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vangogh
08-10-2008, 12:32 AM
Anyone who's been blogging for awhile will tell you that they go through times where coming up with an idea to write about is a struggle.

I know it happens to me at times. There's a feeling you've written everything you can about your topic and that you have nothing interesting left to say about the subject.

One thing I can assure you is those feelings will pass. If you hang in there and work through those times the ideas will start to flow again. Still during those times what do you do.

Darren Rowse of ProBlogger fame wrote an article a few days ago called 24 Things to do When Stuck for a Topic to Blog About (http://www.problogger.net/archives/2008/08/08/24-things-to-do-when-stuck-for-a-topic-to-blog-about/).

I haven't tried all 24 things on the list, but I have tried a few and they do work. Definitely a worthwhile read and if you do blog and haven't subscribed to ProBlogger you really should.

orion_joel
08-10-2008, 03:07 AM
There are some great ideas, within those 24 things to do. I am really going to have to start using some of them at some point.

I think some of the best posts i have done are on topics that i have been in the right place to start writing, and have basically had the idea, been sitting at the computer pulled up the Wordpress admin panel and just started writing straight away. For better or worse i am not always in this position when i have ideas however i do try and get down the key concept as soon as possible so i have it there ready to write about, when i do have the chance.

vangogh
08-10-2008, 01:35 PM
I seem to have ebbs and flows. Posts will flow for a few months and then everything will feel like a struggle for a time. Fortunately I've been blogging long enough now that I can usually get through those struggle times and know they'll pass.

I write my posts in a Firefox extension called Scribefire (http://www.scribefire.com/). It opens at the bottom of Firefox and I can easily write notes while surfing. I post through it as a draft and then login to WP to edit and view my posts.

Darren has great ideas at ProBlogger. His was one of the first blogs I ever subscribed to and I've learned a lot from him. If you haven't definitely subscribe. He's a fellow Australian too.

theGypsy
08-11-2008, 11:17 AM
Nice list.....

I tend to go a few ways;

1. Industry news; often there is certain hot topics that attract my attention - great when there is nothing immediate on the mind

2. Rants - well... erm.... just things I get passionate about... let it flow

3. Day to Day - because I write about an industry I am involved in professionally, there are experiences during my working day that I will write about, often so I can reference it to clients in the future and not explain the same thing over and over

4. Link bait - I will often review lists of link bait approaches (such as this; Hooked on Link Baiting (http://www.huomah.com/internet-marketing/link-building/hooked-on-link-baiting.html) ) and look for angles which jump out at me, or try and combine a few link bait approaches to see what happens


Ultimately I have a word doc with a running list of ideas which has maybe 20 or so at any time and I also usually have a stack of drafts/articles I have started as well.... likely another 10-20 posts on the go at any time.

For me it's not always a lack of ideas, as it is a lack of time/motivation... :rolleyes:

vangogh
08-11-2008, 12:04 PM
Lack of time/motivation might describe me more too. I have an excel file filled with ideas and notes now. Ideally those posts will get written.

Ont thing that helps me is publishing on a schedule. It puts me in a rhythm. You see people saying to publish regularly for your readers, but I find it helps me.

theGypsy
08-11-2008, 12:14 PM
Lack of time/motivation might describe me more too. I have an excel file filled with ideas and notes now. Ideally those posts will get written.

Ont thing that helps me is publishing on a schedule. It puts me in a rhythm. You see people saying to publish regularly for your readers, but I find it helps me.

I love to talk/write as much as anyone.... but after many years (blogging, forums, ebooks) it can get friggen tiring. I noticed 'take some time off' on Darren's list... I did that last year and stopped blogging for nearly 2 months... I was very refreshed when I started again....

With my life .... there is no way I could keep to a schedule really. I am basically a non-profit blogger so it comes at the end of list for me...

vangogh
08-11-2008, 12:29 PM
I haven't gone 2 months without blogging, but I have taken a week or two off. One thing I learned last year was that it was ok to skip a post when I intended to write one. My blog didn't disappear off the face of the earth and my readers were still there when I came back.

Taking a break from it is healthy. Ideally I'll build up a store of posts so when I do want time away I can still be publishing.

This year I've opted for posting less. I used to go for 3 a week and then for a time 5 a week, but I'm more comfortable with 2 posts per week now. And even on a week when I'm not feeling motivated or too busy I can usually get one post written.

Harold Mansfield
08-11-2008, 10:20 PM
I figured out early on that I could not come up with new posts everyday. After about 2 weeks I started soliciting Record labels, producers and promoters for their press, and album releases. Over a period of time more and more press started piling up in my email box with everything from Night Club Openings, to Festivals all over the world.

Today, I rarely have to write more than 1 or 2 original posts a week.
So for me the easiest way to keep on top of the industry, and keep a constant flow of information is to have the industry send it to me. I highly recommend it to anyone that blogs about a particular industry or niche that is not their own company.

One of my other blogs is current events and politics....when I am having a slow news day, I just bash Rush Limbaugh :) ...It's too easy, he sticks his foot in his own mouth at least twice weekly.

vangogh
08-11-2008, 10:52 PM
Keeping up with the industry definitely helps. One of the reasons I'm subscribed to so many blogs is it helps generate ideas for my own blog.