Argh! Writers block and no inspiration, how do you deal?

Lol what usually happens to me is I think of a ton of great things to write when I'm not supposed to be writing - and then when I have to write I just draw blanks.

So, what I do is jot down ideas when inspiration strikes - and then when it's time to write I have a whole bunch of topics to choose from

The other answer: Just start writing. Start writing about procrastinating and how hard it is to write the blog post. Write about how you're breaking through it anyway by writing. Trust me, half the time when you simply start writing, you end up going somewhere with it.

First, I highly suggest you relax as much as possible and avoid
thinking or saying you can't do it. It has a way of influencing
things.

It is very possible you need a break from the action. You've taken
a break, but it really wasn't because you were stressing over it.

This is not the end of your blog. Once things have settled down,
just return to it like nothing happened.

I also would suggest you get away and distract your self in some
way. Go to a movie, get out and do something for two hours. Go
for a walk, ride a bike - anything. But just make sure you get out
of your normal environment - dorm room, apartment, etc.

The more you dwell on the situation, the worse it gets. I imagine
there are plenty of things to write about what ever the topic is
for your blog.

When you want to write but it's not flowing very well, just write
about anything related to your blog. Free association - just write.
Turn off the mental editor and write. That could help you to relax
and put something together in the end.

If you are not really motivated to work, or excited about the subject,
then your mind may be pushing back and trying to tell you something.

I don't know, obviously, because it's you and not me.

Those are just a few thoughts. No matter what, it'll be ok. It will always
be ok.


Ken

Every culture in the world understands stories and if you strip urban legends down they have a core which is reality. That simple core is encaptured in a story. When you were writing s post here you were essentially telling a story, try that when writing your blog

Try moving from the keyboard to a sheet of paper. I know, I know, that's sacrilege but try it all the same. For some reason a lot of people find it works including me.

When you've got your paper write a mindmap around one piece of technology you choose at random. For each "leg" of the map write a benefit from this list:
Who, what, where, when, why and how. Now sort it into a logical sequence for the reader add an intro and a conclusion.

Being a professional writer involves writing when you don't want to and often about things you have no interest in. You say you're interested in your subject so you're already halfway there. If you don't have the motivation though no one else can put it there for you.

Nigel

Writer's block means that it's time to change activities.

You can't continually be giving without taking in and
after you given a lot you have to regroup before you
can go again. For me, that is the basis of overcoming
writer's block.

Get some physical exercise, watch a documentary,
spend time with friends and family, go fishing etc.

-Ray Edwards

... and on a practical note

Write when you feel like writing and schedule your posts.
Don't burn yourself out. You do not need to post an article a day to your blog - just post on a regular basis, even if it is once a week.
Jot down ideas when you get them
Always leave an article unfinished - it does wonders to get you back into the swing of things quickly.

I hear ya here. Writer's block can suck and leads to that horrible feeling of getting nothing done.

My best cure for this type of thing is to walk away for a day or two. Don't even think about it. Just let yourself relax as it has been mentioned above.

If you have to get content up though (I think we all understand those times), why not turn your old content into videos or podcasts. You still are getting quality content and you won't have to worry so much about writer's block.

Travis

I would say Read More.

I also +1 to the idea of jotting down ideas when they strike... this is SO incredibly important I can't even find words to describe it. Which either makes me a terrible writer, or the point very very very important :p

If there's a pen and paper handy, I'll use that. If I'm at the laptop, I have a Notepad open. If I'm near nothing... I'll write a draft text message to myself and refer to it later.

But on the subject of 'Read More'... that's where a lot of my inspiration comes from. Even if it doesn't relate to the subject in an obvious way... something will come up. We're weird that way.

Sometimes I'll see something that I think could be explored and explained better.
Sometimes I'll see something missing that would get through to many more people another way.
Sometimes I'll see something that just ignites another spark of ideas in a completely different area.
Sometimes I'll start writing one article and I'll spawn a web of new ideas...

