Ideas Bin

There will come a time when you feel you have writer’s block, when you feel like everything you write is rubbish and nothing is working for you. I find the best posts happen when you are trying not to be funny, trying not to be too informative. Just write about what you know, what you see in everyday life, as it’s likely that many people will have had similar experiences.

• Blog posts aren’t newspaper articles, but bear in mind the similarities. Who is your favourite newspaper columnist? I’m not suggesting you steal their ideas, but remember the old adage:

“A good author borrows, a great author steals”

• Try and copy the basic structure of a good story/column and insert your own topic. If you do this often enough you will soon learn good practice and maybe pick up some fans along the way.
• Really good bloggers are constantly learning about their field, even if they aren’t writing. Take the time to fill your brain with Internet articles, magazines and television programmes on the subject. Heck, even go to the local library if you’re feeling in the mood – a good twenty minutes’ research is bound to yield a good post or two.
• Mind, there’s a lot to be said for stream-of consciousness rants and journeys into the subconscious. Be sure to copyedit at a later date, though, and don’t rely too heavily on the spur-of-the-moment stuff, but it’s always there as a backup.
• Current events and trends tend to be Googled for heavily. A good current interests post will appeal to a wider audience, too, but don’t forget the usefulness of the good old geeky blog once in a while. What are your secret loves, your guilty pleasures? If you write about them, the chances are someone else will emphasise with you.
• Don’t be too exclusive, though; try and relate your experiences in as broad a way as possible. For example, it’s unlikely people will have heard of “Clunan’s” – just say “my local butcher’s”.
• Use artistic and literary license. Cheat the rules of grammar and spelling for the sake of making a point.
• If you are really stuck, go to this site and click away.