Today I’m going to do a really meta blog post about blog posts. I’m relatively new to this whole blogging scene. I’ve always helped others with their own projects–-setting everything up, figuring out the formatting, helping to increase exposure with social media and networking–-but until somewhat recently I’d never really had a blog of my own. Now that I do, I’m realizing that there are a whole slew of challenges that never occurred to me.
When you have your own blog, it’s important to post consistently and often--not so often that following your blog becomes a task, but often enough that people feel like they’ll find something new if they visit your blog every week. My own blog needs work here, because currently I’m posting every other week. But still, some sort of consistent schedule is crucial. I keep myself on task by cross-posting to She Writes (like this!) every other week. That way I have a solid deadline and someone else who expects me to turn something in. It’s harder to flake out on a responsibility when someone other than you is there to hold you accountable.
This can be tricky, because we’re all busy (am I right?), and so something like writing a blog post can fall to the bottom of the priority list pretty fast. I like to write my posts at least two days ahead of time. I do it because if I don’t write them in advance, the odds of me actually getting them done get pretty slim. It’s too easy for other things to come up, especially in the summer. You plan on writing it Monday night and then your phone rings and someone is having a barbecue on the beach. You’re not not going to go to a barbecue on the beach. There could be corn on the cob!
Writing posts ahead of time helps with these situations. Most blogging sites (including She Writes!) even allow you to write the post whenever you want and then schedule it to go live sometime in the future, so you can write it and even format it way in advance.
The hardest thing for me is trying to figure out what to write about. My first few weeks, I felt really strong--I had so many ideas built up that I could write about! But now that I’ve done this a few times, I feel like I’m reaching for new topics. Part of the problem is that I’m not working as quickly on my manuscript as I would like to be, and part of it is that I can never think of things when I want to think of them. People will send me articles about writing and I’ll think, “This is so great! I should definitely do my next blog post about it!” And then future me deletes these articles from my inbox for no reason when she’s purging read emails. If I could just be as on top of my blog as I am on my other tasks, I would be in great shape. If only.
So my question to you is this: How do you generate new and interesting content for your blog? Where do your ideas come from? And how do you keep yourself on top of posting so your blog is consistently fresh? Share in the comments below!
Cait Levin is the Community Manager at She Writes. You can read more of her blog (when she stops watching so much Dawson’s Creek and actually writes more of a blog) here.
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The problem I have is not ideas (I've got folders full of ideas and half started things sparked just by reading and living and jotting things down in that oh I need to write about that kind of way)... the problem is time (and energy and will) to write and follow through on the writing. Especially with writing being both my day and night job. One of the ways I keep myself on schedule well, with one of my blogs, is I have a Wadadli Pen Blog Post of the Week on my facebook...I don't know if people will mind if it doesn't show up but I'll know. The other bloghas a much more random blog schedule though I make a note to myself to remind me to post at least every two weeks or so. Plus I routinely tweak because I do find fiddling around the blog (or the various social media networks) kind of relaxing when I need a break from the work writing and my brain is too fried for the creative writing.
How do you generate new and interesting content for your blog?
I use top ten lists and find something on them that pertains to writing. For example, I Google top ten or I can go out to listverse.com and check out the top ten Top Ten Lists and incorporate something from them into a writing topic. One of the top ten lists right now is Technology - 12 Devices To Stop Common Annoyances
I change that around a bit and think of things that annoy me when I am trying to write. I make my own list and run it by a friend or two via email and post it.
My articles are random writing topics and I post them in my FB/Yahoo groups to see what remarks ensue. I don't "blog" regularly so maybe that is a difference. But, I never run out of material.
There is a never empty bucket to dip into and drink from.
And how do you keep yourself on top of posting so your blog is consistently fresh? I do write regularly. So my tip here is to schedule it and keep to the schedule. I tend to get interrupted a lot while working at home in the evenings so I schedule my writing time in early morning when my house is as quite as a tomb. I have never sat down and not been able to start typing. It may be gibberish at first but soon it has a point. And once that point is derived, I can clean up the gibberish. :D I found the timer method works well for me. I believe this was a previous article I read here on She Writes by Joanne Tombrakos - her book It Takes An Egg Timer helped me learn to schedule in the time.
Good Luck.
JLNicky
Wow, this is all so helpful! Thank you all so much!
Jill, I'm glad it gave you something to write about!
I think how frequently you blog and generating content for your blog will both depend on what you want your blog to be. What is your goal for it? Do you want a place to write about whatever you want, without any theme, with freedom and abandon? Do you want to use it to build a platform for your professional writing? Do you want to write about writing, publishing, the writing life, etc., or would you rather use your blog as a doodle pad to purge your brain?
