How to Overcome Blogger's Block

Blogger's Block, much like the traditional Writer's block, is a phenomenon involving temporary loss of ability to continue blogging, usually due to lack of inspiration, creativity or even motivation.

If it occurs for a day or two or even a week, it should not be a cause of concern because as bloggers, we all suffer from Writer's block at some point of time. However, if our inability to post new content extends for a longer duration, it may be something to worry about because of three reasons:

1. Our regular readers would return disappointed when they don't find anything new our blogs and if the cycle repeats, they may completely abandon reading the blog [you know how tough it is to get readers but it's so simple to lose them]

2. Google may be indexing your site at frequent intervals but if the Googlebot is unable to find new content on your blog during consecutive visits, it may decide to decrease the crawling frequency.

3. A site that isn't updated for a long period may not look very attractive to new visitors who stumble upon your site via search engines, forums and other places. You are missing an opportunity to convert a casual visitor into a return visitor.

Therefore, a Writer's block, or specifically Blogger's block can sometimes be bad news for your blog. So here are 10 ways to prevent or even overcome Writer's block:

1. Ditch the laptop and try to note your ideas on a paper notebook. You can always post them online later.

2. Explore your hidden treasures [old blog posts] which are lying somewhere unnoticed in your archives. Also read the user comments on your old posts. This may motivate you to write more wondeful posts.

3. Remove all the clutter and unused icons from your desktop. Start your blog editor in a simplistic mode where you see just the text that you type - no distractions.

4. Try to change your work environment like move to a different room or change the direction of your desk.

5. A good family picture with an indoor plant on your desk may help you concentrate better.

6. This is may sound funny but if you chalk out a blogging timetable, like the own you had while you were in school, it may help you stick to your regular posting schedule.

7. If you are writing a blog post but that doesn't seem to go anywhere, just save it as a draft and start working on another article. You will always get new ideas for your previous post later.

8. Sometime the room environment is not conducive enough for blogging. Unplug the laptop and blog from your terrace or even the garden.

9. Don't miss the family dinner just because you are under pressure to post a blog entry. The discussions at the dinning table would make you feel more rejuvenated and your mind will be filled with ideas.

10. If none of the techniques work, it may be time to take a quick shower and sleep. You can resume blogging early morning tomorrow.

Picture Credit: bLaugh.com [How to Overcome Writer’s Block]

Find this article at: http://labnol.blogspot.com/2006/09/how-to-overcome-bloggers-block.html

web: http://www.labnol.org/ email: amit@labnol.org