Some days I sit down to my computer and the words just flow. I know exactly what I want to say and my fingers can barely keep up with my ideas. Other days … nothing. There is nothing in my head; I can’t think of a thing to say.
Having written a blog almost daily for ten months now, I’ve learned some tricks to help me through. Here they are:
1. Whenever you leave a detailed comment on someone’s blog, reply to a question on LinkedIn or answer and email question, save what you’ve written in a Word document.
If you are giving information, clarifying a point or offering an opinion, this can usually be expanded into a longer article. Keep all these comments in an easily located place. You might even save all the comments in one file if you wish, deleting them as you use them.
2. On days when you’re feeling creative, brainstorm some topics to write on future dates. I write them on a file card posted to my bulletin board next to my desk and I keep a notebook in my purse for when ideas strike when I’m not at home.
3. When you read someone else’s newsletter or blog and you feel they’ve missed something or you disagree, save the article or the link. At a later date you can write your additions or rebuttal. An added bonus to this method, the writer of the original article may choose to leave a comment or create a link to your post.
4. Stick post-it notes on pages in books where there is an interesting quote or new piece of information (you are always reading books in your industry, right?). Refer to the quote and offer your opinion about what the author has to say.
5. Pick a common problem your readers have and create a list article about how to solve it (guess what kind of day I’m having). Not only is this an easy article to write, list articles are often the most read blog posts – particularly if there are enough keywords in the title.
Andrea J. Stenberg
