Although my blogging schedule is publishing posts twice weekly, I clearly go through periods where I blog more or less, depending on what’s happening in my working life, my home life, and with my health.
From time to time I experience a day when I wonder what to blog about, and sometimes I experience “dry spells”, and when I do, then I’m blogging through writer’s block.
On any day when I can’t determine what to blog about I begin by reading my blog description, because when I do sometimes an idea leaps out at me. At times when nothing is “leaping” I consult my “Blog It Ideas Checklist“
Blog Description
onecoolsite: A growing collection of Tips and Tutorials on How to Become a Better Blogger, How to Build a Better Blog and where to find free Blogging Tools and Resources.
Blogging Goal: To provide free instructional material and resources to bloggers, who are intent on improving their writing and blogging skills, and making their blogs more reader and search engine friendly (basic SEO).
Directory listings: Blogging, Blog Resources
Tags: SEO, blogging tips, blogging resources, blogging tools, blogging guides, blogging tutorials
Blog It Ideas Checklist
(1) A record of search terms readers used to locate your blog is an excellent resource and that’s why I keep one so it’s the first place I look for new ideas.
(2) Reader reader feedback in comments made on posts, and responding to reader questions is also a means of inspiration for new posts.
(3) News in my niche as well as news in social networks, and by subscribing to the RSS feeds of the blogs of several leading bloggers in any niche may provide inspiration for new posts. Reading the comments received on those posts frequently produces inspiring new material and new angles to explore on how to present older material.
(3) Checking my daily Google Alerts for key words, phrases and concepts is helpful too.
(4) Topics being discussed in online groups and forums related to my blogs’ niche has also provided inspiration for a new post.
(5) Performing searches for related blogs and like-minded bloggers has also helped me turn up some ideas for new posts.
(6) Canvassing comments my readers have left on earlier your posts has also bring to light possible topics to blog on.
(7) Writing a “how – to” post is a solid idea as no matter which niche your blog is in there is bound to be something that you can provide a tutorial or instructional post for.
(8) Recording potential “blog fodder” I experience in everyday life events in conversation, and by reading books, newsletters, ebooks, ezines is also a helpful way to find inspiration for creating new posts.
(9) When I attend interesting local event or travel to attend one further afield my notes provide all I need to blog it. And one day I’ll have a laptop so I can live blog events.
(10) Interviewing a fellow blogger is a terrific idea for writing a new post when I’m stumped, but as you can see, it’s at the bottom of my list and I have yet to do it.
Discussion question:
jeanhasbeenshopping
July 14, 2009
This is all excellent advice! I tend to blog about whatever is going on in my life at the moment that I think someone might enjoy.
DeadRooster
July 14, 2009
Keeping a record of search terms readers used to locate your blog should be a no-brainer. Well, apparently, I have no brain because it never even occurred to me to do that. So far, all I’ve done is laugh at the funny one’s.
D’oh!
Thanks, TT!
marstead
July 14, 2009
I pull posts from a Battered Trunk.
Cindy
July 14, 2009
This is such a refreshing and timely post for me. I have been languishing lately in online discussions, partly because I’m very busy and exhausted from work these days, and partly because some online discussions remind me of thumbing through a cheap magazine or watching TV. Ah….an epiphany! When time is tight or one is mentally exhausted, seek out places to go that provide meaning and engagement, and that can be found in the blog posts of good writers and good people like you. Thanks, TT. I’ll be better soon… ;-)
Ishan
July 15, 2009
First thing I keep in mind when deciding the topic is that it should answer some question. Be it reader’s question or some popular topic that others have just touched, a detailed post always helps.
Writing about news is good thing but only if it is not done often. No noe wants to see another news blog. Covering big news(like FeedBurner starting dynamic headlines 2 week ago) can be good.
Quiet Waters Rise
July 15, 2009
I think these are all wonderful ideas. I think it would be very interesting to see posts with interviews with fellow bloggers.
I find personally that inspiration, thoughts, and ideas come at the most random moments in my life, and so I try to keep a very small notebook with me to write them down. Then, when I am sitting in front of the computer, I am able to go back to my notebook to expand upon any ideas I may have had at inopportune times.
JP
July 17, 2009
I’m happy to say I use almost all of these techniques. Idea #1 is really good, I wrote a whole series of blog posts like that :)
David
July 17, 2009
When I was blogging for fun I would blog when the blog-fairy waved her ‘inspire’ wand. Now I am blogging to support a commercial enterprise so we keep a schedule of posts we plan to write and when we intend to publish them.
