10 tips to beat bloggers block

The end of the year is a little under a month away and you're thinking that this year is the year that you start your blog. But what happens when you don't know where to start and don't know what to include in your blog? You don't want to be staring at a screen all-day with writer's block, it doesn't sound too productive, does it? Blogger's block is a real thing, but it is an easy thing to fix as long as you know what you're doing.

Tip 1: Build your blog post around a previous blog post of yours.
A lot of the time a blogger will build off one of their previous blog posts. It's one of the reasons why I do the Favorite 5 Fridays and Tag Thursday's it's often a day to think about topics for the next week. For instance, if I'm talking about my favorite video games during a Friday Favorite's, I can talk about alternatives to the game I liked, or like the other day when I did a Thanksgiving tag and brought up the topic about comfortable pants. I can always write a blog post about some cute pants for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Tip 2: Keep a notebook with you at all times. 
Always keep a notebook with you. Ideas about blog posts can come out of nowhere.I've been in the middle of eating dinner when I've come up with blog ideas. When the ideas come to me, I write them down in a notebook. I love using my phone and computer to take notes about my blog posts, but I like having my ideas written down in more than one spot, in case something happens to one of my lists.

Tip 3: search Pinterest for ideas
Oh, Pinterest, what would I do without you? If you're looking for a topic for a niche blog, type in something like, "Beauty blog post ideas," or whatever your niche is. The same works for a lifestyle or personal blog like my own. I do have beauty, book, food and even holiday-related blog ideas. The ideas are endless.

Tip 4: Use blog generators 
Blog generators do not write blog posts for you, they're actually there to give you ideas. Some of the sites I love using are, Build your own Blog, Blog about from Impact, Inbound, Hubspot, Portent, and Free Headline Generator. A lot of the blog generators allow you to type in blog topics, and they spit out ideas. Impact is one of my favorite generators, as you can see below, "How to separate the_____ from the _____." It gives you something to work with, for instance, "How to separate the good books on Amazon from the books." It gives you and your blog post a title.

Tip 5: Check out some magazines 
Magazines are one of my favorite places to get blog information, for two reasons, the first being that I know what's popular right now and what people like reading about, and second, there are many things that can spawn ideas. It's why I like keeping a notebook. It's easier to write your ideas in a notebook when you're reading a magazine, rather than typing all your ideas out.

Tip 6: Give your pet a voice
One day when I couldn't come up with an idea, I had Freya come and sit on my lap to watch Sylvester the Talking Cat, so I could try to shake my blogger's block. It's quite obvious that cats, dogs, rats, birds, or rabbits can't type or talk, but it doesn't mean you can't give them a voice. I feel when I give Freya a voice, I step out of my mindset for a while, and imagine what Freya would say or do. I did it yesterday when I did my Freya interview. It was fun and it gives you time to be creative.

Tip 7: Check a holiday database
Tomorrow is National Ninja Day, Monday was National Mutt Day, and this month is National Pear Month. As an example, since Monday was National Mutt Day, I could have brainstormed about mutts, like talking about your favorite mutt, or mutts at animal shelters. I'm actually thinking about writing about talking about gluten-free gazpacho recipes for National Gazpacho on the 6th! 

Tip 8: Learn a new blogging type or style
I have a folder with templates and ideas on my blog about different blog types. If you're someone who likes writing list blog posts, because they're easy, try to step out of your comfort zone at least a little bit and try something like a how-to-guide, there are templates online in case you get stuck trying a new blog type.

Tip 9: Keep a spreadsheet
My husband dislikes spreadsheets with a passion, but then again he doesn't blog and doesn't see how awesome using a spreadsheet can be. I use Libre Office, instead of Microsoft Word, and since I don't think my spreadsheet will be downloadable unless you have Libre office, the best thing I can do is show you all that my spreadsheet looks like, in case you need an idea.

You don't need to fill every one of the cells when you're brainstorming, and this is just to give you something to work with. I've seen many other bloggers use the same idea when they get stuck, so it's nothing new about using a spreadsheet. Believe me, they come in handy when you're stuck on writer's block.

Tip 10: Offer to be a guest blogger or find a guest blogger
If all else fails, there are other bloggers who may actually like to be a guest blogger or are looking for a guest blog post. It gives you a whole new spin and perspective, when you're not sure what to write on your own blog.