Ten things to do when the blog well runs dry
Sometimes, blog ideas just do not jump into your head. Usually, this happens when you sit down at your computer and think to yourself, “I’m going to be really busy the next couple of days and I have a nice, relaxing open slot of time right now. I think I’ll write ahead.”
I’ve only heard rumors of this affliction, but if I had ever experienced it (recently….today…) I would offer up the following ideas to get the faucet in your brain dripping with delectable blog posts once more.
1. Reflect on blog posts that you’ve found interesting lately, especially the ones you commented on. Your little hamster in your brain might start running when you remind him what he got running about before.
2. Research shows that there is always something going on in the world. Scan the headlines. Feeling fired up?
3. Scan Twitter. Often, there are people posting things on Twitter, and these things can cause a myriad of reactions ranging from interest, intrigue, paranoia, disgust, laughing, and more. These are all reactions that can lead to a successful blogging scenario.
4. Sometimes the arts can come in handy. Consider the music scene, movies, books, art exhibitions, or what PBS is showing tonight. The nice thing about turning to this arena for intellectual stimulation is that sometimes you can end up with a post that actually makes it look like you had it planned all along!
5. Ask people in your community what you should write about. Those who say, “Nothing, please be quiet” are probably just joking with you. Probably.
6. Take a nap/go to bed, depending on the time of day. Sometimes I wake up from being unconscious and my brain has blogged all by its lonesome. This methodology is not recommended for working hours, please note.
7. Get busy doing something else, like shoveling snow, weeding the garden, washing the dishes, or sweeping the floor. The sheer boredom your brain experiences from these tasks will motivate it to get you back to the computer.
8. Argue with yourself. Pick a post that you wrote six months ago and see if you can make a great case against everything you said. Rather than this resulting in your community categorizing as you as a “flip-flopper,” it’s highly probable that they will view you merely as evolving into a more perfect and well-rounded being.
9. Write a short post that poses a question to your community. The awesome thing about this is that in essence, you are asking your community to write your blog post for you. It’s like cheating on your homework. Right out there in the open!
10. Last but not least, you could always write a post about what you do when the blog well runs dry. But who would do that?
What do you do when your blog well runs dry? Have you tried any of these steps before? Let us know what worked for you!
Image Credit: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/abcdz2000
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I think that looking into Disqus or going back to your latest comments on blogs would be a great way to look for ideas like you suggested.
asking your community is also a feature you can use to complete a blog post you think is missing something.
In my case I have always so many ideas popping up and I do a fairly good job storing them either on post it notes, my tasks software (things on the mac), and regular note pad.
When I run dry I just go to those sources and most of the time I end up with another subject that was not what I originally wrote down.
Normally when I get an idea it’s for a full-fledged post. If I can’t write the post at that particular time, it’s REALLY frustrating 🙂
I do have a notebook – Im just not so good at writing in it 🙂
Thanks for the suggestions and the comment!
I love # 3: “Intrigue, paranoia, disgust, laughing”–AHA (anger/hilarity/anxiety) moments!!! As Brené Brown says, “story telling is data with a soul.” To extend listening to our own triggers (laughter, fear, tears, rage), makes for great storytelling.
To often people try to pass information, forgeting that the logos (or L-directed thinking) lacks the saltiness, the bitterness, the savory, the sweetness, and the sourness of life. And this, as you’ve said is the currency of engaging writing.
Keep on sharing your well-water MC!
Thanks Mark. I will keep sharing – till it gets tainted 🙂
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Chad H. Pollitt and Marjorie Clayman, darleenw. darleenw said: Always good and entertaining RT @MargieClayman: 10 things to do when the blog well runs dry: http://bit.ly/gqPWtV […]
Good advice, Marjorie.
I’d suggest one more tip. (I learned this from a real pro. No, not you, but another real pro.)
Base your posts on items in the print media.
Yes, I said “print.”
There are still many newsworthy items published by general, business and trade media outlets that don’t get onto the Web for weeks, if ever.
You can bring your followers news and information they might otherwise miss.
That’s a truly awesome idea, especially if you’re blogging for a particular industrial niche. Good stuff! 🙂
I go to the gym and fire up the iPod (I have a ton of podcast episodes in there). The conversation in the shows and the work-out usually gets my creative juices flowing…
Ah, great idea! Multi-tasking too! Awesome 🙂
While I love the idea of taking a nap and waking up to a blog post completed, #7 has worked really well for me. Even if I am mid-post, I will sometimes hit a wall and force myself to do something else. I have even started writing 1 post and got an idea and quickly opened a new Word doc and started on the new idea. Whichever one I was able to complete was the one I posted but felt that just writing for the sake of writing inspires me.
Well, to be truthful, I seldom wake up with a blog post ready to gush out. That would be nice though 🙂 Maybe some day technology will be able to hook into our brains and write for us while we sleep. In the meantime…
That’s interesting that you move from post to post. I find that once I start writing a post I kind of need to stick with it or I lose what I was going after. Also, I am very OCD about such things =D
01/27/2011 – Once again your timing is great! I added a blog to my website about two weeks ago. My busines http://www.northernmarineinsurance.com is very specialized “Vessel Owners In Alaska – Commercial Fisherman, Charter Vessels, Yachts, Tugs, Work Boats. I’m spending time everyday gathering the material for the next post. I haunt trade publications {yes “Print”}, Government websites {Dept of Fish & Game}, Vessel Manufacturers & lots of other sources not the least of which are my clients.
Thanks for your good ideas.
Cordially Mike
Clients are a great source for blog ideas. A lot of people find that blogging about a commonly repeated question turns into a great customer service tool as well.
Glad this helped!
Hi Margie,
Thanks for the great ideas on blog post topics. My biggest obstacle is finding the time to write. So, I try to write down ideas when I think of them. I even start a draft for a blog post with notes, links and whatever thoughts I have. When I’m ready to write the blog post, I already have a good start.
~Marilyn
PS: Love your sense of humor on #10.
Very good idea. Getting the links is a lot of work, so you’re very smart to take care of a lot of that in advance.
Thanks for the compliment – I figured I’d put #10 out there before someone else did 🙂