Bloggers: Are You Ready For Writer’s Block?

September 30, 2007 by Ben Yoskovitz 38 Comments

Eventually, every blogger runs out of gas. The causes vary – could be writer’s block, or you’re too busy with something else – but the result is always the same: less quality writing, and less participation in the blogging community.

What you need is a little inspiration. You need a spark lit under your rear. You need a new goal to sink your teeth into.

Here are 3 great resources that can help light that spark, challenge you and re-energize your blogging efforts:

Pat Doyle has 23 Great Ideas for Blog Posts. Some of her ideas can help you ease your way back in. For example, prepare a helpful resource list related to your topic. Labor intensive, but mechanical in nature. Here are some of her other suggestions:
- Explain something about your subject that might be confusing to newbies. This is very smart. Don’t forget the person just dipping their toes into your waters.
- Tell why or how you first got interested in this topic. This is great for allowing your natural enthusiasm to shine through. And again, it could be very appealing to newbies or new subscribers to your blog.
- Interview someone. This is often overlooked by a lot of bloggers, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to get great interviews. They’re not hard to do, and they can make great discussion pieces.
Patrick Altoft has The Top 10 SEOmoz Linkbait Articles. This is a very detailed analysis of SEOmoz and the success that blog has had from linkbait. You should be interested in linkbait. It might sound dirty, but it’s not. And the results of writing linkbait can be extremely rewarding. In my mind, you should always be writing in an effort to attract links and attention; whether it’s an ultra-kick ass headline, or by linking to other blogs, or what have you, think: linkbait.
Leo Babauta has Fifty Most Influential Bloggers, which is in and of itself brilliant linkbait, but also a great list of great bloggers. If you’re looking for inspiration from the masters, look no further.

The gas tank will run empty. It’s inevitable. Blogging takes a lot of time. Just keep these resources handy. Read through them, make some notes and keep those notes close by. When you feel writer’s block taking hold or your interest waning, you can go back to these resources for renewed inspiration.

Rubab

very helpful
Rubab

very helpful
Mitch Joel – Twist Image

Ben, Chris Brogan has an excellent post on this very topic called:

100 Blog Topics I Hope YOU Write.

http://chrisbrogan.com/100-blog-topics-i-hope-you-write/

There are some gems in there.
Mitch Joel – Twist Image

Ben, Chris Brogan has an excellent post on this very topic called:

100 Blog Topics I Hope YOU Write.

http://chrisbrogan.com/100-blog-topics-i-hope-y…

There are some gems in there.
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Gary

Yes, I also wonder at what point I will run out of blogging ideas for my insurance blog. I get lots of brand new customers and the information needs to be kept fresh.
Joe

Hey Ben,
Some really good tips here, sepecially the one about linkbaiting. 😉
As you said it really is NOT a dirty word, and it is usually good for both the Baitee and Baitor. 🙂
Gary

Yes, I also wonder at what point I will run out of blogging ideas for my insurance blog. I get lots of brand new customers and the information needs to be kept fresh.
Joe

Hey Ben,
Some really good tips here, sepecially the one about linkbaiting. 😉
As you said it really is NOT a dirty word, and it is usually good for both the Baitee and Baitor. 🙂
Ben Yoskovitz

Mitch – Ya, that’s a great list from Chris. It belongs in my post. But I was actually digging through old “to be read” stuff (which I recommend NOT letting pile up!) and these few posts/resources fit well together.
Fred Brunel

Thanks Ben for links, very good advices.

I’ve been experiencing writer’s block several time, probably because I focus too much on “deep” posts instead of informative posts. Unfortunately, this kind of post requires a lot of energy of analysis; sometime the task is just too big and I end up procrastinating.

I should break my thoughts and post small but more often. 🙂
Ben Yoskovitz

Fred – going for the long, deep post is definitely a challenge. I find myself doing a bit more of that and writing less, due to time constraints, but sometimes it’s nice to get a quick post out, hit publish, and move on.

I also feel like longer posts turn readers off, only because it takes a lot more time and energy to digest. Not that you want to skimp, but if you can break things up into a series, it’s a good way to put in the detail you want, and keep things shorter.
Ben Yoskovitz

Mitch – Ya, that's a great list from Chris. It belongs in my post. But I was actually digging through old “to be read” stuff (which I recommend NOT letting pile up!) and these few posts/resources fit well together.
Fred Brunel

Thanks Ben for links, very good advices.

