A Mental Laxative for Bloggers
Listen to this post! Click a player to hear George & Mary-Lynn on The BIGG Success Show Podcast (Duration 4:33)
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Here I sit all broken-hearted; tried to write, but can’t get started.
If you’re a blogger, do you ever feel that way?
You sit down to write. You feel ready. You know you have stuff in your brain that wants to come out. But it just won’t.
We’ve felt that way too many times to count. How do you rid yourself of the mental constipation we all occasionally experience as bloggers?
We’ll start with prevention. That’s the best cure after all! Here are four areas to check.
Go on a high fiber information diet
If you’re like us, you’re passionate about your blog’s subject. So it’s easy to fall into a bad habit – you only consume the meat, information directly related to your topic.
We’ve found that it’s important to expand your information diet. Digest content outside your area of focus. Look for interesting ways to relate it to your primary subject.
Force regularity
Amateur writers wait for the mood to strike. The pros know it’s important to be regular. Of course, you should be true to yourself.
[George] I’m a morning person. So I write best soon after I get up.
[Mary-Lynn] And I’m a night person. So my creative juices flow best late in the day.
When doesn’t matter. What does matter is to make it a habit.
Force yourself to sit down and write regularly. It’s what the best writers do.
Let Mother Nature take her course
We’ve learned this one the hard way. Sure, you can push and push and push. But it’s not healthy!
It’s also not productive. We often find that the ideas start flowing when we get up and get out – get away from the computer.
Research shows that taking a 15-minute walk outside can increase your productivity by 30%! So let Mother Nature be your companion in health and wealth!
Do a mind dump
[George] This is how this post got done. I was trying to come up with our next post. I kept looking at a blank page. Somehow the poem popped up – “Here I sit all broken-hearted…”
So I wrote that down and just kept writing what came to mind. Eventually, a concept for a post formed. Boy, did it feel good to get that out of me!
Which is also related to…
The laxative
[Mary-Lynn] If prevention doesn’t work, you can just take the laxative for bloggers – borrow inspiration from others. For example, George put his own spin on the creativity of the famous bathroom poet. You don’t have to go there to find your spark.
And…when in doubt, link out. Showcase the great writing of your fellow bloggers. They’ll thank you for it.
Here are some great posts about getting past writer’s block:
Battling Bloggers Block
Incredible resource page from Darren Rowse (aka ProBlogger)
23 Ways to Counter Writer’s Block
Very creative list by Kevin Harter for HongKiat.com
How to Fight Writer’s Block on Your Blog
Some interesting tidbits offered by Kristen Matthews on Shareaholic
How to Get Past the 10 Most Debilitating Sources of Writer’s Block
Great tips in this Slideshare from Corey Eridon at HubSpot
Use these tips to mentally flush out your great ideas. It leads to BIGG success!
How do you get past writer’s block?
Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00857-041813.mp3
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