The Agony of Producing Blog Posts Day In and Day Out
by Steve RemingtonJuly 6, 2007
One of the most important parts of being an outdoor blogger is writing original content each day. There is the need to impress our readers, find original content that is resourceful, and do this each day. When we first start out we can’t imagine ever drying up on things to say, as we are all jammed pack full of knowledge and advice. But the truth of the matter is, all writers face issues of producing material whether it be for a newspaper, magazine, or their online blog.
Chris Garrett over at the Blog Herald provides a list of 10 Minute Blog Tips for Staying With It. Check it out:
- Plan. Know from the start what you intend to do then you will not be surprised by lack of direction. It doesn’t have to be ultra-detailed, perhaps just a calendar, to-do list, scrap of paper.
- Set goals. Some people are motivated by goals, deadlines, and challenges. If you are one of these people, work with it!
- Accept that you are only human. Do not add more pressure to your job than is necessary. Your life and real responsibilities come first, nobody is going to get hurt if you don’t post today.
- Use your time productively. Use plugins to automate, software to organise and research. Bookmarks and browser add-ons. Anything that saves you time and helps you be more efficient.
- Relax. If you clench you will be less creative. Tension will cause you to lose some objectivity and positivity, so could upset relationships in your life and with readers. Nobody likes a grump!
- Treasure creative moments. When you are on a roll maximise the opportunity. Make notes, future post, get writing. You don’t know how long it will last so use it while it is there.
- Engage your audience. Sometimes when motivation is low it is good to interact. Comments can give you lift, ideas, inspiration, ego boost and a good laugh.
- Celebrate victories. When something good happens, traffic boost, subscriber lift, great comment, affiliate sale, new adsense income record, celebrate!
Again, a great post.
I have two things that I’ve found have been of great help to me. One is very similar to the first tip on your list. I keep a list of topics for future posts. It is saved on my computer and I add to it every time something new to write about occurs to me. That way, if I’m ever stuck for a topic, I have a list of potential topics that I find interesting already available.
The second thing I do is read blogs, all kind of blogs, all the time. I write for a very specific niche, but I often find ideas on blogs that deal with very different subjects. I think you can also learn a lot about what to do and what not to do by reading a wide variety of blogs.
Kristine, taking the time to read other people’s blog is a huge thing on my list. I need to comment more but sometimes I just don’t have anything to say. The other thing I used to do is keep a small black notebook I could fit in my pocket and whenever I was out taking a walk, or somewhere away from the computer and came up with some ideas, I would jot them down. I don’t do it as much now but I should get back into it. It really had helped a lot.