People blog for different reasons; Some blog for their personal gratification, others as a means to express themselves they might not otherwise be able to do, some blog for therapy, and there are also those who blog for money. Regardless of your reasons, there may come a time where you feel you simply just don't have anything useful to convey.
The first thing I would say if ever this happens is don't just sit there and expect to miraculously become unblocked as that little flashing cursur on the screen drives you into a trance or as you fiddle with your pen alternating your gaze from the ceiling above you to that blank sheet of paper in front of you. It kind of brings back those dreaded memories of sitting in the school gymnasium, turned exam hall, as you stare at the final exam long essay question and have no clue what to write. You could be sitting there a long time and still nothing comes to mind. When this happens, you have to find ways to get out of that rut.
So if you find yourself in this situation and you aren't on a deadline to produce, just put it aside and come back at a later time when your creative juices are flowing again. There really is no sense in trying to force yourself to write. Writing is a creative process and as such, you have to be in a creative mindset for it to happen. So go do something else and later, when you are in the appropriate frame of mind, it will go much smoother and faster.
Now if you want to help that process along, these 4 strategies might just do the trick.
- Get a change of scenery and take it in. Don't just go outside and sit there. Let your senses go free. Close your eyes for a while and take in the smells and sounds. Walk around on the grass barefoot, go for a run in the woods or on the beach, or even in the bustling city streets. Free yourself of your thoughts and let your senses guide you. You may subconsciously come up with some connections as a result. If not, you will feel much more relaxed, refreshed, and ready to give it another try. I often find that when I'm on my runs, my brain feels liberated from everything else and I get great ideas that I then use to develop into content.
- Think like a child. Ever notice a child's incessant curiosity? How they ask questions about stuff we have long ago taken for granted? Isn't it wonderful how they come up with question after question after question? Okay, sometimes it can be a tad annoying or even embarrassing when you don't know the answer but their sense of curiosity and exploration is truly remarkable! Try it for yourself. If you are planning on writing about a particular topic, put yourself in a child's shoes and think about the questions they would ask. You will probably find that in no time at all, you will have a large list of things you can blog about.
- Start by the keywords. Now I know, the purists will probably look down upon this technique but hey, if you can find inspiration from something, it can't be that bad. Now I'm not talking about creating content around keywords per se, what I'm suggesting is you think of keywords related to your topic and list them. See if any inspiration comes from that. Then you could also plug those keywords into a tool like Google's Keyword Tool or Wordtracker and have it generate related keywords. Then look at that list and maybe find some ideas there.
- Start by the Subject. If you are not even tied to a particular topic, just list what comes to mind and see if there is anything there worth blogging about. Think about recent experiences or events. Strangely enough almost everything that happens (or doesn't happen) to us, or that we witness, can be written about and related to a given context. For example, the other day while out for a run in the forest, I noticed there was garbage strewn about in a small clearing - the remnants of a teen late night party, no doubt. I used that imagery to later write about how sometimes people carelessly abuse their email lists for immediate gain rather than cultivating long-term relationships with their subscribers. So go ahead and try it for yourself, you may be a little apprehensive at first, but soon enough you will find that your life is a rich tapestry of experiences and emotions that you can relate to and share with others. Ever notice how the best storytellers can take regular events and turn them into wonderful experiential lessons?
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