Writers block is the worst. Don’t you just feel so hopeless as you sit in front of the computer pondering what to write about? What irks me the most is only writing about half of an article and feeling like you have nothing to say. Then you spend even more time staring blankly at your computer screen.
I hate feeling hopeless like that, especially when it comes to writing. Writing is one of my favorite hobbies, but it can be extremely frustrating to do (and equally satisfying to accomplish).
Because I hate not being able to do what I love, I have tried to devise some tips for myself (as well as you guys of course) for fighting that damned writers block. Here are a few articles you might find interesting:
- How to maximize the time you spend writing articles
- 5 Easily Accessible Sources of Fresh & Unique Content
- 5 experimental writing habits you may want to try
- Discovering hundreds of ideas with mind mapping
- 10 ways to find post inspiration without even leaving your blog
Those, and the other articles in the writing tips category are extremely valuable.
But nothing I, or anyone has ever written on this blog is nearly as useful as this pre-writing exercise I want to share with you today.
It’s a simple approach, but is very effective. It may be something you already do, but if you are like most people, probably not. It’s a couple of different things in one trick:
- You get the minor details of your blog post out-of-the-way and gives you more time to focus on the main content of the actual post itself.
- Once you are done writing the article, you’re done for the day (or until the next post). This will ultimately make you feel better and more motivated to complete the article to its fullest.
The Regular Approach to Writing Content
Generally, most bloggers will start their blog post by actually starting on the main content. From introduction to conclusion, they start out by simply writing the whole post out. Then, save the other details for later.
The “other details” I’m talking about are picking a post category, adding post tags, images, excerpts, even the headline, etc. All after the article is written.
Well, why not turn it around and get all of that done before you write the article? That is my ultimate tip for you, but there is more to it than what I have talked about so far. Just in case you’re disappointed, allow me to elaborate.
Why This is More Effective
Getting these things done, the minor details of your post, first is crucial to producing a more efficient workflow while writing. Those things are basically what defines your content and helps people understand what your content is about before they actually read it.
And those things do include the category of the article and the headline. Two details that are almost immediately seen at the beginning of every blog post, and are the most important things for you to have done before you start writing.
Brian Clark says it the best. As part of his Magnetic Headlines series, he mentioned that writing your headline will help you when it comes to writing.
Want to write great headlines and even better content? Start with the headline first. You’ll of course have a basic idea for the subject matter of your blog post, article, free report or sales letter. Then, simply take that basic idea and craft a killer headline before you write one single word of the body content.
He goes more into detail about how writing your headline first is smart in the full article (you may want to check out his whole series, it has helped me a lot).
But take the idea of writing the headline first and apply it to anything else you can do to your post before you start writing content. How does setting the post category, or picking post tags help you write better content?
They all have the same positive effects on your writing. Even finding the featured image for your blog post (if you use images).
These are all the options I have to configure on each post, and by doing so before writing the article, I warm myself up to be able to write the best I can.
-
Post tags & Category
The post tags you see at the end of each post here basically reflect the main ideas of the article. By adding them first, you have a list of topics you can refer back to just in case you get stuck mid-writing.
-
SEO Options
Nearly everyone has some kind of SEO plugin, (or a super cool theme with built-in SEO options). Writing out the title tag, meta description and meta keywords are really useful to get yourself warmed up for what the main ideas of the actual article will consist of.
-
Post image
I can spend up to 10-20 minutes searching Flickr for the right image to represent each post here. By scrolling through dozens of images about a specific topic, I can find inspiration (as they’re related to the keywords I search for) and potentially come up with some new ideas while mindlessly looking at them all.
-
Summaries
A unique feature to Blogussion is the use of the summary and key points box at the very end of each article (this is what I’m talking about). By writing the summaries and listing the key points, I basically have yet another solid blueprint for referring back on if I get stuck mid-writing.
Since Blogussion is probably one of the only blogs on the Internet to summarize each article at the end of every post in that way, you may not be able to do this as effectively. However, you can still write summaries of an article with the Excerpts feature in WordPress. Read more on them here & here.
How Does This Change Your Writing?
This has completely revolutionized the way I write the massive articles I do here on Blogussion. I tried this method last Saturday when I prepared 4 posts for this week on Blogussion, and things went a lot smoother for me. I am confident that this can have an equal effect on you, just give it a shot.
But, do you see this impacting how you write at all? I would love to hear your thoughts, because I’m still amazed how simply changing the order of things can have such a deep impact on you writing flow.
The Discussion
Leave a Comment Read Again?Alex, you run the only blog I know of that summarizes at the end.
