Blogging & Business

Five Ways to Fight Writers Block

October 16, 2014
Five ways to fight writer's block and keep those ideas flowing! #writer #creative #blogger

Many bloggers get burnt out quickly. They feel the pressure to always have new content, funny stories, great advice, perfect DIY’s, and the best recipes on the block. They put too much pressure on themselves to perform and crank out great content all the time. Yes, this sounds a bit much but the hindrance is not their big dreams, it is their unrealistic expectations! They sit down to the computer and just expect ideas and posts to flow out of their body. Sometimes this happens (we all love a good blog session) but when it doesn’t and instead one finds themselves staring in the abyss of computer land, it is easy to give over to discouragement. And with that comes the blogger burn out and the fight against writers block.

I want to encourage you! This does not need to be your story! There are some things that you can fall back on and habits you can form to continue your joy of blogging and avoid the burn out that comes with stressing to create great content – you can fight writer’s block!

WRITE DOWN IDEAS

…as they pop into your head. I have sticky notes by bed, notepads on my desk at work, a folded up piece of paper in my purse, and piles of notes on my home desk. Ideas will come to you in the most random areas – jot them down. You may be inspired by a conversation with a friend, a great idea you saw on pinterest, an item you ate at a restaurant, a blog post you read.. don’t forget your idea because you tried to save it in your mind archives for retrieving when back at your computer.

 

CREATE A LIST OF “WHEN I NEED THEM” POSTS

…and keep them somewhere you can easily find when you are having a hard time figuring out what to write about. I have a list of post ideas constantly in my Google Calendar and I keep moving them to future dates until I post them. That way I have several post ideas if I am not feeling one of them or I need to switch posts around. Ideas that can be on this ongoing list can be:
– 5 Things you don’t know about me
– Book, Movie, or TV Show Review
– DIYS
– Round -Up of your favorite Style, DIY, or Recipe Posts
– A letter to your younger self
– Goals
– A Moment you are Proud of
– Advice about something you are passionate/ knowledgeable about
* Also anything that you jot down on your scattered lists, should be on this list!

 

DON’T PRESSURE YOURSELF TO POST

…if you do not want to. If it is 11 o’clock at night and your eyes are burning as you try to edit pictures and type out something legible so that you can have a post to go live in the morning, just go to bed. It is okay if you miss a day. Burn out happens when you feel pressured to always be pushing out content at the last minute but are never proud of the work you produce. Wait to click post until it is something you are proud about and give yourself a break.

 

PLAN AHEAD

…so that you skip the last minute stress blocks. If you make it a habit to work on your posts a week before they go live, you will have time to scrap ideas, try other posts, and even take a break from your computer if you are not feeling it. The best way to fight writers block is to get out and do something different – go for a walk, grab coffee with a friend, take a nap, watch the sunset, make a meal (and don’t take pictures the whole time.) When you are doing things last minute, you cannot afford to step away so the stress and pressure of the writers block just piles up! Don’t hinder your dreams and ideas.

 

 

LET YOURSELF STAY INSPIRED

…by things you read, see, and think. Sometimes I see things in Target and I am inspired to try to create a DIY of a similar thing or sometimes another blogger writes something that inspires me to post on the same topic! That is okay. There is a huge difference between being inspired and copying someone else’s work. The difference is humility and honesty. If you read a blog post by your favorite blogger and you then posted about the same topic, share that you were inspired by the blog post and link back. There is nothing new under the sun so no idea you ever have will be 100% original, but be respectful and encouraging. On the flip side, DO NOT not post something because you are afraid of copying. If your idea or take is a bit different and you share your inspiration, there is nothing wrong with that! Let your creativity flow!
You may have wanted more concrete advice on things to write about when you have Writers Block but I believe that these five tips get to the root of the problem and help prevent Writers Block before it even begins!

 

How do you fight writers block? Do you ever find yourself trying to figure out what to post about? How about bloggers burn out?

 

xoxo, elizabeth
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Meg McIlvaine
10 years ago

These are all really great tips, best friend! Blogger burnout happens so easily when I stress out about figuring out what to post on days I have nothing planned. And it is totally fine to take a day off! It's good to take small breaks. 🙂

AHHHHHHHHH. I know I have that tardis print, but now I want those tardis cards!!!

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Lauren Flowers
10 years ago

Such great tips!! Blogger burnout is SO easy to catch and you really have to be careful and not let blogging become a mandatory task, but a fun task, a hobby.

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Elizabeth
10 years ago

This is EXACTLY what I needed to read today. Ha! I've noticed that my inspiration goes through an ebb and flow. When it first happened and I started freaking out, but now when I get to feeling drained/discouraged (aka: this week) I start to get excited because I know encouragement and a surge of inspiration is right around the corner.
Every. Single. Time. I've been in the spot where I'm like "WHY AM I DOING THIS" I've noticed that God brings someone by to encourage me to press in. You were that person today. Thanks for posting this 🙂

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Samantha Deubel
10 years ago

1. I am super jealous of those TARDIS cards, they are so legit. (Whovian Fist Bump)
2. Thank you for posting this! I run into writers block a lot, and these tips are super helpful! I need to get better about writing down inspiration, but also about keeping my inspiration in one place so that I can actually find it when I sit down to write! Love your blog tips. Definitely so helpful as I start out into the blog world!

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allisonramsing
10 years ago

Such wonderful advice! And yes, sometimes it's okay to allow yourself to take breaks. Thank you for such excellent reminders!

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