How to Prevent Writer’s Block as a Blogger
Being a blogger is not an easy task. When you set out to provide your target audience with helpful content on a regular basis, it’s inevitable that sooner or later you will run into writer’s block.
It happens to everybody. When you start on a project, you might be able to power through a rough spot but once the initial excitement wears off, you might feel burnt out and wondering what else you can write about. The good news is that you can overcome writer’s block.
In today’s post, we’ll share a few tips that will help you tackle writer’s block and get your blogging groove back.
Change Your Scenery
Sometimes a change in scenery can do wonders for your writer’s block. If you always write in your office, try out a different room in your house. You can also try going to a nearby coffee shop to get your creative juices flowing.
Alternatively, try using a different tool to write your blog posts. Using WordPress editor? Give Google Docs or Notepad a try. Switch from digital tools to old-fashioned pen and paper. Start with the meat of your post before writing the intro paragraph. You’d be surprised at how much more creative you can get simply by breaking your routine and trying to tackle the problem in a different way.
Keep a Notepad of Ideas
If you are like most bloggers, you probably have great moments of inspiration when you come up with all sorts of blog topics. However, remembering them when writer’s block strikes is a different story. To prevent that from happening, always keep a notepad on you where you can jot down your ideas and refer to them later when you feel uninspired.
If you prefer a digital notepad that you can access anywhere, consider using Evernote. You can not only capture your ideas in it but you can also use the web clipper extension to save articles as part of your research for later, to draft outlines, and even plan your entire editorial calendar.
Turn to Quora
While Quora is a great way to get answers to your questions and learn something new, the truth is Quora is an excellent resource of potential blog topics. All you need to do is sign up for an account and pick the categories relevant to your industry. Then, monitor the categories for new questions and use the ones that have the most upvotes and the most followers as material for new blog content.
Aside from blogging idea well, Quora can be an excellent source of traffic to your blog when you take the time to set up your profile and contribute to the platform on a regular basis.
Use Social Media
Think social media is for promoting your blog posts and connecting with influencers and your readers? Think again, because social media can be a true treasure trove of topic ideas.
For example, you can start by looking at Facebook groups you are a member of. Do a search for keywords and topics that relate to your niche and see what others are saying. Some will have questions that you can use as an inspiration to write a post about, while others will share an opinion. You can write a blog post that offers a different take on the shared opinion or approach the entire subject from a different perspective.
Another example is Twitter Chats. With thousands of Twitter chats happening on a daily basis, you are bound to find a few that align with your blog’s topic. If the thought of joining a Twitter chat fills you with dread, keep in mind that you can be the silent observer. Just by joining the chat and “listening” you can see what questions and problems others have in your industry and use those questions as fodder for your next blog post.
Find Writing Prompts
You can also use writing prompts to get your writing muse back. Sometimes a prompt about something completely unrelated to your industry can be an excellent trigger for an idea that applies to your niche. Several sites offer general writing prompts on a daily basis while others are specific to a certain niche.
Explore sites like Creative Writing Prompts that will suggest ideas and phrases to use in your creative writing or visit Creative Copy Challenge for a few ideas geared for non-fiction writers.
Turn Your Writing Into Process
When writing an entire post looks daunting, the best thing you can do is to turn your writing into a process by dividing it into smaller tasks. Think about everything that’s required for you to produce a blog post. This can involve researching your topic, writing an outline, coming up with a rough draft, creating graphics, scheduling your post, and finally, promoting it on social media.
Instead of doing everything in one go, start by tackling the first item on your task list. If you feel like continuing, great, but you can also spread out the tasks across different days. Crossing smaller tasks of your list makes the whole process seem less intimidating and can even motivate you to get more done.
Turn to Comments
While comments are a great way to interact with your readers, they can also spark new post ideas. In some cases, your readers will have questions that you can use to create a follow up post, and in some cases, they will show you a different perspective or connect your post’s topic with a new concept altogether.
Aside from reading the comments on your blog with this new perspective, you can also peruse the comment section on other blogs you follow as well as popular blogs in your niche.
Ask Your Readers
Finally, if you’ve tried all of the above and still cannot come up with an idea, it’s time to ask your readers. You can create a short survey using a plugin like Polldaddy directly on your site and embed it into your post or with an online tool like SurveyMonkey and link to it in your sidebar, page or post.
Alternatively, you can send an email with the link to the survey to your list and ask them to answer a few questions about future and existing topics so you can serve them with better content.
You can also create a page with a form where your readers can submit ideas for topics they’d like you to cover.
Lastly, don’t forget to reach out to your followers on social media to fill out your survey as well.
Wrapping Up
When you’ve been blogging for a while, encountering writer’s block is inevitable. But if you use the tips in this article, you’ll be able to beat it and have a steady stream of post ideas that you can write about for months to come.
The post How to Prevent Writer’s Block as a Blogger appeared first on Speckyboy Web Design Magazine.