I used summarize at the beginning with what I called “The Upshot,” where I used a fieldset block, an internal h3 headline, usually a list or a short paragraph, then a bolded sentence at the end to close it.
I stopped doing it partly because I was using hackadelic table of contents plugin, which conflicted heavily with Thesis margin and padding on the h* elements. Really annoying.
Also, I figured out you don’t really want to put the summary at the beginning, because you remove motivation to read further.
Instead – and I haven’t done this yet – putting benefits at the front inspires people to read further. Example: Makepeace Total Package articles. Superb copywriting. I’m not that good.
Adding a summary box is on my long term to do list. It’s also Point 26 in an ebook I wrote.
Also, I don’t suffer from writer’s block at all. Just the opposite. I have to be pried away from the machine. I don’t know if that’s good or bad.
.-= Dave Doolin´s last blog ..If You Want to Be a Better Blogger, Write Better =-.
Good, I’m glad this is the only blog you know of that summarizes. Makes me feel like I have added something unique to the site.
A summary at the beginning of a post would definitely be a bad idea I think. I don’t want it to be the first thing people see, so I don’t want too many people to know about it until they scroll to the bottom (after reading) and then seeing it.
Do you have an example of what you used to do for summaries in the Upshot? Having a hard time depicting how it would look!
I definitely like that idea of benefits. That is definitely a great way to get people’s interest no doubt. But, if you can make your headline and opening paragraph enticing enough, does it have a purpose then?
And don’t worry, it’s a good thing! The more you’re working on your passion the better off you’ll be man. Keep rockin’ it.
Here’s one: http://website-in-a-weekend.net/website-maintenance/when-things-go-really-wrong-fixing-layouts-trashed-with-improper-div-tags/
At some point I should go back through and fix these.
Also, I do like how you’re offsetting you lead with italics. That’s professional. It’s worthy of emulation.
.-= Dave Doolin´s last blog ..Estimated Reading Time Plugin : Sharpening the stick (technical tuesday) =-.
I don’t summarize, but every now and then I will tie it all together and once again highlight the key points in my post.
I have never written an article on my computer. Maybe it’s my generation, but I started writing by hand and it’s the only way I can write. I actually have hundreds of notebooks full of stories, journals and posts. It’s crazy! I need filing cabinets just to hold them all… 20 years of writing!
I also jot down notes in a book for future posts. I cross them off as I do them. So I really never run out of ideas. I have about 300 topics in my notes to write about.
Plus, every gemstone on the face of the earth… ha!
That’s awesome…but so much extra work! Have you ever tried just typing it out on the first shot? But hey, if that’s what gets you working at your best then go for it man. Hell, invest in a giant chalkboard if that’d make it easier too.
This is such a great idea. I frequently find myself getting towards the end of writing an article when I begin dreading adding images, SEO, etc. I’m gonna start using your method.
Hey, I might even do all the preliminary work for all of the post ideas I have written down. Thus, hopefully inspring me to go ahead and write them up.
.-= wpBlast´s last blog ..Setup a Static Homepage =-.
It is a great idea, and such a simple one. You’d be surprised how efficient you become after doing simple things like this.
I follow a blog posting workflow (http://www.bloggodown.com/2010/02/do-you-follow-a-blog-posting-workflow.html)
It’s pretty simple, I brainstorm for title and basic points. Then I write it down and elaborate it. Next is to proofread to remove any grammatical and typo mistakes and finally I add things like images and seo info.
I think your approach is a bit different, but this one works for me.
.-= Gautam Hans @ Blog Godown´s last blog ..How College Taught me to be a Better Blogger =-.
We actually have a similar, if not exact post workflow man. Basically, I brainstorm some ideas, pick one I want to write about, mind map and get into the stages of writing it.
Would you ever consider adding the image and SEO stuff before you write? Do you think it would be more valuable to do so?
It actually depends. Sometimes I start with the SEO stuff and then write about it keeping the keywords in mind. And other times I just have and idea and write about and once the article is complete, I think about the SEO and in linking and also about the images I want to add.
.-= Gautam Hans´s last blog ..Writing For Your Audience – Is It Right? =-.
We read these lines many time, seating in front of computer.
But let me tell you that if you maintain any kind of idea’s diary or any such kind of things where you keep your new ideas than such kind of position will never appear.
You can not write any post as your blog demand or its a need. You are a blogger and you should write when you have something to say or you have some great thoughts etc.
.-= ZK @ Web Marketing Blog´s last blog ..New keyword targeting Adwords feature for advertsiers in Canada & UK =-.