Personally, because I am still in the beginning stages of public writing, I use my blog as a place to simply practice. I've titled it "Butterfly Mind" because it is all over the place, like my brain, and so I have a lot of freedom with it. I have set a goal of posting twice a week to keep myself practicing, to keep content coming, and to keep my readers engaged. If I don't have anything to write about, but I'm due for a post? I write about not having anything to write about, which often leads to nothing interesting, but sometimes leads to something very good. Or I pull Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones off the shelf, pick a writing exercise, set a timer, and publish what I write. Or I journal with my daughter and post my entry, or I stare out the window and write what I see. I also listen to a lot of NPR podcasts, and have been inspired many times to write about my reaction to fascinating stories on RadioLab, or This American Life, or Fresh Air.
I think the main thing that keeps me going, though, is to accept that not everything I write is going to be awesome, and sometimes it will barely be edited. With the busyness of life, and the frequency I've set for publishing, I recognize that I don't have hours to polish drafts for blog posts, so I just don't do that. My main criterion is that I don't embarrass myself if what I've written is too bad to make public, but often my unedited posts are the most popular, simply because they are raw and in my truest voice.
This is a very helpful website for blog ideas. Good luck to everyone and have a great weekend! Ubersuggest.org
So Caitlyn, you were catalyst to a blog I wrote today, inspired by your most recent post. Thanks for the food for thought.
Now I have to go! The sausages really are burning!
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And that's why we do it. Thanks.
~Just Jill
Besides being an author, I also write articles about romance, love, relationships and other topics of interest to the singles and couples market and get many of my ideas from articles that I have written in the past. I also get my ideas from watching real TV court cases, sometimes talk shows and soap operas. The issues and court cases can make some great posts.
Another way to keep your Blog updated is to invite other writers to contribute a post to your site and in exchange you can allow them to add a link(s) to their site, product or service.
To get some ideas, check out our blog at http:/
I set up my blog to ensure I continued to have a vibrant outlet for my writing while I wasn't working on a novel, but I didn't want the blog to replicate my other writing areas, like short and long fiction. I wasn't sure at first what I would write about and wanted to ensure it did not feel like an obligation, because the writing had to be inspired. So I chose the closest thing to writing possible and something that might even benefit others and chose to write about books, and changed the name to Word By Word, in the process learning how to review them I guess, although I've never read about this, just through practice. I think of them as the conversations I don't always get to have, because I live in a non-English speaking country and my blog posts therefore connect me with a wonderful community of like minded individuals - and it all started here at SheWrites, where many of my most loyal followers still hang out.
I don't give myself deadlines though, the one and only challenge I set is to read one book a week and I use the Goodreads widget to keep tabs on that, otherwise, freedom rules. I also find that because I have a busy lifestyle and I am on the move a lot, my small notebook is where the gems lie, because inspiration comes when I am away from home, away from the computer, from work, from anything but my own thoughts and the environment I find myself in, it is those stolen moments in time when we get to take timeout for half an hour or so that the best ideas often come - and when they do - make sure you have that mini notebook that goes everywhere with you ready!
Good luck with your blog, visiting others and commenting on their posts is another place of inspiration, provoking your own thoughts on a subject and supporting others efforts at the same time. Because I write on one subject, I love to comment on other posts which often cover such a wide array of subjects. But when you are lost for a subject, I recommend reading a book and writing a review! There are no rules.
When I first set up my blog, I tried to blog every day. But that cut in too much to my "real" writing (fiction). Then I only posted when I felt like it. That made my blog posts few and far between. Finally, I decided to post to my blog every Monday. I set up a reminder in my email. And I keep a notebook next to my computer with ideas for my blog posts, one for my writing blog, and one for the Pogressive Catholic blog (http:/
Some weeks, I have extra time and content so I post more than once. But at the bare minimum, I make sure to post SOMETHING on Mondays. Anything else is bonus (I also copy my blogs to here).
Like you, I find that I often get a lot of ideas at once, or see an article and resolve to blog about it ... but then don't. That's where the list comes in handy. I also have a "blogging" folder in my email where I save articles that might make good blog fodder. When my list isn't inspiring me, I go there -- although usually I wait so long to write on any of those that it stops being timely when I return to it. But just knowing they're there keeps me from panicking that I'll have nothing to write.
