I Don’t Know What To Write About Anymore. What Can I Do?
It happens to anyone. You have a blog; you get paid by others to write articles for them; you write your own articles for your site (to please the search engines with your content rich web site). Whatever the case, every now and then you come to a point where you run out of ideas. You just can’t think of anything else you can say about your main topic. So what can you do?
The Blog Republic has a post listing 8 things you can do when you run out of subjects to blog. Although, as the title of the post says it, it’s meant for bloggers, it can very well apply to any type of writer (occasional or professional, freelance).
Here they are:
- Read other blogs
- Put your blog down and go live life
- Have someone else do the blogging for you
- Change something in your environment
- Ask your readers what they want to see
- Read a lot more news on your chosen subject
- Interview another blogger
- Write something new about the same old subject
At first I was inclined to bring my own 2 cents by posting a comment. But then I decided to put in practice some of what I had to say (keep reading and you’ll see). That and, since the post dates back to about half a year, it most likely wouldn’t have been seen by anyone.
So what’s my 2 cents on the topic?
1. The first thing I was about to say is to cut your posts into shorter ones. I personally have a tendency of writing quite long posts. Every now and then, when I have a feeling that for the next few days I might be running out of subjects, I try to do as I said.
There’s two ways you can go about this:
- either do as Darren Rowse suggests: start a series
- or just leave some stuff out of your original post and make something out of the rest at some other time (when you feel drained)
2. Due to all of the copywriting issues as well as the need to be original and to be the first to break the news, some of us might be somewhat skeptical to write about topics that have been already discussed by others (especially when those “others” are well known and established bloggers, writers).
I personally (as you can see right here) try to overcome this tendency. And you should as well. Why? Because you most likely have something to say about the topic too. Unless you specialize in breaking news, there’s plenty of topics that can be written about on a permanent basis. And we all know how internet users don’t like to browse through old articles. They want the latest. And they might simply miss a very good article on a certain topic simply because it was the hot cake about a year ago and nobody writes about it anymore. In the same time, we have the tendency of believing that simply because we’re experts in a certain domain, every one has at least the basic knoledge about it. It’s not like that.
A simple example: search engines. I admit that most internet users know about Google, Yahoo and MSN and that they are the places to start a research on any topic. What about SEO; what about AdSense; what about AdWords? How many really know what they are all about? And just like I had no idea about any of them when I first started, there’s plenty of folks, that, for one reason or another, need to learn about these issues as well. Where are they going to start? In the first place they’ll find some information about it. And if we let such topics get burried in our archives, we’re doing ourselves as well as our (possible) readers a disservice.
“But they’ll find plenty of information if they search Google. And we all know the older a page (if well optimized) the higher the PageRank and, therefore, the higher its chances of getting listed in the top results.” Yes and no.
In looking at the situation like that, we’re assuming they know what they’re looking for. Even so, if you search for search engine optimization on Google, the third result is SEO Chat, a web site I visit regularly to see what’s shaking in the world. However, it would take someone quite a little while to find what they’re looking for: basic information. And remember, we’ve assumed those folks know what they’re looking for.
But let’s look at the situation from a different perspective. Let’s assume someone looking to start a home based business with an online presence who has no knowledge whatsoever about search engine optimization and the likes, somehow gets on this blog. And it just happens that I have a post about some basic SEO notions. Which is something quite hard to find on well established sites/blogs because they’re all hidden in the archives. I have just provided some valuable information to them. Now they know about it and can search for some more details on the subject.
So what have I managed to do:
- First of all I managed to write yet another post to keep my web site alive;
- I managed to help a new (online) entrepreneur realize they need to learn about such topics;
- Maybe I have even managed to get myself a new regular visitor who realized he found some useful information and will check back on a regular basis to see what else he can learn. It remains to be established whether I manage to keep him/her or not as a regular. But for now I got him or her
I don’t know if the above example is the best. However, look at the situation using the same method of judgement and you’ll see you can find other subjects it can be applied to.
3. In both of my cited sources you’ll see the recommendation to take a break in terms of at least a few days. Good, but not always necessary. Smetimes it’s enough to go for a walk in the park, or for a beer at your favorite pub (just make sure you don’t have more than a couple :)). Let your mind wander. Look around you. What do you see? How can that relate to the topics you’re writing about? I can’t tell you how many times I got plenty of ideas like that. I get ideas even when I’m driving (provided I’m not stuck in traffic which drives me nuts and I can’t think clear anymore :)). Make sure, though, you have a pen and paper handy. Unfortunately, some of these ideas leave as soon as they come.
4. I once read somewhere about a successful entrepreneur who said he gets some of his best ideas while taking a shower. Same here. I’m still trying to put in place some sort of a system to allow me to write down those ideas, since, just like in his case, I loose them once I get out of the bathroom. 
So there you have it. I hope I managed to bring some good quality 2 cents to my two sources of inspiration. What do you think? Do you think you can squeeze an extra couple pennies out of your pocket?
A short note: I have just applied here one of Darren Rowse’s advice: I started writing and ideas just came out, one after another.
