A few years ago I polled readers and asked what their biggest blogging challenge is. Turns out, it’s not lack of time, it’s lack of inspiration. Does your blog writing lack inspiration? Is it hard to get really fired up when starting to write a post?
I get that. When I was just starting out as a blogger (was that really over 15 years ago?!) I could just feel that screen staring right back at me. What can a blogger blog about to other bloggers?
Lack of inspiration comes from not being sure you’re doing it right, or doing it well, and lack of confidence that it will be worth it… in other words, fear and doubt.
Fear and doubt go away when you know what you’re doing, and have a system that will allow you to move forward confidently.
Here are two ways you can side-step fear and doubt, and write frequent, consistent quality posts and develop a blogging habit that will grow your abilities over time. Nobody starts out writing well. Yet, everybody’s got a piece of genius within them, so it’s a question of finding it and putting it on paper, quickly, before any demons get in the way.
Two ways to start a blog post: go inside or go outside.
1. Go Outside: This is easiest: go find a blog post you like (or dislike) and write about it. For example, you can find related blogs in your field through Alltop.com. Once you’ve found a post that inspires you, write about it.
- Start by asking your readers a question
- Explain your perspective
- End by asking them a question or asking them to comment
- Link to sources of your inspiration
- Find a photo, save the post as a draft
- Come back later, re-read, edit, publish
2. Go Inside: This is harder (sometimes) but worth it. Sit down and ask yourself:
- What really matters?
- What do my readers struggle with?
- What have I struggled with?
- What tip can I share to make my readers’ lives better?
- What’s not going well, what’s not right?
- How come this situation continues when there are solutions?
- What pivotal moment made things different for me?
- What huge mistake have I made that taught me a big lesson?
The difference between going outside for inspiration and going inside is that you’re accessing your own originality. You access your own genius. It turns your blog posts from mere reporting to genuine art.
Okay, it might not be literature, but at least it will elevate the quality of your blog writing. Try it out. Then come back and tell me how it went for you.
Did you find the little genius within?
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