The schedule may be just the outline or the ideas, and they may change as we go on, but the schedule gives us focus.
Ubuntusl
July 17, 2009
Greate blogging tips buddy
:-):-):-)
celticmusicfan
July 17, 2009
I think visiting blogs of friends on my list inspires me what to write about. Sometimes it is just a feeling, then I pick up a thread from that. My problem is being organize. I don’t keep notes, I don’t have rules and I just write from instinct. I do see why it can have its problems. Your instructional guide is very helpful in making me realize what my goal is for today and the next. Happy blogging and cheers.
rosie
July 18, 2009
I think each and every one of these tips are excellent. I often blog when I have something I need to learn. By posting what I learned it reinforces the information.
Also, if someone has asked me a question online or in a class I am challenged to provide a post that will clearly explain the answer.
Thanks again, pure genius.
Nothing profound
July 19, 2009
Great suggestions, in your usually comprehensive style. Personally, I’ve never really suffered from writer’s block. If anything, I tend to write too much. That’s why I like aphorisms. It’s easy to stand up and walk away from them. You scribble a few sentences and you’re done for the day. I could never sit at a computer all day banging out a novel. I’d go stir crazy. Most of my thoughts come to me through observation, when I’m walking around outside or eavesdropping on someone else’s conversation. The sight of a worm on the sidewalk or a child riding a bicycle will conjure up some thought or reflection. At first it’s pretty amorphous but after a while a sentence or statement starts to take shape.
clbro
July 20, 2009
Great ideas that do more than give simple ideas for creating the words!
bbrian017
July 20, 2009
I write 7 days a week so coming up with original ideas it hard! I can really appreciate the op 10 list you compiled here! I will definitely be referring to this article now and then. I would also like to try an interview! I never did one outside of blogengage and think it would be a great idea!
Many bloggers I follow always do a top posts of the week type of thing. They compile a list of their favorite blog article s and that’s an article in it’s self.
Blogging is getting difficult like I said writing 7 days a week is hard!
Nick Grimshawe
July 20, 2009
Hi TT,
I use my journal as a great resource for those “empty” moments. I am always surprised at how much material is in there that I have completely forgotten about.
I have been writing a newsletter for the last 3 years where I publish 5 days a week. Amazingly I never seem to run out of material but I did use quotes to prime the pump.
When I am really stuck, then surfing through my favorite blogs will usually spark an idea.
Thanks for the great article and very useful ideas.
Nick
weblogian
July 21, 2009
TT that was a great ideas and good article.
barryb64
December 3, 2009
timethief,
Thanks for the post. It is true that writers can get inspirations from a variety of places. Some would be amazed at where they can come from.
As it is, I was getting an idea for a story for my own blog. It came from two sources: [religious reference removed by timethief] For some reason a story about two bloggers kept coming to mind. One wise and one foolish.
I will look up some RSS feeds for my particular niche.
timethief
December 3, 2009
@barryb64
I’m happy to hear that my blog posts contain information that you find to be valuable.
I used Google search. I typed “Christian social networks” into the search bar and got these results http://tinyurl.com/ygbgrl6
Then I used “Christian RSS feeds” and these are the results http://tinyurl.com/yhsutst
Then I used Google blog search and “Christian blogs” and these were the results http://tinyurl.com/yf7gu4p
Lastly, I used Google search for “Vineyard churches” and these were the results http://tinyurl.com/y8ggu3o
joer223
May 15, 2010
Timethief
I found this article to be very helpful. I struggle as a new blogger who has chosen a very difficult niche in finding topics to write about, that’s not to say I’m giving up, because the niche is difficult (to a novice like myself) it makes me that much more determined to succeed. I find myself searching well known blogging tips sites, including yours as a way of finding ideas. Sometimes in the course of my day doing something totally unrelated to blogging an idea will pop into my head. I’ll start making notes on whatever I can find, a napkin, a scrap pf paper or whatever. Because my blog is still in the infancy stage I’m always concerned about content, and getting more of it posted. Your outline here is very concise, and very valuable. Thank you for such insightful article. You never cease to me with your wealth of knowledge. If I knew one tenth of one percent of what you know I’d sleep better at night :)