I've also expanded the scope of my blog. When I first set it up, I envisioned it as a blog about the writing process. While I do still blog about writing there, I've also begun blogging about the topics that I write about, such as fairy tales, Catholicism, young adults, themes from my writing that I see reflected elsewhere, etc. I also post more of my actual writing there, including excerpts from writing exercises. I've found that expanding the focus of my blog has given me a lot more to work with, but it took me years to get to a point where I start to feel what is and isn't a good fit for my blog naturally.
These are great suggestions, ladies. Thank you so much!
Never mind; I see. Sorry! Carry on.
How do I "like" a blog post here?
I try to consider blogging part of my writing practice, so it's easier to prioritize. In that spirit, I give myself three prompts a week to write on for 15 minutes only. Usually one of those ends up being blog worthy (with a little editing a day or two later) and the other two, I stick in a folder and come back to when I'm stuck for content. Amazing what a little perspective can do. As for inspiration I get it everywhere but when it's NOT coming, I love blogger Mama Kat and her little prompt app here http:/
I write urban fantasies/paranormal mysteries, so my blog has a strong paranormal theme, which so far I've been able to fill with my paranormal research, interviews, and guest posts by other paranormal authors. I love guests on my blog, and am thrilled to be a guest on other blogs - in some ways, the latter may be more important for marketing outreach, because it gives me access to new audiences.
As I created my blog I read articles about blogging and they recommended picking one theme/topic and sticking to it pretty closely. This is what I've tried to do over the past almost two years that I've had my blog. I've often used a favorite or encouraging quote to write about, but usually my blog posts are based on my current life/daily experiences, particularly related to the title of my blog (also currently the title of my memoir): Never Give Up: Buddhism, Family & Schizophrenia. Although sometimes I find myself at a loss for words, I can usually think of something - an observation I made during the day, a little progress I've had over the past week, thoughts or musings about Buddhism or life in general. I've never had a shortage! My blog posts aren't very long either, usually a couple of paragraphs at the most. My website is www.sundancekidonline.com.
One thing that helps me is to have some Google Alerts set up so that when topics that relate to my book, Spunk, a Fable, come up in the news, I can blog about those topics, tie the post in to the original news article, promote the book (which is after all the reason I'm blogging) and perhaps get a hit on a search by someone else, since the topic is trending. My keywords are sex and violence, feminism, dystopian, Amazonian, stuff like that.
I agree with Jill Haugh's comment about focus.
One way I've been able to do this is to have a theme. During 2013, the theme is 1/52 Ways to Stop Pedophiles. There's no lack of material, sad but true, on the topic of child sexual abuse. I read about 200 news reports each week and select something that's a bit edgy or supports the work of someone else. http:/
What is your mission or the purpose for your blog, Cait? Sometimes confusion is caused by too many possible topics. Refine your direction – you can always change it.
Consider the source... I'm new at blogging. I hope your receive lots of good advice in response to your post.
I take from my life or current events. Usually by Monday (the day I try to post every week) there's something brewing in one or the other I can ruminate on. Alternating these with publishing news/advice/interviews of other writers means I'm fairly consistent. I have to remind myself every week doesn't have to be brilliant. But in order to keep the reader engaged, it does have to be there.
I think one key to having enough topics for your blog is keeping a file of ideas. As you said, ideas don't do you any good if you delete them. I keep an ongoing file of ideas, which may be no more than a sentence or two about something interesting I read, but the beauty of a few sentences is I can add links and thoughts to them if I run across something else that's related. Plus, with an ongoing file, you don't have to write anything at the moment you get the idea (you probably don't have time then), but it's there for later.
Sally
http:/
Hi Cait,
Very thought-provoking post.
I think it is not so much a problem about finding things to blog about, but realizing we DO have something (hopefully interesting) to say... regarding just about anything. I've been blogging for a year now, and whenever I find the well of inspiration has turned into a veritable Sahara, a read what other people are blogging about, choose a topic they've touched on, and get busy writing my own thoughts on the matter. Sit down and type. Something will come. It's all about the little things.
I had a English teacher in college, this huge man with a matching ego, but one thing I never forgot was a story he told about writing. He said instead of trying to write about your home town, think of one street in your town. Then, walk up and down that street and find one building. Now instead of trying to write about that building, choose just one brick in its façade. Now, who made that brick? Where did the rock come from? Who shaped it? Who was the brick-layer that mortared it into place? What did he have for breakfast? What did he say to his wife over coffee? Now pick one of those things, and write about that.
Okay--maybe he didn't go into all that, but when we don't know what to write about, I find it is usually because we haven't focused in enough on just that One Thing. FInd your one thing, and go to town.
Then edit the heck out of it.
Good Luck!
Just Jill
http:/