Three Places to Find Your Blogging Inspiration

Every blogger has days when words just won’t flow. No matter how hard you scour your brain with a scrubbing pad and desperation, you just can’t come up with a good idea to turn into a blog post.

Those are frustrating moments. But you really don’t have to go through them. Here are a few good places to get inspiration the next time your brain comes up with a blank.

Your Work

It doesn’t matter whether your work is related to the topic on which you blog – work is full of stories. There’s that client you couldn’t please, or the client that you could. There’s that weird situation that happened between your co-workers. There’s the work itself, and all of what frustrates you or challenges you or makes you happy.

All of that is fodder for blog posts. If your work is related to your blog, ask yourself if you think other people have encountered a situation like yours before. If you think they have, lay down your thoughts on how to deal with it. Then ask readers for their opinion. You never know when someone out there has a brilliant solution culled from his or her experience.

If your work isn’t related to your blog, don’t despair. Work stories make fantastic analogies. Explain how a situation that happened at work is similar to your blogging topic. For example, if you blog about knitting, and you work in engineering, explain how to lay out a “blueprint” for your next knitting project, and why a blueprint is useful. Use your work to back up your theory for a different topic, and you have yourself a blog post!

Your Personal Life

We’re not talking about romantic encounters, here. We’re talking about situations your friends or loved ones might have faced that apply to your blog. You needn’t mention names or even their relationship to you – just write, “A friend of mine was talking to me about procrastination the other day and how she dealt with it, and it got me thinking.”

You can also forego the personal story altogether. Simply pay attention the next time someone you like is telling you a story, and see if you can apply it to what you write about on your blog. Your friends likely have similar tastes or hobbies, since most friends share things in common, but even if they don’t, they’ll provide a unique perspective for your next post.

You can also talk about events in your personal life. Maybe you’ve recently challenged yourself to run a marathon, or maybe you just took a trip. Can you write a blog post about what you’ve learned on those adventures? Even if you haven’t done anything out of the ordinary recently, reach back into your past and see if you can shake the dust off an old tale. You might surprise yourself with how much that trip taught you in retrospect.

Your Secret Ninja Skills

Here’s a challenge: Go out into your neighborhood (yes, this means getting away from the computer), and spend a little time in a crowded area. A coffeeshop, maybe, or a bookstore, or a clothing shop, or a grocery.

Okay. Now eavesdrop.

Yes, I know your mother told you that’s rude, but this is for your blog, people. Go for it. Have no fear. You’re not trying to spy on anyone; you’re just trying to get unique ways of looking at an old problem. Listen to what people say – what they love, what they hate, what happened to them that day – and see how it applies to your blog topic.

For example, let’s say I’m at the grocery store. A woman picks up a mango and complains that it’s not ripe yet, or that it’s starting to be overripe.

Hmm . . . Maybe a post about how to keep writing fresh?

Two girls swing by chattering to one another about how their boyfriend doesn’t call them enough.

Hm. Do I contact my clients enough? Should I contact them more often? Do they feel neglected? Maybe a post on how often to get in touch with your clients so they feel like you care.

A man stares at the cereal boxes without moving, completely zoned out.

Hm. Maybe a post about how too many writing choices can make you freeze up? Maybe a post about losing your train of thought? Maybe a post about laconic clients who don’t give enough information about what they need?

Go out in the world and see how many blog posts you can come up with. Keep a list! It’ll help the next time you’re stuck. And it’ll save you a trip to the grocery store.

About the Author: For more tips on getting unstuck and getting back to writing blog posts like you’re never going to stop, check out James’ blog at Men with Pens. It’s just a short trip – and you’ll never leave empty handed.