This is a guest post from Sarah Harris. If you want to guest post on Tycoon Blogger – contact me here
When you started your blog, you felt like Washington crossing the Delaware. You boldly set out to ford the freezing river (at DSL speeds) and infiltrate the camp of your foes (zombie-fied couch potatoes just waiting for someone like you to apply the paddles from the crash-cart of knowledge to their stupefied brains). Armed with only your mom’s eMachine and strips of cloth for shoes (oh, the humanity), you began your campaign to recruit a stable readership. Since then, you’ve amassed a widespread following and graduated to a sweet laptop from Dell (and a great pair of USB-heated slippers you found on Gizmodo). But even though you’ve become more comfortable leading your own little camp of misfit future leaders of America, writing daily for two-plus years has begun to take it’s toll on your creative genius. You are beginning to fear that the giant juice-keg of your imagination is soon to be tapped. Not only that, but you’re pretty sure the blog you wrote yesterday was almost identical to one you wrote last month. Yikes. So what can you do to keep your blog engaging and fresh when you feel like you’re running on empty?
For starters, you can take a tip from our first President. He was a great student of history and you should be, too. As you can tell if you’re reading this, one of the many places to find inspiration is in the history books (if you’re totally old-school…otherwise, use Wikipedia like everyone else). Comparing and contrasting historical events to your topic of choice is a good way to spice-route it up (that’s right, you can even throw in ridiculous historical puns). In addition, you can learn something new and pass it on to your readership. And always remember, in the famous words of George Santayana, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” So take a page from your own history book and look for inspiration from alternate sources if you don’t want your blog to stagnate.
Another good way to branch out is to investigate alternate forms of media. Look to movies, music, literature, and the news to provide you with a new and rich source of inspiration. Find a song lyric or story line that relates to your blog and use it as a springboard. Or scan news stories for something that speaks to you and relate it to your next post. Heck, you could even try the tabloids if you feel like slumming it (Bat Boy lives? Try writing a faux celebrity blog post from his point of view!). The idea is to stay well-rounded. Having your finger on the pulse of pop culture is a great way to spark your imagination and speak to your readers. And an influx of ideas will keep your mind churning and turning out text like a flood on the mighty Delaware River.
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About the Author:
Sarah Harris runs a site called Zen College Life, the premier directory for online colleges. Find out more information about an online nursing degree and other college related information on Zen College Life.
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This has definitely been my approach. As much as I enjoy writing about how web 2.0 is helping business, it is hard to find enough to talk about that isn't ALREADY been covered. I have found that other ideas spring from other ideas.
When I block then I left it as it is because writting meaningless is parralal to write nothing. Then I listen music it is a great source to refresh the mind.
Being block or not life continue, there is lots of other things to do on the web…
I try to double my concentration whenever I’m block. I change my working place, try to write in a new environment. Other than that, movies and music had helped through my writing career.
.-= wedding dresses´s last undefined ..Response cached until Fri 14 @ 6:27 GMT (Refreshes in 23.27 Hours) =-.
Been blocked also. But this will not stop me from doing so. Love blogging. Just change your setting if still block.
.-= Pregnancy Miracle´s last blog ..Curing Hopelessness – Amazing 5 Minute Exercise Inside =-.
I watch a good movie when nothing comes in my mind to write about. When my mind is refreshed I do some research, do some blog walking and then new ideas start coming in my mind
I keep a little notepad with me while I am out and about. When I come across something that is story worthy at least I can note it down and remember it for later.
@Lisa @CyberKnife, good technique. I do that too, but I use the notes feature on my iphone.
@Lisa @CyberKnife, I agree Lisa! I never leave home without my notepad!!
Thanks for the post Sarah. Some really good ideas here…I’ll look into using some
I get a lot of my ideas from life experience as well as from forums.
When I get blocked I browse the internet and see what others are talking about and also where they may be getting stuck and how I can solve their issues.
.-= Michele Welch´s last blog ..Applying Guerrilla Tactics to Generate Online Business Ideas =-.
I get around bloggers block by doing some research in the field. And if not I use google’s keyword tool to see if there’s a keyword I’m not using. Even if the keyword is an odd one, it still makes me find new ways to look at old information!
.-= Tyler Davis@Bone Length Increase´s last blog ..Osteoclasts Increase Height? =-.
Since I am always glued to my blog but when I get off it for large periods of time I get in the zone and ideas just come to me
.-= Ed´s last blog ..Four Awesome Reasons Why The Cool Kids Love Tech =-.
I try to double my concentration whenever I’m block. I change my working place, try to write in a new environment. Other than that, movies and music had helped through my writing career.
I try to keep Blogger’s Block away by sprinting or taking a walk. It helps control my thoughts and focus it on blogging
.-= Gautam Hans @ Blog Godown´s last blog ..Strategic Blogging Is the Only Way to Succeed in Blogging =-.
I like to get inspiration from the music I listen to. I have a wide range in my collection, each genre of music gives me different ideas.
I take 20 – 30 minutes a day dedicated to just thinking and brainstorming. I throw on some music and keep a pen and paper at hand.
By the time it’s done, I have 20+ blog ideas written down – the only problem is finding time to write them all
.-= Murlu´s last blog ..How To Make Money Online With ArticleMe =-.