You know you need to get your blog post out, but you’re drawing a blank.

What to do?

Don’t let writers (or bloggers) block keep you from your post!

I have a few blogs that I write (like one isn’t enough.) For one blog in particular, this happened to me – and happened big.

I wrote faithfully for years, and then one week it hit me. “I have nothing to say!”

Dread passed over me!

Was this the end?

Am I washed up – finished?

This’ll be the end of my business for sure!

The thoughts that can run through our minds can be mind boggling!

Part of the writers/blogger block is how we talk to ourselves when we feel we don’t have anything worth saying.

Lesson: Don’t do as I did.

Above, I wrote all the negative thoughts that poured from my mind. And, of course, the overall message to myself…LOSER!

Now, I know I’m not a loser. And, I know I have some very valuable things to write in order to help the people I serve.

So, I took a step back and recalibrated my thoughts.

Here are 2 tips I use when I’m feeling the block:

• Don’t berate yourself! You’re good at what you do, you’re just having a moment of creative interference. Go do something different to get your mind off your task. Go for a walk, do yoga, play with your dogs. Getting physical releases endorphins (happiness hormones) and dopamine, which gets your creative juices flowing. (ref IthacaAudio.com and FastComany)
• Get Creative. Step away from the keyboard and get out your pen and paper. You access a different (the creative right side) of your brain when you physically create the analog way! Don’t just write. Get out a big sheet of paper, use colored pens, markers and even crayons to get that kid in you going. Back to the brain again…writing (and drawing) by hand triggers a larger part of the brain involved in language, thinking and working memory.

You’re probably thinking, “this is fine Christine, but playing with crayons isn’t giving me a topic to write about, or getting my closer to my publishing deadline”

Let me give you a couple of ideas for finding a topic – when you don’t know what to write about.

• Go ‘off-topic’. When I find I have nothing to write about, I go off-topic. I don’t start writing about kitten videos, but I do start writing about other things I’m interested in. I may write about healthy eating, movies that inspire me, or a good road trip. The key with going “off topic” is it gets you out of your head and thinking about fun things that interest you.
• Relevancy. Once you’re off and writing, you can swing your “off-topic” back around to your brand so you can create relevancy. For example, my ‘off-topic’ may be about playing ball with my dogs. What does that have to do with writing content? I can swing it back around to:
  

  “Playing ball with my dogs is a lot like writing valuable content. I don’t always feel like going out and tossing a few throws to my dogs, but once I’m outside, and I pick up that ball and wing it across the yard, my dogs charge for it in their goofy hyper ways. I see how happy it makes them. This is a valuable activity for my pups. It keeps them healthy and happy, and it sure does give me some laughs along the way. Content is meant to give value, just like throwing the ball to my dog is valuable for his well-being”

• Don’t expect miracles. Your ‘off-topic’ writing days may not be your best writing, but it is triggering your creative flow. Go easy on yourself! (go to Tip #1 – Don’t Berate Yourself.) Know this is an exercise is using your creative resources. It’s just like getting back up on your horse (or your bike) after you’ve fallen off. The longer you wait to jump back  on, the more you’re risking staying stuck and afraid. Who cares if it’s not perfect! You’re human and sometimes you just need a get-out-of-jail pass.

You could even say that this article is a good example of what to write when you’re not sure what to write.

I felt like that over the past couple of weeks. I got out my journal and my fountain pen and just started playing around. Most of my time was working on my handwriting – swoops, swirls and trying new fonts.

That’s when it hit me…this is what I can write about, when I don’t know what to write about.

If you found that this post was helpful, that it sparked some ideas, and that you are having fun with your creative flow, I’d love to hear about it! Write a comment or send me an email!

Happy writing – even if it is about kitten videos.

Want to see the articles I referenced?

FastCompany What Happens to Our Brains When We Exercise and How It Makes Us Happier