For a day and a half, I’ve been meaning to sit down and write/post a new article. I’ve been struggling between catching up on my “social networking” and sitting down and writing. It’s like the cartoon with the little devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. My top “priority” (and I use the term loosely because priorities shouldn’t be ignored) has been to write an article. After all, one of my weekly objectives is to post new content (preferably early in the week).
So, the angel on my shoulder has been telling me to sit down and write and the devil has been instructing me to answer emails, comment on blogs, tweet, check Facebook and play with the cat. (Ok, that last one even I can’t justify as being remotely constructive towards reaching any work related goals.) So what do you do if you’re struggling with writing an article for your blog?
Everyone has their own reasons for blogging. Some people blog to entertain, others to educate, others to promote products or services. Regardless of what you write about or what your style is, I believe there are certain unwritten rules that successful bloggers should try to adhere to.
Criteria for Writing a Blog Post
- Be Original (Don’t rehash other bloggers’ posts.)
- Be Creative (If you are writing on a topic that’s covered elsewhere, at least add a new spin.)
- Add Value (Value is in the eye of the beholder. If your post educates, entertains or even is a distraction, it may be valuable to someone.)
- Entertain (At least try to not be boring)
- Be Accurate (Many people believe that if it’s on the Internet it’s true. So, the least you can do is check out your facts before you post. Please.)
Personally I write to share business ideas and strategies. I like to be honest and tell you what is working for me and what isn’t. I also share from past experiences and most of all, I try to foster a conversation. As I always say, we can all learn from each other.
Inspiration for Writing
How do you get your ideas for new blog posts? Lots of times, I get my ideas from conversations with clients, friends and other bloggers. How often have we all heard, “Can I ask you a dumb question?” My reply is always that there is no such thing as a dumb question. (Well, I have heard a few but let’s leave that for another post.) As long as there are questions (and I know the answer), I shouldn’t run out of material to blog about.
So, why the dilemma this week? Why would this post just not write itself? The answer may be that I was over thinking it. In my determination to find the perfect topic that I could write about perfectly, I wasn’t writing at all.
Fortunately, while searching for diversions (and making the rounds of blogs that I hadn’t visited in a while), I visited Michele Welch’s blog and read her post Is Good Good Enough In Business? Michele had some questions of her own.
Time to hear from you! How do you handle writer’s block? What do you do when you’re struggling to write an article? Have you ever found yourself frantically writing to meet a self-imposed deadine or do you give yourself permission to skip a week?
I like to read blogger experience about work. Form your post I got some very helpful idea which I can use for improving my writing skill. I thought, for writing any post the most important thing is you should know the topic which you are going to discuss and also need detail knowledge.
Hi Jenny,
I find that posts where I’m sharing knowledge can take the longest to write (even if I know the topic like the back of my hand). It’s so important that my words convey exactly what I’m trying to say. It’s important that a reader can’t misinterpret what I’m saying. One thing that works for me is to save some of the emails that I send to clients (especially if they’re teaching/explaining something). Those emails sometimes become the foundation of a new post and end up saving me a lot of time.
Good luck with your blog!
I am experiencing writer’s block this week in a big way. I figure something will come to me soon and then I will post, although I know I should try a bit harder to think of what to write next. I seem to have so many things going on, that I have found it hard to sit and try to concentrate this week…I know what a lame excuse, right? LOL!
Anyway, I hope to get back into the swing of writing very soon.
Have a great weekend!
Linda
Linda,
I can so relate to you! Good luck. I’m sure something will come to you soon. (Your excuse doesn’t sound lame to me.)
This week, I didn’t have writer’s block but somehow, I lost a couple of days and am way behind in posting. I just posted my weekly article (which should have been posted no later than Wednesday). So much for not over-thinking! I should have thought a little more this week for sure.
Hi Sherryl,
The way I avoid running out of things to blog about is to always write about whatever I am currently dealing with or going through as a freelancer or blogger or web designer – since those are the main topics of my blog. By blogging about whatever I am currently dealing with (meeting new clients, recycling blog posts, solving a coding issue on a website, etc., etc.), I never run out of things to write about! My biggest problem is simply making the time to actually write!
Hi Libby,
I have to remember that. I often do write posts on both current and past experiences with websites and basic business strategy. I had ideas I just wasn’t enjoying writing last week. I figured that if I wrote something that I didn’t enjoy, I wasn’t being true to myself. Finding the time! Yikes…. that’s a whole new post.
