What can be a better prompt than “Blogger’s Block”, Write Tribe – you so know the bloggers and their laziness. Not that all bloggers are lazy but there are some sloth like writes – read ME, who go into their hibernation often. I have been blogging in The Sunny Side of Lifefor 4 years now and I have only 201 posts (as of now) and I know bloggers who have more than that number in few months!! And for my cook blog Twinkling Tina Cooks 56 posts from 2011. So you know how this block bug hits me at times.
I really can’t tell if it’s a block in thought or lack of idea that gets you into this zone but there is also this lack of free time, or the peace of mind to write, that crop in. I get into these zones too often. I’ll be doing some marathon posts and then get exhausted (of ideas and energy both) and then go into a long slumber, then watch my blog’s rank nose dive and then again get back. Really, when did Blogging become such a mammoth task for me, I have no idea.
I started my blogs with the idea that I’ll share my thoughts and in that path I also discovered a fiction writer in me. I started this as a random blog with various kinds of topics but now I write more on Book Reviews, sports, and many forms of fiction. So there are many things to write on, still sometimes you don’t know what to write, you lose your thoughts and skip writing that day and it continues, and you find yourself in the slumber.
But you know it’s not very hard to keep this Blogger’s Block at bay. I’ll give you few tips [that I am following currently] to get back in the race every time [after each slumber]
1. Whenever you are on your laptop/pc and you are surfing keep a word doc open.
This really helps. When you are reading news sites, film sites, blogging sites you react to a lot of things that you read. I react to a lot of nonsense news where I might have a different opinion, or even react to a lot of comments that you see under the news articles. Before you have any other thought clouding your mind you can have some one-liner thoughts written in the word doc. I will suggest [that’s what I do, mostly] write then and there rather than keeping it for later. I tend to forget what I had thought few hours back and my writing happens best when I react immediately to something. It’s like a trigger that gives you thoughts/ideas in mind.
2. Look for Tag Posts
Tag Posts are a good way of shooing away this blogger’s block. It so happens that I search for them sometimes on Tumbler or on friend’s blogs. You don’t need to wait for someone to tag you. If you find an interesting post you can tag yourself in it. For most of the tag posts you need to copy the questions and answer them. Sometimes they are really interesting and are good way of generating content and coming back to writing. I remember doing a 10 Day Tag post & some make-up andfashion tag post earlier.
3. Prompts will always help you
If you are like me, a lazy bum blogger, then prompts are your best friends. Look for sites which give these weekly prompts. Like I mentioned earlier they work as a trigger, for me. I instantly start thinking and visualizing and story is formed on its own. You can subscribe to these blogs or websites which gives prompts. But see if you are getting daily prompts on random things you are not likely to write on them. So look for blogs/sites which has this blog party/blog hop stuff and where you need to write in your niche subject. Now since I am writing a lot of fiction/ shortfiction/ 55 Fiction I look for sites which gives weekly prompts and you get good amount of readers as well. In case you also like and write fiction, I have a list of blogs that you could visit, it might help you.
4. Did you read a book or watched a movie recently?
And liked that book, or didn’t have a good experience. Write about it. Book review/movie review helps to jump back anytime. You might not be getting time or idea to blog, but most of us – who love books – are always reading. Sometimes I can’t sleep without reading few pages. Review that book, may be tag the author in your review.
In case, you are doing a movie review of recent movies, you will see you will get a lot of traffic, as well. It happened to me while reviewed Students of the Year, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and some more. And you don’t need to think that you have to give a good review or a negative review. Express what you felt, your readers will like honesty, there are enough paid reviews, anyways.
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| Look at the hits on the movie reviews – more than any other post. Well the Hrithik Roshan posts are an exception |
5. Blogging Challenge
You can take part in blogging challenges. It will make sure you are writing something in your blog. Now it can be tricky as well, when you are choosing a month long challenge or something – you got to write and push that block for the entire month. You may choose the smaller challenge – a month long blog party or something.
6. Collaborate with fellow bloggers
Now I have not done this so far, but can do any day. It’s like idea in my arsenal! If you have a blogger friend then have a pact with him/her to decide on a theme or experience and both of you can write on the same topic. Like I go out with my girl friends on some day and both of us can blog of the experience – what we shopped, what we ate etc etc.
7. Make a Haul Post
If you like books and clothes and shoes and make-up you will probably understand what I mean. When I go to crosswords I go crazy. I tend to pick up 6-7 books easily. You can always make a haul post telling which books you got. And if you like shopping you can make endless haul posts. I necessarily don’t put up all sorts of haul post in The Sunny Side of Life, but I am a complete shopaholic and if I want to do haul posts my blog will have enough content!!
8. Do an Interview or Guest Post
Now this also I have not done so far, but wish to do some soon. You can take interviews of authors, fellow bloggers and put up that in your blog. I know of a blogger who has a blog only for blog interviews of fellow bloggers, and I was interviewed too, you can read it here.
You can have guest posts in your blog. You can ask a friend/ fellow blogger to write something for you.
Now, all of these above can help you in getting the clogged mind wake up and sit straight. The only push you have to give is get your fingers to the keyboard and for that my Tip no. 1 will help you.
These are my ways of keeping the blogger’s block at bay, whenever I am at a loss with the question what to write? Now that I have written so much on the Blogger’s Block I think I’ll have to refer to it whenever I get one. I hope I don’t get that anytime soon.
So what are your tips on the Blogger’s Block? Let me know.
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Also my Day 10 post for The Ultimate Blogging Challenge July 2014.
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14 comments
I like challenge posts the most, especially those that give a particular challenge to do. That way you don't have to think of a topic. But they don't always suit my blog which is in the relationships niche.
Hi! I keep my eyes and ears open and when something interesting strikes, jot down on Sticky Notes App on my phone… it is really helpful…
Also, my friends give me a Theme or a Random Image to write poems on… it is a little difficult at times … but…. gotta do what I gotta do…
Hope this helped 🙂
Great tips here Tina! I do get hit by the block many a times – but lot many times these prompts help me out 🙂
That's a great post, thank you, Tina.I always have a notebook and a pen with me, I tend to have ideas in strange place 🙂
UBC this month really got me going and I love it so far.
Trying a second time – essentially, in my first comment, I said that all of these were good ideas, and I'm glad to see a mix of business appropriate and fun/personal ideas to jump-start a blocked brain.
That said, I think it's also worth asking yourself, periodically, what it is you hope to accomplish or get out of your blogging endeavors, and why you feel the need to write when you don't feel the urge to write or have anything to say. Sometimes, I think that's a sign that it's time to do something else for a while. (And doing something else for a while can sometimes cure a block by giving you lots of interesting things to write about!)
Holly thanks for your comment. yes it's absolutely important to try doing other things… and that give you so many more ideas. 🙂
I get maximum ideas just when i am trying to sleep… i dont bother to write them down at that time though, but probably make some mental notes!!
yeah prompts are very helpful
yeah photo prompts, memes, collaborating helps
Thanks Ana for dropping by. Yeah these challenge posts help quite a lot. Sometimes its ok to write other than your niche topic
Tina it was a pleasure to go through your ideas. So sweet.
Agree with all of your ideas here…I like the haul post idea a lot..this could be a great and prompt one to do…
Good tips here, Tina. I recently started the Interview post and it is a great idea.
Great tips Tina. I think I should start keeping a word document open all the time too! Will help me…especially now…when I'm halfway through the UBC and I'm not sure what I'm going to write tomorrow!! 🙂