Here's something I know a lot of bloggers can relate to:
1st phase:
You're very excited about your new blog. You have a gazillion ideas with theme, design, blog titles, and even Twitter shares about your post; you are brimming with hope for your personal website.
2nd phase:
The excitement starts to dwindle as you gradually lose hope that you're ever going to get a significant number of readers. Sure, you get one or two spikes a month but that's it.
3rd phase:
You're actually starting to gain traction in the blogosphere. You've gained a significant number of followers and comments and your traffic spikes are considerably high as each week passes. However, you've started to lose interest in your blog posts. Most days, you consider ‘writing' as work instead of fun, and it's affecting the authenticity of your posts. You try though, but it's getting harder.
4th phase:
You stick to a routine of blogging and updating social profiles for the sake of consistency, but the fun is no longer there and you find yourself dragging your thoughts from one blog post to another.
5th phase:
You run out of ideas.
noooooooo!!!!!
Every blogger's worst fear is a blank page. Once we stare at our laptop screens (or tablet/mobile device), we have to face the ordeal of turning our thoughts into words; most of the time, that's not a very easy thing to do.
Sure, we were excited during the initial stages of our blogging hobby, but it's slowly dwindling down. Publishing blog post after blog post after blog post can take a toll, especially if you're doing it on a daily basis.
The question is, how do we keep ourselves inspired in writing dynamic articles? Is there a secret to keep our creative juices flowing?
Actually I don't think there's a secret at all, sorry to disappoint you. However, there are a lot of inspirations you can choose from. I'll show you some of mine:
1. Crazy, crazy life
If you're always complaining that you're busy, stressed out, and don't have time to log in to your WordPress account, then you should write about that.
Pay more attention to your life, other than your meeting schedules and work commitments. You'll be surprised how often crazy stuff happens to you every day. It could be as simple as a misspelled name on your Starbucks cappuccino or as extreme as seeing a naked man disrupting traffic on your way to work.
Talk about things that push you out of your comfort zone. They don't have to be definitively crazy, but they could be epiphanies or activities that skew your perspective. In fact, even the smallest events in your daily life are worth writing about. You just have to look a little deeper and be more observant.
2. Family, friends, and love
It's good if you can share something more personal to your readers. Don't just blog about your awesome brunch with mimosa this morning, but talk about life lessons your father taught you or the funny thing your pet did this morning. Little intimate details of your life are interesting to your readers because they're relatable and genuine.
If you have relationship stories that you wish to share, do so. You don't have to name names or mention that you're falling out of love with your girlfriend/boyfriend (probably not a good idea to write about this publicly!). Small thoughts and realisations about your love life can be helpful to other people. Don't assume the love guru mantle but instead be the person that's got real problems.
3. Literature, art, film
If you've ever envied book and movie review blogs, this is your chance to get even. If you've recently read a book your friend recommended, write about your thoughts or reactions while absorbing the material. It doesn't even have to be a review, but can be a recommendation to other book lovers or a warning like “don't read this book because it's awful”. If you've just started reading a new book, like the Harry Potter series (why so late, mate?), you can do a blog post patterned after what Muggle Hustle did. Sure, his take is a bit loose and informal, but you can pull your own twist to the reading experience. It's completely up to you.
The same goes for movies. If you've recently seen Man of Steel or The Conjuring, publish your thoughts about the movie; comment on the acting, talk about the plot, give your own suggestions, or give kudos to the film cast.
4. Your brain
The great thing about writing is unique perspective: tell 10 bloggers to write about neck ties and you'll end up with 10 vastly different articles.
A lot of things can come out of your head if you just sit down, reflect, and listen to your thoughts. Close your eyes, place your hands on the keyboard, and just type away. You'll be surprised at your own thought patterns at the end of this exercise. Then edit your write up and publish.
A genuine product of your brain doesn't have to be perfect, but real.
Zzzzzzz
THE FINALE
I often use these when I'm stuck in blogging limbo. I must admit that I do have days when I'm too lazy to bother with a blog post, but this is what we signed up for when we made our accounts on WordPress, Tumblr, Blogger, etc. It's a commitment and a promise to stay true to our readers and continue our passion for the blogosphere.
Author: Jonny Lis is a Digital Marketing Manager for Smart Traffic. He specialises in the quality of links and content, as well as general outreach. Outside of the office, he has a keen interest in football, live music events, travelling and enjoys keeping an active lifestyle.