Me struggling to write a blog post, never!
OK, I do have the occasional time where the creative juices have dried up as probably most of us do from time to time, but the internet is a vast collection of knowledge and inspiration from the crazy to the wise, I do have a tendency these days to post an idea to the drafts in my blog via my BlackBerry, very handy when an idea springs to mind while I’m out and about.
Karen, I love that description of the Internet! I’m still using a “stupid” phone rather than a smart phone. (I don’t even text with what I have!) That’s a wonderful suggestion. It may be time for me to dig into my wallet and spring for one.
Although there are so many subjects out there, on the internet. I don’t know why but people tend to write about the same o same o, or they write about the same subjects as other bloggers. For example one day, I saw something like 4-5 posts from 10+ blogs that were about the same subjects.
I think that some bloggers should take their blocknotes go out, to the market or anywhere where they think inspiration will hit. Sit there and write some ideas of blog posts, then come back and check the internet those ideas and see what’s already been written, then when they think they found something great, do some research and start writing.
Of course this is just my opinion, and I know that there are some people like Dennis here who have tons of ideas and all they need is a form with all the right fields.
Exactly! It’s also important to keep in mind who you’re writing for (as Tia said in her comment). I’m of the mind-set that even though a topic (like using Twitter) has been just about beaten to death on some aspects, if you’re blogging about business strategy and you can offer concrete suggestions and point your readers in the right direction, you’re adding value. The trick is (as you’ve pointed out) don’t write about the “same o same o”.
Many clients always struggle coming up with new ideas for blog posts, I usually send them to google trends and sites like alltop to get an idea on the hottest topics in their market niche, then forward them to google keyword suggestion tool to find relevant keywords.
That’s a great suggestion. Recently,someone asked me how he could create a blog that would drive traffic to a commercial website. When I looked at his site, it was clear to me that he hadn’t identified his niche market. His content revolves around his products and doesn’t address his customers. I offered him several suggestions (including looking at his competitor’s sites) but I didn’t think to suggest using the Google keyword tool. Thanks for the idea.
Well I for one have had writer’s block many times! I won’t publish something I don’t like. What happens is that if I’ve written three or four posts in a row that I don’t like, I get stuck. So last week I also ran into writer’s block.
One of the causes was that I had lost sight of who I was writing for. It took me all week, but the fog finally lifted and ideas started coming again.
So I am with you! Writer’s block happens. I just do my best to work around it and not let it stress me, because I’ve noticed that when I’m stressed, writer’s block gets worse.
That is so true Tia. Once I start agonizing over writing, writer’s block becomes an issue in itself. I just have to stop over-thinking and let the creative juices flow.
Even though this wasn’t my favorite post to write, it has got people talking. That’s a good thing in itself.
I much prefer to be proactive/preemptive. Every time you have even an inkling of a post idea draft it up…a title and maybe a sentence or two, you’ll never look back.
i haven’t had blockage in years.
Dennis, I do have a document with lots of ideas jotted down. The day I wrote this post, none of them interested me. I just couldn’t get motivated. To tell you the truth, I think I needed sunlight. We’d been snowed in for quite a while and it was just gloomy out. Maybe, I should have blogged about getting cabin fever!
That’s great that you haven’t had writer’s block in years. I’m curious. Do you consider yourself a writer by profession?
I’m in the same boat with Dennis. I constantly write down ideas for
posts so that I have a library to choose from. I also always write post
ideas that are fresh on my mind immediately. If I have a post idea
that is pretty much written in my mind, I do it right away. If I don’t use
it, I might lose it. I think keeping a list of post ideas is essential to
combating dry content moments.
“I do have a document with lots of ideas jotted down. The day I wrote this post, none of them interested me. I just couldn’t get motivated.” This i know well as well Sherryl, it’s always good to keep a large arsenal for these times.
“Do you consider yourself a writer by profession?”
Interesting question and I may be heading in that direction. Until recently though, I’ve always had a somewhat unique and very frustrating issue though.
As stated, I’ve never had a blogging problem. When it came time to try article marketing though, I’d sit in front of a blank screen for weeks before finally giving up on the idea.
It was obviously a psychological thing, since there really isn’t much of a difference, and this is where I came to the realization…write my articles as blog posts, but do not publish them…in essence, trickling my mind!
While I feel a little silly for not realizing this simple fix years earlier, at least I’ll be able to start article marketing now.
Sounds like a great solution Dennis! Good luck marketing your articles.
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