I write about 100 blog posts a year. That’s a lot of words. So you can understand why I might sometimes run out of things to say. I might not have travelled recently, or eaten anywhere exciting. Or simply, despite having about 68 draft posts, when it comes to putting my fingers on the keyboard, I just stare at an empty bright Word Document. “You are shit” the only words on the screen. These are the weeks when I’ll take a week off to watch Doctor Foster or write something ridiculous like how I spent 7 hours with an avocado. As you’ve probably caught on, this post was inspired by losing my blogging mojo. “What can I write about?” I asked myself. “Ah hah, that’ll do it!” So now I’ve successfully found something to waffle on about, I present my (hopefully) useful tips on how to overcome blogger’s block…
1 | Write it all down
Now before you say, “No shit Eppie, what the F do you think I’m trying to do here?!”, hear me out. I’m a perfectionist. So when I start imagining a perfectly witty post in my head, I nine times out of ten struggle when it comes to starting the bloody thing. But as my Year 9 English teacher used to say… stop overthinking it and just write it down. Yeah, it might be a pile of shit, but you also might discover a gem in there after you clear your mind and get going. So why are you still here? Forget my other tips… off you go and write some waffle.
2 | Take some time off
Okay that didn’t work? Don’t worry there’s still 9 to go… I know, you’ve got deadlines, you haven’t posted this week yet… we’ve all been there. But sometimes the best thing to do is have a break. Go for a walk, grab a cuppa, catch up with the Bake Off so you can stop avoiding Twitter for spoilers. Or if like me (all of us), life just sometimes gets a bit on top of you, take the whole week off. Trust me, no one is going to unfollow you or send you a nasty message for not blogging.
3 | Stop writing and start reading
Pick up a book, a magazine or discover a new blogger. Notice their stories, styles and ideas. Of course, you can’t outright copy material but creativity is powered by inspiration. Reading about someone’s trip to Tuscany might spark your love for Italian cuisine or destinations with stunning views.
4 | Flick back through your old posts
I’ve almost written about every destination I’ve visited, but they’re might be a new angle I haven’t covered, or even a top 10 list I can link back to old posts in. For example, I wrote about Hamburg as a storytelling piece, a guide to the city, a hotel review and how I learnt 10 things there on my first solo adventure.
5 | Look at old photographs
Dig out your Facebook albums, iPhone memory and gosh even the real photographs. Bring back a sense of nostalgia you can use for a ‘hey remember when shag bands were a thing?!’. A few crafted paragraphs later and you’ve got yourself an amusing listicle of ’10 things I can’t believe I wore as a teenager” (yeah I’ll have to really lose my mojo to write that one…).
6 | Scroll through your notes
I bet you all an embarrassing photo that you have an idea for a blog post in your phone’s notes. Go on, have a scroll. I have five. And that doesn’t include the lengthy rant about why I don’t always tip in restaurants…
7 | Ask your readers
If you have a blog, you have readers. Even if it is just Auntie Karen. Go straight to the source and ask them, “hey you guys, what do you want me to write about next?” I bet they’ll have some fun ideas you won’t have thought of.
8 | Reminisce with friends and family
The ones closest to you will always have something to share, whether it’s that drunken night you can’t remember or the time you embarrassed your mum as a screaming toddler. Or in another case, they might have some pretty fantastic stories to tell themselves. One of my favourite posts is an interview with my Mum and Dad, all about their travel tales. And I didn’t have to write a word of it.
9 | Be inspired by strangers
Where do you think the great writers got their inspiration from? People. What they did. What they said. And then a little bit of artistic license. Grab a coffee in a café and listen in to conversations. Or park on a bench and watch the world go by. I bet by the end of it, at least one person’s behaviour will have got your imagination going.
10 | Google ‘Blog Post Ideas’
There are quite literally hundreds of search results… I’m sure one of them will be alright.
I hope these tips help to cure your blogger’s block… let me know how you get on! And of course if you have any other tips for a gal whose lost her blogging mojo… please 🙂