So, do you believe in keeping a post frequency? There are a lot of things you can talk about in your niche, but let’s say one week you just can’t think of many things to talk about. So instead of getting the 5 posts a week you wanted, you only get 2. This goes against your post frequency and may do a bit of harm to your community. What do you think of it then? Do you sometimes need to be able to push yourself to blog, or should you ONLY do it when you want to, even if that may slow your community’s growth a bit?
Hi Alex,
Your strategy is really great and works wonder for me, it is even what makes me write a lot of guest posts without problem, if i eventually have problem writing the content, i can use Google to get ideas to expand on.
I have learned a lot of great things from blogussion, one of it is patience. I will tell myself, “If Alex is using around 20 minutes on a post image, then why can’t i spend more time to make my post better”.
Thanks a lot for the great post
-Onibalusi
Thanks for the comment Oni.
You do write a ton of guest posts for sure, so I can definitely see how this helps you! And patience is definitely key, especially in writing. Sometimes it takes forever to write just a few sentences, or find that perfect post image. It’s frustrating, but you need to have patience!
A good lesson to pick up on bud, glad you pay attention around here.
I like your pre-writing ideas. As I read your article, it struck me that by choosing keywords or a theme first, then one might be able to increase the relevancy of posts. I’m going to develop a list before posting again to see what will happen. Thanks
.-= Calvin @ Creativity Innovation Business´s last blog ..The Right Work Requires New Action =-.
Glad you figured that out Calvin! Happy to know people are walking around from my articles having realized something that may just help them out later on.
hmm, as a reader, I actually find the summary part quite enticing. It seems to draw my eyes back to the main content again to find the longer version of the sentence mentioned on the keypoints and summary.
By the way Alex, how long does it takes you to finish one blog article? You really are good with words, and I think it’s already a passive skill of yours (note: at a young age, damn, I wish I was still young LOL).
That’s great Jason, I’m really glad you said that! It’s really good to know someone makes use of it.
Haha, appreciate the compliments man. If I write it out myself (not using a guest post), about 45-60 minutes. Then, doing the other stuff like spell check, formatting, image search, SEO, etc. about 10-20 minutes.
Hey I like your technique, But some of us just cannot do that until we have written the whole article. It gives me more satisfaction when I have completed the article first, and then do the ‘other details’.
Anyways, I will try to implement your method and see how it goes!
Also, there is a typo in the article:
‘But, do you see this impact ing how you write at all? I would love to her (should be hear) your thoughts’
Visit: http://www.making-your-own-website.com
If you can’t do it, then don’t. Trust me, it’s not worth jeopardizing what works for you now just because someone said something else works for you. If you can write a post more efficiently than what I suggested here, totally go for it! More power to you!
But it’s always fun trying new things.
Appreciate the shout-out on the typo! I guess I need to proofread better next time!
Hey Alex, really love the idea.
Coming from the design community, I found that wireframing my posts have greatly help the inspiration and control of the content. I generally start with a headline, break down the subsections, create a quick mind map and spend a few moments finding inspiration through images, music and other text.
Pre-writing sounds like a fantastic idea for many people that are getting caught up with writing. Sitting down and banging out a full post can be taxing when you’re not doing it every day but when you can get all of the small work done (tags, images, etc) you can gain a larger picture and work on it in batches.
Thanks for the post (loving the blog!)
.-= Murlu´s last blog ..Time Management For Successful Bloggers =-.
Usually I write out all of the headlines I know I will use and just work around them. It’s actually really really useful and keeps things more organized. I do mind map to, every single post.
That’s exactly the point I wanted to get across: if you can pre-write it will basically warm you up so you can get the ideas rolling for what you need to right now.
Glad you like the blog man! How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking? I always love seeing kids around my age here, and you definitely don’t look that old.
My approach is very similar to this. At the start of the week I will brainstorm for lets 3 articles but only the title. Once I start writing the post the first thing I do is I think about what questions the reader would have about this topic. This way I find my subheadlines and the general structure.
Now that the article is nearly done in my head everything just flows.
There is no way I could just start writing an article without this. It would take me years.
Very helpful post, thanks!
.-= Alex @ Zahnbleaching´s last blog ..Braun Oral-B Sonic Complete DLX – Testbericht =-.
That sounds like a really cool process Alex. So when you come up with the titles at the beginning of the week, you kind of let the ideas brew in your head until you write? Is that sort of how it happens? Because that sounds like a seriously great idea.
It’s really annoying for me to get into the writing mood and have nothing to write about. So then I have to spend some time and brainstorm article ideas, and that can take forever if I’m not feeling inspired. :/
Exactly my ideas start very broad but I write them down and “let the ideas brew in my head”. This way the general idea gets refined over a couple of days. Writing is much faster that way and I simply more clear what I wanna provide for the readers.
