When You Don’t Know What to Write

Sometimes it feels like all the ideas in the world are taken, and you just run out of steam…

‘Bloggers block’ is real, and it’s hard. Sometimes you question why you even bother writing because it’s all been done before, and sometimes you honestly feel like your ideas well has run dry.

But it hasn’t all been done before, and your ideas haven’t run out. You’ve just hit a block.

It’s tough, but there are several things you can do to get the fresh ideas flowing again. Here are my tips:

1 | SCOUR THE INTERNET FOR PHOTOS
This really is my top tip. Stimulate your mind by looking at artwork and photos from all across the internet, and you’ll be surprised by your brain’s reaction. Use sites like Pinterest, Stumbleupon, DeviantArt, and Tumblr to get a feed of random images!

2 | LOOK AT WHAT YOU’VE WRITTEN BEFORE
I rarely use this tip, but it works for some. Take a look through your archives and see if anything is out of date, or if there’s something you’ve written before that could be expanded into a Part 2 etc. For example, if you wrote an article back in March about ‘Spring party ideas’, you could create another one about party ideas for Autumn!

3 | READ & CONSUME
I’m a little bit addicted to Bloglovin’. Read blogs, read books, and read other articles from websites in your niche. Learn some stuff, and put it into your own words or feelings. See what’s out there and be inspired by the content created by others (but never copy!)

4 | FIND WRITING PROMPTS THAT APPLY TO YOU
There are thousands of websites that have weekly writing prompts or article ideas for you to look through. Even if it’s just a word, or a question, it can often inspire something totally original and unique to you, so don’t think that these prompts will already be ‘used up’.

5 | GET OUT & EXPLORE
Chances are if you’re an avid writer and blogger, you spend much of your time in front of a computer, indoors. But if you never do anything new, you’ll never have anything new to write about. Get some fresh experiences and go on adventures; visit somewhere you’ve never been before, or at least just take a walk.

6 | TAKE AN IDEA CAPTURER (AKA NOTEBOOK)
Don’t go anywhere without a notebook, or at least a decent phone app to write down and capture any ideas that come to you while you’re out and about, or even just sat at your desk. Inspiration strikes when you least expect it, so you have to be ready at all times, or you might miss out.

7 | JUST START WITH RANDOM CRAP
Put your fingers to the keyboard (or pen to paper if you’re old-school) and just write. Brain dump whatever is in that head of yours and keep writing even if it doesn’t make sense or flow properly; you can always edit it later. Just get things moving to start with and you may start to see something valuable in there; even if it’s just a word or a concept.

8 | THINK IN DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES
Try and see situations from different perspectives and points of view. I guess this is just a more specific way of saying ‘think outside the box’. But sometimes (especially if you read a lot), your writing and ideas can be influenced by the ideas of others, and then they’re not really your ideas. Experience things in a new way, and don’t do something just because it’s popular.

9 | BE CONTROVERSIAL
There’s nothing wrong with a little controversy. Not too much of course, but it’s good to get people talking. Even if people disagree, it doesn’t have to be negative. Use it as a way to learn about other peoples’ way of thinking. Be you, and don’t be vanilla. It’s too easy to try and please everybody and end up pleasing no one at all.

10 | CHALLENGE YOURSELF & PUBLISH THE RESULTS
Set yourself a challenge (a hard one, like going without something for a week, or painting something every day for a month). Track your feelings and thoughts, and write about the results at the end. No one can replicate your experience of that challenge. It’s yours.

What do you do when you don’t know what to write?