The other day I received a letter from a woman asking about whether or not she was cut out to be a writer. She mentioned starting about nine blogs and abandoning them because of having blogger's block. While I won't go into whether or not she has what it takes, I will say that good writers know blogger's block or writer's block happens, and take steps to deal with it.
It's frustrating not knowing what to write about, here are some of the things I do to overcome blogger's block.
12 Tips for avoiding bloggers block:
- Make a list - I have notebook on my desk filed with ideas. If I need inspiration, I look through my notebook.
- Check out other blogs - Not just blogs in your niche either. My bloglines has hundreds of blogs listed and even though I don't visit all of those blogs every day, I do have daily stops. Making the rounds never fails to provide me with a topic or two.
- Go out for a while - Go for a walk, run some errands or have a cup of coffee with some friends. Take inspiration from the world around you.
- Subscribe to Google Alerts - Set up Google Alerts to notify you of any new news or blogs posts.
- Read past blog posts - Is there anything you can update or expand upon?
- Blog somewhere else - Move to another room or bring your laptop to the local coffee shop, Internet café or library.
- Check out your comments - I get my best ideas from the comments section of my blogs.
- Put it to your readers- Offer a poll, a quiz or take questions from your readers
- Enlist the aid of a guest blogger - Even if doesn't give you new ideas, it will give you a break.
- Make a list - - List posts are a great way of presenting lots of small ideas instead of one big one.
- Visit some website's offering writer's prompts - Many writing websites offer writers prompts to help battle writing block. This may be a good way to get back on track.
- Stumble Upon - I like to cruise Stumble Upon for a few minutes each morning while I have a cup of coffee. It's a great way to find some very cool things to blog about.
Everyone who writes for a living encounters block now and then. Some just plow through it, others seek inspiration elsewhere. No matter which method you like to use, it's good to know blocks are temporary conditions easily overcome by a break or distraction.
