Blog with Passion

Is this what your blog posts have become?

So it hits you at the end of a long day when you’ve just sat down to relax for a few minutes – “Crap! I have a blog post due tomorrow – and I have nothing!” Or maybe you’re not one that schedules posts, but you try to blog regularly and it’s been a while since your last post. That guilt of “I should be writing” has settled over your shoulders, making you miserable. If you’re a blogger, you’ve probably been there.

Scrambling for Ideas

The primary thing that most bloggers struggle with is finding topic ideas. Finding time to write might be a close second. In my circle of bloggers, the biggest complaint is figuring out what to write about. The pressure of the “Content is King” mentality that is so prevalent in the blogosphere can be intimidating. I, for one, know what it feels like to be stumped on topics, a post deadline looming over my shoulder.

I wish I could help my fellow bloggers out there figure out what to write about, but that’s an individualized problem, and I don’t have any easy answers. Instead, I want to focus on not the what but the when.

The Crusty Slice

During any given week, ideas float in and out of my brain. The ones that are suitable for blog topics I write down for later use. I have an ever-growing list of blog topics saved in a document, something I’ve been doing since before my blog went live. So ideas may be few, but they are there.

The problem is, one day I run across something that would make a good blog post. I think, “Yes! That’s it! I have tons to say about that, and I feel very strongly about it!” So I jot it down. But then something very bad happens. That something is called: Procrastination. He’s a nasty little dude. He settles into my recliner and puts his feet up. I don’t write the post immediately. I work on other, more pressing projects. I clean house. I watch TV. I do whatever I can to avoid blogging. One day I decide I’ve had enough. I put my foot down and say, “I’m writing this sucker, like it or not!” I kick Mr. Procrastination’s bum out the door. I sit down to write. And I have absolutely nothing to say.

What happened? I lost the passion. When I first got the idea, at the point of inspiration, I was full of zeal and excitement about said topic. But after it sat a while, it turned stale and dry, rather like a slice of bread that’s been left out on the counter for a week. Nothing about it is drawing my interest. I’m ready to trash the thing.

Passion Means Now

There’s something about inspiration. It drives passion, gives projects the momentum they need to come to fruition. When that spark hits, we can either act or sit on it, letting it get old and crusty. For myself, this has been a huge struggle. But I’m going to do my best to make a change.

Remember, you can write a post whenever you feel the bug. That doesn’t mean you have to publish it immediately. There’ s nothing wrong with a stockpile of nicely packaged complete posts saved and set on auto-publish. That just means you can sit back spend some time with one of your other projects.

—

You might also be interested in:

6 Ways to Effectively Manage Writing Time

The Cure for Creative Dysfunction

Inspiration from the Uninspiring