.-= Alex @ Zahnbleaching´s last blog ..Zahnseide FAQ: Wie verwende ich Zahnseide richtig? =-.
Geez! I didn’t even realize that sometimes I do this. I’ll get a great idea for a post and get an image or two in my mind that I’d like to use. Of course I can’t find the image I want half the time and I end up creating it myself, upload it, tag it, add a caption… and all before I even start blogging.
Though my more typical process is to write the headline first. Then I tackle an opening paragraph, then the closing paragraph. I use the “features and benefits” technique in a lot of my writing. Then I make a point form list of what I want to cover in-between the two paragraphs, a map for gettting from point A to point B. Flesh it out and voila! Blog post extraordinaire (I hope).
.-= Blog Angel a.k.a. Joella´s last blog ..Did You Sign Up For Your Hubze Card? Beta Release Date Announced! =-.
I hate searching through Flickr for more than 5 minutes. It gets really frustrating when I can’t find anything nice! But I’m like you, if it’s that bad and there is really nothing I like, I will just have to resort to my own skills and do an image myself!
So wait, you write the introduction and the conclusion first? Then just work in between? That’s really intriguing actually.
Would you say that makes things easier, or does it in some ways dictate how you are going to write the rest of the article?
I haven’t given any thought to that different approach, but it seems to be very unique so I’ll try it out in our next posts. I also appreciate the resources you gave.
.-= Julius´s last blog ..Can Blind People See? =-.
Let me know if it helps you at all. It has helped me a ton, and I think it can help you out as well Julius.
Thanks for dropping by!
Your summaries are definitely unique. I’ve seen one, maybe two others do it. Even those though started doing it after you, if I remember right.
Personally, I’ve always done headlines first; a word or two may change before publishing, but nothing fancy.
While I don’t see doing those little things first helping my actual writing, it probably would help me to remember to do them in the first place. lol
What I mean is, sometimes, especially if the article took forever to write, i may publish before doing those categories and tags and what not at all.
Don’t even look at that aspect on DE.com right now, none of it is there…it’s coming!
.-= Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..10 Social Share Sites Chosen – Do You Agree? =-.
Alex, the first time I saw mention of your blog on http://www.CopyBlogger.com, I thought “What could this kid know?”
A lot, from what I’ve seen so far. You blogs show an amazing amount of maturity and insight, and there’s lots of cool whiz-bang factor to boot.
I write blogs like giving birth… slowly and painfully.
Then I decide my baby is ugly and go back in to hack it all up to pieces and rebuild it. Frankenstein-style.
I spend WAAAAY to long on them. And they’re still ugly!
.-= SmilesDoc´s last blog ..The Lost Starfish and Saving Broken Smiles =-.
Hi Alex,
These are great ideas. I took the time over the weekend to mind map and rough out my posts for this week.
I still end up changing my headlines after I finish a post – which annoys me to no end. I seem to have no trouble thinking up excellent headlines and then I write posts that just don’t work with the headlines. I hope I will get better at this.
I choose my images at the end. That’s the fun part, my little reward for completing the post. I choose my keywords, tags, categories in advance. I look for my excerpt at the end.
I am trying to get better at writing my posts in advance so I never am stuck without an idea/post to put up, especially when other assignments pull me away from my blog.
.-= Tammi Kibler´s last blog ..Free Mind Mapping Software Online =-.
I really like these tips; especially the one where you say that we should start with the headline. By doing this we are essentially determining the main idea of the article. This makes it easy to know when our writing is deterring from the main point or not.
Images also inspire me. Sometimes I start with images, they tell me what to write about. I guess the reason for this is because I see my writing more like an art form. I believe that the best thing to do is to always be trying new things…. Sometimes even a song will get me into the state of writing. Being in a relaxed state helps me write a lot too so I make sure I have a peaceful environment surrounding me.
All the best,
Eren
.-= Eren Mckay´s last blog ..Christian Poem for Mother’s Day =-.
Thank you, although most of us know most of them, there are quite a few that are useful
.-= Stefan Jacholke´s last blog ..WooThemes and ElegantThemes Review =-.
Those are great tips! I just took a class on journalism that uses mind mapping strategies to find the story for the article. It is the perfect tool for even writing an entire article if you drill down each section.
I just want to say I’m new to blogging and really enjoyed your blog. Very likely I’m going to bookmark your blog post . You absolutely have fantastic articles. Cheers for sharing your website page.
This info is great! Im sure this blog is one of the best on the web! Thank you again for yet another
great blog post!
Comments on this entry are closed.