that I could have some “free” ideas.
I do have a post waiting in the wings for me to type (a review of my free coffee maker), but man, if I use it, I’ll lose my “free” post, XD.
Now to try and see if I can implement any of your ideas. :)
March 10th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Lisa » That’s funny, when I worked a full time job (outside the home) I don’t know when I would have had the time to blog. On the other hand, my jobs were always very time sensitive so using the restroom during certain hours of the day wasn’t an option either!
Great idea using an “upcoming posts” category and nice teaser to keep your visitors coming back. Personally, I use a Notepad document to keep track of post subjects and rough thoughts. Then on my “writing day” I sit down with my Notepad document and my blogging notebook, look at notes and start writing.
Sarah » Blogger’s block seems to be more frequent when you’re posting on niche subjects. When it’s not real life or hot off the press news, it’s very common to experience it. It’s all a matter of how you deal with it.
Let me know how my ideas did or didn’t help you to ditch the blogger’s block. :D
March 10th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
I rarely get them though. My biggest hurdle is managing my work with blogging and with other things that I do.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:06 am
Melo » I totally understand time management. My best cure has been to keep accurate and updated to-do lists.
Good idea for another post too… :D
March 11th, 2008 at 6:43 am
Very nice article. When i lose my concentration on blogging, i don’t push myself, just quit blogging for one day. The following day i start blogging again.
I think posting 3-4 times a day is still enough to increase your RSS subscribers. The quality of the content is much more important than the quantity.
Also, if you have a clear vision in your mind about the future, a goal to be hit, then you are much more motivated.
Cheers,
Mert
March 11th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Mert » Very good tip not to push yourself. That tends to only make it worse.
To posting 3-4 times a day, WOW! I simply couldn’t do it. Although it may seem possible if I didn’t spend so much time responding to comments.
March 12th, 2008 at 3:22 am
I like to post regularly as in daily. If I can’t find myself inspired to post something meaningful I think its a good idea to find something funny or strange for a short post.
March 12th, 2008 at 9:31 am
I blog often, and I always come across writer’s block.. or as you put it.. blogger’s block. Thanks for the tips.. I think I’m going to try and “build an arsenal” some day when I get in a good writing mode. never hurts to save up for those rainy days.
March 12th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
What a great post Katy!! This alone gave me ideas and inspiration. I love your writing style. *hugs*
March 12th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Ian » It takes a lot of work and commitment to be able to post daily. I commend you for that. Weekends I reserver for writing and spending time with my family. The blog can wait. :o)
Becky » You’re quite welcome! Let me know if any of them work our for you. And that post arsenal is my life saver. I have one when I’m inspired and not.
Manda » Thanks! Hope you have a good post out of this one. :D
March 14th, 2008 at 1:24 am
Another bunch of wonderful ideas! I really enjoyed this post as well!! I will have to come back to it another day so that I can jot down the ideas you’ve provided. (it’s getting late right now)
The key advice you’ve provided that really hit me the most, is to basically not stress about not having something to blog about… just let it come, and don’t think of it so much that you HAVE to blog, cuz it’s not suppose to be a chore, it’s suppose to be interesting and fun.
Thanks again for all the great tips!
Although it may seem funny to some to blog about teaching others to blog, or teaching better ways to, it is really just what I need and something I’ve never come across other blogs before… so thank you! :) *claps*
March 14th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Tans » You’ve reminded me that I really need to get on top of that “print this post” plugin I’ve been meaning to install. Remember, bookmarking is just as effective. This post will always be here. Happy I could help! :D
March 14th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Katy, this is totally OT, but when you do the printing plugin, can you do a post like you did with the SEO plugin? I can’t figure it out, XD
March 14th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Sarah » LOL Sure! Will do… maybe I’ll get to this early next week. :D
March 14th, 2008 at 10:51 am
Katy, that sounds like it would be a very useful tool to add for your readers! I’m sure I’m not the only one who would take advantage of that feature!
You seem to have a wide range of visitors who are as interested into your words of blogging wisdom as I am! ;) It’s really nice to see that your writing niche about blogging is helping others at the same time! Keep up the great work and I’ll keep reading! :)
March 14th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Tans » I agree, it could be very useful. I’ll have to look into the plugin and work on getting it installed. Maybe it’s something for the weekend to-do list.
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