I've been experiencing writer's block several time, probably because I focus too much on “deep” posts instead of informative posts. Unfortunately, this kind of post requires a lot of energy of analysis; sometime the task is just too big and I end up procrastinating.

I should break my thoughts and post small but more often. 🙂
Ben Yoskovitz

Fred – going for the long, deep post is definitely a challenge. I find myself doing a bit more of that and writing less, due to time constraints, but sometimes it's nice to get a quick post out, hit publish, and move on.

I also feel like longer posts turn readers off, only because it takes a lot more time and energy to digest. Not that you want to skimp, but if you can break things up into a series, it's a good way to put in the detail you want, and keep things shorter.
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Denis Canuel

Great article..! I think this list will help me..! I always have this problem unless something “major” is going on. And this made me think that an hybrid between Blog and Twitter would be nice for me. Sometimes I would like to talk about something but don’t feel like writing a lot so I skip until I have a topic which I can discuss in a lengthy way.
Ben Yoskovitz

Denis – You should look up information on Lifestreaming. It’s something I’ve wanted to write about for awhile.

And there’s a very strong push towards microblogging – which is precisely what you’re describing through a combination of blogging and Twitter.
Denis Canuel

Great article..! I think this list will help me..! I always have this problem unless something “major” is going on. And this made me think that an hybrid between Blog and Twitter would be nice for me. Sometimes I would like to talk about something but don’t feel like writing a lot so I skip until I have a topic which I can discuss in a lengthy way.
Denis Canuel

Ben, I was actually considering writing a plugin for WordPress because I can’t find exactly what I’m looking for. However I just don’t have the time anymore 🙁 Maybe a quick hack will do the work…
Ben Yoskovitz

Denis – what exactly are you looking for? I have seen a few plugins related to lifestreaming and microblogging – I believe Tony Hung uses something on http://www.deepjiveinterests.com (or used to).
Denis Canuel

Ben, that’s a good question and in fact a great topic so let me write down my wish list as I want a lot of things 🙂
Ben Yoskovitz

Denis – You should look up information on Lifestreaming. It's something I've wanted to write about for awhile.

And there's a very strong push towards microblogging – which is precisely what you're describing through a combination of blogging and Twitter.
Denis Canuel

Ben, I was actually considering writing a plugin for WordPress because I can’t find exactly what I’m looking for. However I just don’t have the time anymore 🙁 Maybe a quick hack will do the work…
Ben Yoskovitz

Denis – what exactly are you looking for? I have seen a few plugins related to lifestreaming and microblogging – I believe Tony Hung uses something on http://www.deepjiveinterests.com (or used to).
Denis Canuel

Ben, that’s a good question and in fact a great topic so let me write down my wish list as I want a lot of things 🙂
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Malignant Ignition

Writers block can be a big obstacle for any blogger. However, if you plan for it and jot some ideas down beforehand, it shouldn’t be a burden for too long.
Malignant Ignition

Writers block can be a big obstacle for any blogger. However, if you plan for it and jot some ideas down beforehand, it shouldn't be a burden for too long.
Ben Yoskovitz

No question. Jot all your ideas down, as small or fuzzy as they may be, and you can revisit them more easily at another time.
Ben Yoskovitz

No question. Jot all your ideas down, as small or fuzzy as they may be, and you can revisit them more easily at another time.
Mason | SmallFuel Marketing

The short answer is no, I’m not ready for writers block : )

The long answer is that this collection of links has already spurred my creative juices. I think, based on some of these ideas, that I’m going to halfway write several posts just as a backup for times when writers block strikes.

Thanks for the collection,

– Mason
Mason | SmallFuel Marketing

The short answer is no, I'm not ready for writers block : )

The long answer is that this collection of links has already spurred my creative juices. I think, based on some of these ideas, that I'm going to halfway write several posts just as a backup for times when writers block strikes.

Thanks for the collection,

– Mason
Ben Yoskovitz

@Mason: I have a combination of writer’s block and exhaustion…so it’s high-time I checked out these links and got re-inspired!
Ben Yoskovitz

@Mason: I have a combination of writer's block and exhaustion…so it's high-time I checked out these links and got re-inspired!
arizonadentist

Yes, it is hard to continue writing the blog after awhile. I admire those who write and write consistently and write good, quality material. Bravo.
arizonadentist

Yes, it is hard to continue writing the blog after awhile. I admire those who write and write consistently and write good, quality material. Bravo.
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