What if you could get over your writer’s block and have more ideas than ever for future blog posts?
We have all experienced writer’s block at some point in our blogging journey. It sucks and has you questioning everything you are doing. Even if you should continue blogging.
When I get to that point, I implement my three part system I’ve developed. It gets me back on track, inspired and ready with tons of future posts quickly.
The good news is you can use my system to get your creative juices flowing and have you feeling excited about your blog again.
In the past, I sometimes would go months without posting or even writing a single word. That would make me feel really bad about myself. It would set me off into a spiral of self-loathing and envy for those that I see as more successful than I am.
Talk about draining the creativity right out of you.
I had to step back and evaluate exactly why this kept happening to me over and over again.
Here are a few things that lead to my writer’s block. See if you are guilty of doing any of these:
Why you are stuck
Distractions.
It is far too easy to scroll through your social media profiles and see what everyone else is doing. Sometimes that leads you away from your own blog mission. You end up writing about or doing things to gain small wins that do not support your ultimate goals.
I see bloggers do this all the time.
You see someone else’s post take off and you decide to do your own version and try to mimic that success. You end up writing a post totally unrelated to your niche.
Doing that only confuses your readers and ultimately, you and your purpose.
Inspiration from other bloggers is awesome. Don’t get me wrong. You can get really great ideas for posts from others…in your own niche.
But when you step outside the needs of your avatar, you risk going down a rabbit hole of confusion.
If you are continually being plagued by writer’s block, you may have to do a social media fast and just focus on you and your blog.
Comparisons.
The blogging world is huge and yet oh so small. Somehow we know exactly who started blogging at the same time as we did as well as who started after.
And when we perceive them as growing faster than us, we get down. Really down.
First of all, life isn’t fair. Get over yourself.
And second, your comparison may not be warranted at all. They may put more work in than you do, they may know more people, it may be their second blog. Who knows. It could all just be an illusion and fake.
There are a million reasons why someone else may be experiencing more success than you are.
So what. It is not a competition unless you make it so.
Put your blinders on and focus on your audience and what they need.
Hanging with low level people.
Whether you have some blogging buddies and/or your blogging connections are within Facebook groups, I want you to examine how these relationships make you feel.
Do you feel inspired or do they allow you to stay stuck?
I am in quite a few blogging groups. But most of the time I have the notifications set to mute.
Why? Because most of the time I see people complaining and wallowing.
Yes, algorithm changes, traffic fluctuations and unforeseen circumstances, like a pandemic, adversely effect your blog growth.
But, if you get stuck in a defeatist mindset, it will hurt you more than any outside influence that is totally out of your control.
You need to hang out with people that have a can do attitude, that look beyond those blips and encourage you to keep going.
I have several blog friends that I connect with when I am feeling down. And while they allow me a few moments of self-pity, they are quick to give me the slap in the backside I need to get back up and move on.
And I do the same for them.
If you can eliminate distractions, comparisons and low level blogging relationships, you will be able to curb some of your writer’s block moments in the future.
And if it is too late and you are already stuck, here is the 3 step process I use to get me back on track:
How To Get Over Writer’s Block Fast
1. Journal.
You have to release the pressure of having to do a blog post but you must get back into the rhythm of writing. The fastest way to do that is to journal.
Make a commitment to journal everyday for 10 minutes. Set a timer and let your pen flow.
Here are a few journal prompts to get you going:
- Why am I struggling?
- What is distracting me?
- How do I feel about my blog?
- Do I feel worthy of success?
- If I were successful, how would I structure my day?
- What goals do I have for my blog and why are they important to me?
- What is my most important goal?
- What are all the small steps I need to take to achieve it?
- What wins have I had with my blog?
- How far have I come since day one?
Blogging is much more than all the technical stuff you need to learn. Mindset is a big proponent and much more likely why you are stuck at the moment. After all, you can find tutorials online to help you with any logistical problem, but it is the internal dialogue you have within yourself that will either propel you forward or set you back.
Journalling will not only help you work through all that but also, help you get back into the habit of expressing yourself through words.
2. Brainstorm.
You should always, always have a reserve of blog posts ideas for when you have writer’s block. So if you do not have one, it is time to start one.
Get a piece of paper, use a section of your journal or use an app on your phone. The goal is to have 100 good blog posts ideas. That means you are going to have to brainstorm a lot more than 100. Maybe 1,000.
I’m not asking you to do that all in one session. But the same as journalling daily, set your timer everyday for 10 minutes and let the ideas flow.
Keep you paper or app handy throughout the day and if an idea comes to you, write it down.
At the end of the week, go through your list, cross off duplicates, crappy ideas or ideas that are totally unrelated to your niche.
If you have 100 left, high five! Good for you!
Now, circle five ideas that really excite you.
3. Expand your thoughts.
Now it is time to write.
Take one of your 5 ideas from the step above and write an introductory paragraph. Again, it is good to set a 10 minute timer. I don’t want you to push yourself or double think. You are just exploring if this post idea is worthy of more input.
If it flows, great. If not, leave it. Do not force it.
You can leave it on your blog post idea list. Many times I go back to ideas later and they flow much easier.
Then next day, choose one of the other 5 ideas.
Once you have your five ideas with first paragraphs written, choose one to move forward with. If none excite you, go back to your big list and select five more to work through this process.
At the most, all 3 of these steps will take you 30 minutes a day. That is a very reasonable commitment on your part to make. I am sure you can find that time somewhere in your day.
This whole process is aimed at getting you into the habit of writing, daily. And away from the thought or feeling that you should be producing the next great novel every single day.
You just have to get used to and get into the habit of, writing. Period. Regardless of how you feel or if you are inspired or if you are motivated.
Author Rachel Hollis says that if you ever read one of her first drafts, you would think it was utter garbage. She purges all her thoughts without structure or editing.
Allow yourself the same freedom and you will move past writer’s block quickly and easily.
