I just had a couple of cups of morning coffee and felt the urge to come up with something for the blog. Normally, I use Sundays and Mondays to come up with topics that I'm interested in writing about. And since I recently got a hold of Journler 2.0.2 for the Mac, it's been easier to jot down ideas and then come back to them later in the week (or even further down the road).

*** By the way, Journler a great third party tool, not just for blogging, but for writing email, saving articles, saving image files and audio files, and as a general scrapbook application. It's a clean interface, and works seamlessly (so far) with other applications on your computer. We have many readers using the Mac, so even if you don't blog, it's still a worthy and great program to use on a daily basis. Check it out here (no, I'm not affiliated with them, nor do I collect any payment from them).

So, Sundays and Mondays are used for writing articles which will then be published on the site during the week. It's easier for me to work a little here and there on a piece over time, and each time I come back to an article I can see mistakes, grammatical errors, and missing links. It's more beneficial to me to edit something over time, rather than just quickly post it (OK, so I'm guilty of hypocrisy with this post).

After scanning some interesting thoughts across the web (in particular Yaro Starak's blurb on the Dove Beauty Campaign, and GenX Millionaire's quick tip on dumping your holiday bonus) I realized that I'm just not up to task this morning to try to force myself to write. I'm not in the mood to work on the other articles I have in store for the blog this week. I'd rather write something different and reflective of how I'm feeling at this moment.

But there is an amalgam of thoughts and feelings running through my head (most of them wanting to go back to bed). I feel to the urge to blog, but no single idea seems to be worthy of my time investment at the moment. Perhaps there's really nothing for me to say about anything right now.

Then it hit me! Why not share what I do when my thoughts are stuck in my head and they need some prompting to come out? There's no good reason for me not to do it.

It's not fool proof by any means, but I've noticed that I do these things when I'm feeling the need to overcome blogger's block.

1. Regularly scan the web for ideas. Read about what interests you and incorporate them into your writing. It doesn't have to be about what your blog is about. I mean do you really think I spend my internet time reading every personal growth site out there? I have other interests that I like to read about (guitars, fish tanks, to name a couple). And since those interests are a part of who I am, I can integrate my thoughts and feelings about those topics into my writing. For example, maintaining a fish tank is about learning how to maintain life. Use what you know and be creative in integrating those ideas in your writing, but don't feel like you have to do it all in one day. Read something today, and write about it next week. It's okay to do that.

2. Take a mental vacation. Put on those headphones and listen to your favorite bands play your favorite songs. Read that latest romance novel in your collection. Go outside and watch the ants devour a dead grasshopper (it's interesting to see this type of efficient teamwork in action). Get away from what you feel you need to do, and enjoy what you're really wanting to at the moment. You'll get better clarity on what you want to write when you come back.

3. Journal the next hour. For the next hour, just "be." Walk to your kitchen or call up a friend. Scratch your head or pet your dog. Reflect on what you did over the hour and journal it. Write single words or phrases. Whatever pops into your mind. They may be unfinished thoughts. Just jot it down. Come back to it later and ask yourself what you see amongst that brainstorm of thoughts.

4. Practice your ideas and writing skills in a forum. I like to visit online forums about nursing, psychology, fish tanks, and other interests. You'll see a boat load of people asking for help. Put your two cents in. Actually, do more than that. Write something genuine and meaningful for the person in need. Make that two cent post look like $1.50. It might be totally unrelated to your blog, but you'll get your writing brain turned on, and that may just be what you need to kick-start the blogging process.

5. Read over your previous blog posts. Is there anything that you can expand on? Any loose ends that need to be tied? Did you promise to post an update to an article, but have gotten too busy to come back to it? I see this on many sites and can tell you that I do get frustrated when I want to see how something turned out, but the author did not return to update anything. It's an innocent happening, and we all overlook things when it's not a matter of life or death. I won't be too harsh with this; ultimately it's a non-issue. But I do enjoy reading how my own style of writing has changed over time. I can get a better picture of where I'm heading and add to that direction or change it totally. It's your blog, you're in control.

So there you have it. My writing secrets are out. Of course there are other ways that I overcome blogger's block. But I'll update you in the future

Feel free to share with us the things you do to get your own proverbial creative juices cranking. You may just have your own writing epiphany in the process.

-RY

P.S.
Does it really matter if you have nothing to blog about? Is there any real pressure to write at all? After all, blogging is just really an online journal of your thoughts. So with that in mind, just write what you want, when you want. You already knew this, and you didn't need me to remind you of that. I guess it was really just for my benefit. Just thinking out loud.