As Blaugust Reborn gets going proper this week with around 70 (!) blogs participating, I’m having hectic fun trying to keep up with everything. The suggested roundtable topic this week for the festival is on brainstorming topics to write about, so I thought I’d put forth five easy tips that helps me keep this blog going.
- Don’t procrastinate! If a topic or idea comes to mind, try to write a quick post on it as soon as you can! It’s always much easier and generally better to write on a topic when you’re interested and engaged with it than days later when you’re struggling to remember why you wanted to write about it in the first place.
- Shamelessly steal! One of the great aspects of being part of a larger blogging community is that topics are firing off left and right all over the place, so if you are having a hard time thinking of something to write, bounce off or become inspired by something someone else wrote! I’ve done so many times and seen others do it from posts I’ve written.
- Come up with a schedule! This doesn’t work for everyone, but for some writers it’s nice to have certain days of the week slated for specific types of posts, like a “screenshot Monday” or a listicle on Fridays. At least it gives you a structure to use, with the topics falling into place after that.
- Keep it personal! What interests you? Don’t write for the audience to tell them what you think they want to read, write what is near and dear to your heart! By keeping it personal, you stay the most engaged and have the most real things to say — and people generally love reading that more anyway!
- Challenge routines! Yes, I suggested a schedule, but also don’t be so beholden to a routine that you never try anything, write about anything different, or develop a writing portfolio that is about more than one very specific thing. If you feel like you’re getting into a rut, then make a concerted effort to challenge yourself by writing and doing something different!
Bio Break 
Good information! I know there are a few of these I need to adopt better if my blogs are to flourish. Been a long time reader, since your Warhammer Online days, love your posts!
I’ve struggled with number four over the years. I’ve always preferred to keep personal stuff private. I’m determined to work on that during this posting frenzy of a month.
A Uni professor I studied under would categorise number 2 as “join the conversation”, it’s one I like – writing posts to react or comment on other blog posts has always been a mainstay of my blog. đŸ™‚
I wish I could do step 1 some more. I used to add ideas to a “ToDo” list, but although I have returned and used some of the ideas on occasion, most of them just sit there never getting done.
I should probably work on 1. I often put off writing about something because “I can post about that later” but by the time I get around to it I’ve lost the drive. Better to at least write a draft while things are fresh on your mind.
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