But I'll always jot it down to look at later. Some of the ideas don't take me much past 200 words. Others are good enough for a dissertation!

And if inspiration never comes and you still have writer's block.... man you gotta take a break or move on.

Maybe there's nothing else to write about (doesn't sound like the case)... or maybe you gotta learn something new... or maybe you're on the edge of killing your passion for the subject.

You want to avoid the latter... just keep exploring, keep things fresh (including your soul and sanity). Try thinking about answering questions you've got for yourself... or ask questions in the articles... musings if you will

Best of luck! You'll get over it You'll be fine.

1. Give yourself permission to suck.

All the best,
Michael

When writer's block hits me, I simply watch TV. Watching TV helps because it takes my mind off of the writing and it gives me loads of ideas. It's amazing how a commercial or movie will give me all sorts of ideas on all sorts of topics.

The destressing by watching opens my noodle and lets the ideas jsut flow. :rolleyes: Helps a ton!


Cindy

I read forum posts and articles on a range of websites until I am struck with inspiration.

Once I get inspired, I can crank out the article quickly.

When this happens I just leave it, then go to try and find some high PR blogs to post on. At least I'm getting something done. But sometimes I also pick up ideas when I'm reading through other blogs, which inspires me to write something similar.

You can also have a quick look through some related forums: Sometimes you can find real gems that people are talking about on the forums, to write about yourself, on your blog.

Finally, I always jot down any ideas I come up with, when I am in a creative mood. Then just refer to that when I need to, like people have said before me.

I fixed the writer's block issue this way.

Create a .txt template file that has a bunch of questions on it that you might have for the kind of people you would get on your blog. For example; if your blog was about finding used cars.

What kind of used car do you want:

How much money do you want to spend on a used car:

Do you own a used car now:

What make, model and year used car are you looking for:

Etc. etc. etc.

Then paste the questions into your blog. Create a fictitious person and answer all the questions in detail. When done, write as yourself, and write about the user who "submitted" the questionnaire..

When you are done you have a very keyword rich post that will be between 700-1000 words. The keywords are splashed in the questionnaire.

Seeing as I don't eat if I fail to write. I do not allow myself the luxury of WB! I usually READ...and try to find out what's on people's minds (checking the WSO section, for example)...you'd discover what will resonate with people.

I read Yaro's blog and other top bloggers...

In order to scale up your business in record time, you're going to have to outsource your article writing. Come up with the topics of the articles and then hire someone to write them for you. Turnaround time is typically two days. Get your articles, plug them into your site and sit back and relax as traffic rolls in. Don't forget to backlink your site to increase its rankings in the search engines.

If you have some PLR articles related to your niche, you could consider using them as a source of inspiration and ready-to-use research.

In my experience, PLR articles are often poorly written, but are usually sound in terms of overall content.

So, pick one, read it, note down the main points -- and the re-write it yourself from scratch.

Hope that helps somewhat.

Michael

I read. I looove to write,you could say its my passion. But if I have a small bit of writers block I go on and do something that I enjoy. Reading is one of those things. It inspires my mind again and gets things thinking in all new directions.
You may need to just stop focusing on the importance of writing and do something that you truly enjoy. You may find that when your mind isn't focused, the inspiration comes.

Also, I eat dried pineapple when I write.

Cant remember who said it... but "Write fearlessly and edit ruthlessly"

Sometimes it's just about getting started and getting something done... then things start to flow and before you know it you're working. Doesn't matter if it's crap... you can always edit it and tidy it up.

Works for me and helps me deal with procrastination and black sheets.

I like to change gears for a bit and then get back into it. Go for a walk, a bike ride, play your favorite sport, etc.

Then if that doesn't work, just grind it out until it starts coming. I recently did a 1400+ word post on my blog that was absolutely killing me. It took me about 2/3 of the way through before I felt like I was writing naturally and not forcing it.