I’ve been at this blogging thing since before 1994 and faced many a time staring at my computer with dread. Not again. Honestly. Ain’t nothing left to say. It’s all been said before. And I said it. Tank’s empty. It’s boring. I’m bored.
A blog calls to you, begs you to feed it. Your readers want your words, and the need must be fed. What do you do when you can’t think of anything of value to add other than what you ate for lunch?
A couple years ago, when blogging was still in its infancy, a post title like this was fairly common, along with titles such as:
- Nothing Happened Today
- I Don’t Have Anything to Say
- Not Much, You?
- Been a While
- Sorry, I Haven’t Been Around Much Lately
- Distracted
- What should I say next?
- I have to write something here
Now, as an experienced blogger yourself, you know that these post titles are ineffective and time wasters since they give no information and have no keywords or search terms in them. You’ve also learned that people don’t care about your excuses and don’t want to read them, so stop making them. Just blog and get to the point.
But what do you do when you look at your computer screen and think, “I got nothing to say.”
It’s not writer’s block, or the more modern blogger’s block. That’s a more serious issue. It’s normal to confront your blog and feel compelled to write something, and yet have nothing to say.
I don’t know how it started, but blogging comes with an implied requirement: You must contribute something of value.
Over the next few weeks, I’m going to offer some ideas that might compel you to move beyond the “I Have No Idea What I’m Going to Blog About” phase into the bloggable energy phase.
Along the way, I hope you add your suggestions for how to overcome the got-nothing-to-blog syndrome and help others overcome their temporary blog blocks. We all get them, and knowing you aren’t alone can be the first step in recovery.
What blocks your creative blogging flow and how do you get past it and back to blogging?
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My biggest pet peeve! Nothing gets a blogger out of my RSS faster than seeing this kind of post. Even one. This isn’t blogging, it’s Facebooking, or MySpaceing, or Twittering.
Luckily, I don’t feel the compulsion to write X posts X days a week by a specific deadline.
I’m also shocked and amazed at the high-traffic blogs that are just reposts of other content. That’s really discouraging.
Facebook and Twitter are killing off some bloggers. Not necessarily a bad thing. Now if we can just get Blogger and WordPress to put dead blogs out of their misery.
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I only blogs when I have something that I really want to talk about or share.. otherwise, I will shut up for a while and even if it means I will have to lose some of my fans.. After all what can I say when I have nothing to say?
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I am new at this blogging thing, just getting started. So forgive me if this is inappropriate. I faced the same dilemma when I first started. This is what I blogged.
Being new, I appreciate how much time it takes to post a carefully crafted article. I would appreciate any comments or criticism.
The Photo Finisher
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Ugh, I am one of those bloggers. I am stuck where blogging becomes journeling. I think nobody will care about what I’ve got to say but amazingly many do. So I keep writing about my days and I hope something of more substance will inspire me.
Perhaps when the baby comes my inspiration will return.
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I have a notepad that I keep with me at all times and when an idea for a post strikes I will jot it down. This way if I get to my screen and have nothing to write about, I will go to my book and there are ususally 20 or so topics that I can pick from. I have also been getting a lot of inspiration for posts by following conversations on Twitter.
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I only tend to blog when I have something to say. I don’t see the point in wasting time writing something that is not worth it and people won’t find interesting. I would rather spend the time doing research and thinking about what to write the next time.
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I am just barely getting into blogging…. have started my first one through Google on blogspot.com
I know I can delete comments from others, but I’ve read a number of blogs, including this one, that mention “editing the person’s comment” and the writer goes on to comment about how and what to edit, i.e. foul language ” *f—-,” etc.
Through Googles blogspot, it definitely says I am “not able to edit comments by others”. I can delete them or not allow then, but can’t edit them.
This is a shame because somewhere along the line, people will say note-worthy things, except for foul language. I’m going to want to do this, in fact, it’s already come up for a couple reasons.
Am I missing something about editing comments by others?… or is it just Googles blogspot that has this rule?
Thanks!
** forgive me if I’ve posted this in the wrong area. ‘Commenting’ is not something I fully understand how to do on posts by others.
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This is a common problem. Being a new blogger, I also face this issue. This is what I am practicing:
If you are serious about blogging, don’t be in a hurry to post even if you have a slightest idea. Find a silent place and devote some time nurturing that idea. Keep paper and pen handy. Keep jotting the key points which you can elaborate later. Now re-visit your points and add details. Re-check what you have written and think from a reader’s perspective. Check words and phrases and try to improve the readability. Keep thinking about making your post interesting. Search for any relevant images that can be included with your post.
To remain full of ideas, keep reading related books and articles. For example, if your blog is about fitness, keep checking books, articles and other blogs on fitness. Share your experiences with techniques that you previously followed. Don’t just preach, remain practical. I keep pen and small diary with me while I travel. If a slightest idea pops inside me, I jot it down and keep refining it for a few days.
Serious blogging is a lot of effort. If you are not serious, it is not a matter of concern what you write. It needs a slight discipline if you want to post valuable articles regularly.
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Hi every body,
I get blogging ideas from visiting different forums and see the questions asked by other members and reply them on my blog
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