Blogging for 30 Days: How to Survive
I've created content in the form of writing, podcasting, and video creation for the past 5 years of my life. But no matter how long I create, there's always been one obstacle to consistent creation (especially with blogging) that persists whether I'm blogging, podcasting, or making videos.
Writer's block
Once I know what I'm doing I can write like the wind, but that hinges on the ability to know exactly what I want to make, which is easier said than done. That being said, I'm taking on the challenge of blogging every day this month. To that end, I've put together a list of topics for blogging to fall back on in the event of a lack of inspiration.So whether you're preparing for NaNoWriMo, feeling uninspired, need a headstart, or have simply run out of ideas for blogging, this list will help.
1. What you learned in the past month
Include any trips you took, books and other forms of entertainment you found enlightening or thought-provoking, and any interesting people you met.
2. Current events: Both sides
Take a current event, domestic or international, and research it. Provide a run down of what happened, why it's happening, and how people are responding. Most current events have sides that disagree about what happened or what should happen as a result. Explain both sides.
3. Explain your daily routine (or part of it) and why it works for you
Everyone is different and has found different ways of living that work for them. I'm no exception. However, I picked up a lot of my habits as a result of observing what works for others. People could benefit from hearing about how you run your day, and why it works for you.
4. Explain why something you love doing excites you
The best way to get to know someone is to find out what they're passionate about. Let your readers know what that is for you!
5. What you're doing
Whether it's school, work, or a side project, explain why you're doing it, the challenges you face, and how you hope to overcome them.
6. What you're reading and how it will help others if THEY read it
Just as with sharing your daily routine, others can benefit from the hearing about the literature you've read. Reading is a great way to build your mind and absorb new ideas, so let your readers know what did that for you.
7. Your biggest failure and what you learned from it
This is your chance to outline a funny or interesting narrative from your life. Provide as much detail as possible to draw the reader in, and share what caused you to fail, how you overcame it, and how you live differently now as a result.
8. Biggest success and what made it so
We're taking a full 180 from the previous suggestion! Capture a success you've had in story form. Outline the road you had to take towards success, the challenges you overcame on that road, and what you learned from it.
9. A skill you have, how you learned it, and why others should too
Everyone has a unique set of talents and abilities. I always love hearing about what people can do and how it's done, and I'm sure others enjoy it as well. Discuss whether you've always had this skill, or how you came to learn it. Then show others how they can do so too, and why they should.
10. Software that you use that isn't an "industry standard" and why you use it as well/instead. How does it help you?
There are plenty of costly programs for a variety of tasks that are just accepted as "the norm". You use Premiere Pro for video editing, FL studio or Garageband for music creation, and Word for document writing.But if you look hard enough, there are alternatives that don't cost you an arm and a leg... if you know where to look.If you've found one of these alternatives, others could stand to hear your review. It's better than looking through (heaven help us) a Yahoo Answers page.
11. How YOU maintain a good work/life balance
Pretty straight forward. How much time do you spend on work, and how have you balanced that with personal life? Are there ways you could improve? If so, what will you commit to in order to achieve those improvements?
12. Tell a story about yourself
Could be another failure, success, or even just something bizarre that once happened. The only rule: It has to be amazing.
13. Write a piece on a personal hero/ someone you admire
The person who inspired you to pursue your dream. Your parents. The barista who knows your order and gets it started the moment you walk through the door. Anyone can touch your life in ways they may not realize. Write about how they did so and how it's affected you.
14. Pick a side in a recent topic of interest and defend your point of view with evidence, logic, and sources
Similar to the second item on this list, you will identify a current event and report on it. However, this isn't just a report. It's an opinion piece. Prove that you know what you're talking about, and justify your point of view by responding to the main arguments of those who disagree.
15. Educate. Whatever it is you do, teach me how to get started
Whether you are a writer, a video producer, an artist, a dancer, a lawyer, or any other number of things, you're privileged with the knowledge of what it takes to get to where you've gotten. There are plenty of young people who would like to be in your shoes, and you can give them that head start.
16. Observe a holiday
Checkiday.com is a great resource that lists all existing holidays and what day they fall on in a given year. Pick a date a few days from now, and find a holiday that falls on that day. Document the origin of a holiday, how it's spent, and how YOU'VE decided to observe it.
17. Book review. Review a book you recently read, or a personal favorite from the past
Quite similar to the sixth item, but with more detail. Don't just share what the book did for you. Explain exactly what the book is.
18. What grew you the most as a person in high school/ teen years?
The debate team. Your best friend. That one special teacher. To establish a connection with your readers, detail what it was in your teen years that affected you and made you who you are the most.
19. Something you own that you think everybody should have
Every once in a while, I'll stumble upon an infomercial or a Kickstarter product that I think everyone should have. This is usually a handy tool, gadget, or accessory that makes life easier or is just all around COOL.
20. Ship something you've made recently
By this, I mean to share something like a recent video project, website, or even a meal recipe you've made recently. If you haven't made anything, make something. This is number 20 on the list for a reason.
21. My story: The long version
I've written a "My Story" post before where I detail what I'm passionate about and how I got there. It's a short, maybe 6 paragraph read, and hardly tells the WHOLE story.Fix that. Tell me how you got where you are now. What did you accomplish in your teens? How did that make you who you are today?
22. Inform readers on what you enjoy
Maybe it's your favorite TV show, book series, or possibly even a video game. If there's a form of entertainment that you would consider yourself in the fandom of, share why with the world.
23. Adventure time!
Take some time to go on a trip. Walk through downtown, the park, or a forest. Grab your best camera and be artistic. Include these pictures in your post about what you found.
24. Find one thing you think should be fixed in this country, and propose a plan to fix it
Anyone can rant on Facebook about how cops are bad for shooting people so often, or how the presidential election sucks. What is lacking is an actual plan to solve any of these problems. Identify a key problem that this country faces, and provide a plan for how to solve it and how that plan is going to work.
25. Your worldview and why you believe it
Everyone has a belief (whether they realize it or not) about how the world came to be, what our purpose is, and how life ought to be lived. This encompasses everything from religion to morality to your general outlook on life. What do you believe?
26. What inspires you? How do you boost your own creativity?
You're a writer, and that means you are forced to be creative. What have you found helps you stay creative? A certain place, drink, or music? Share what works for you.
27. The three people
Say you could have dinner with three people. Who would they be? What would you discuss with them? Why those three?
28. What you learned this month
It's been an entire month since you last updated your readers on what you're learning, and now it's time to do it again.
29. What you plan to learn in your next month
Continuously learning relies on your ability to keep finding things to learn about. What do you plan to learn in the future, and how will you do that?
30. Your next list of blog posts
I've come up with ideas this time, but now it's your turn. Go to your place of inspiration and set aside some time to come up with your own list. It will help you to identify what you want to write about and what matters to you. Not only that, but it will prepare you for next month when you've used up this list and you're facing the second onslaught of writer's block.I thought of the ideas for this blog post one evening as I drank hot chocolate and I sat on my bed. That's my way to gain inspiration, and now it's your turn. Go to your place of inspiration and set aside some time to come up with your own list. It will help you to identify what you want to write about and what matters to you. Not only that, but it will prepare you for next month when you've used up this list and you're facing the second onslaught of writer's block.