Thursday, September 9, 2010

Don't blog crap

Woohoo!!! It's Thursday!!!!

Be sure to check out my Gossip Giveaway!!

Elana Johnson, Alex Cavanaugh and I are at it again!!! Check out their point of views on WHAT TO BLOG ABOUT!

(Alex will post about this and our next topic tomorrow!!!)

Ever have that day where you wake up and you don't have ANYTHING to talk about?

Yeah, don't worry, we all have those days!!!

That's when I tap into my idea bucket. That's right, what I like to call my idea bucket, it's where I jot down things that I COULD blog about when I run out of things to say.

Right now in my bucket I have about 4 ideas sitting there. I write all my blogs on Sunday so that means throughout the week when I have ideas I don't use them, I house them just incase on Sunday I'm not full of ideas! It's good to have something to always fall back on!

However just incase you don't have an idea bucket like me (which I think you should strongly consider) here are some tips to help you get through your blogging schedule!

1. Fun ideas - Seriously... I cannot talk enough about FUN! I have a blogging schedule I go by when I run out of things... This is a guide for me when I've lost all blogging ability. It looks like this:
Writings on the wall - An experiment where I write standing up and share what I wrote.
Tuesday Twist - I find three books I'm interested in, share the synopsis with you and ask which one you would read WITHOUT knowing the title. At the end I reveal the title and author and see your response on what you thought.
Wednesday Writing - A post related to writing or inspiration, characters, outlining, quotes, anything I want.
Truth Thursdays - Sharing five things about myself that can sometimes be insanely weird.
Friday - Misc. day... talk about giveaways, life, writing, the world is my playground.
2. Look Out - Scope out what bloggers are talking about. It helps you gauge what's on people's mind and could give you some awesome inspiration from someone else's blog idea. Make sure if you steal their idea that you give them credit for it!
3. Writing - There are several processes to follow when writing a book, depending on what phase your end you can talk about it. Talk about your favorite process of writing. I love character collages so there are times I'll share pictures with you to show off what I've been working on!
4. Life & Love - Sometimes we need a break from writing, reading or talking about both. Share some interesting and fun facts about yourself... or if they're not interesting make them that way.

FOR INSTANCE: Right now I'm watching the Rachel Zoe project. That statement is not very fun at the moment... however I can jazz it up...

Currently I'm watching Rachel Zoe going giddy over Kate Hudson in London, while I'm dreaming of getting off my bum to take a shower and follow by making myself a full stack of pancakes. Still dreaming since I'm still blogging... will remain hungry for time being.

(SEE, I just jazzed it up!)

So when you think you're all blogged out, remember there is always something that you can make interesting, always a structure you can fall back on to make yourself an easy week, if not, start stalking the blogs for inspiration!

73 comments:

Bish Denham said...

Wow! Excellent suggestions Jen! I do keep a list of things I can blog about, but it never seems long enough...you know? Like I'm going to run out of ideas at any moment! :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

My post on this will be up tomorrow!
I never lack for ideas, but then I cover a lot of subjects outside of writing. I think I even mention in my post that I've an unusual blog for a writer...

Candyland said...

You're good at jazzing things up:) xoxo

Golden Eagle said...

I get ideas, but then I somehow manage to forget them or get out of the mood to write them. I should start keeping list and maybe write down the details so I can remember better what I was thinking. :P

Jessica Bell said...

You're a jazzerupperer! ;o) Um, now I want pancakes!!!!

Christine Fonseca said...

Great suggestions - every single one!

Diana Mieczan said...

Totally agree...I have a little idea folder on my desktop...sometimes when I dont have a clue what to write about I just pop over there and find something I like...hahahha...Wonderful tips,sweetie

Have a fantastic Thursday....I cant wait for the weekend..Yay!!!...I am in such a need of sleep...hahah

Kisses

Christina Lee said...

Yep, Jen--you hit it out of the park! I definitely have a list of ideas and have learned that this is key after two years of blogging! And sometimes, I'd rather hear about things other than writing/books when all I'ved one is read writer's blogs that day ;--)

Karen Lange said...

Good tips! You're right, inspiration is everywhere. I keep a list of ideas in a notebook, on scraps of paper on my desk, on my laptop...:)

Crystal Cook said...

Great ideas jen :) Oooh, pancakes sound SO good right now ;)

Erinn said...

Once long ago I had a plan when it came to my blog. Now I have too many ideas.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who blogs ahead of time.

Meredith said...

I love the idea bucket idea! Definitely need to start brainstorming some more fun ideas--thanks for the advice, Jen! And yay for making a stack of pancakes!

Can't wait to meet you tonight!!!

Theresa Milstein said...

Good advice for people who struggle.

You and Elana impress me because you write your posts in advance. Mine are usually same day because once I write it, I want to post it! I have a folder of ideas and half or completed posts (for when I wrote too many to post at once) that I use if I'm out of ideas.

Kittie Howard said...

Jazzing stuff up is good southern drama I love!

Tammy (The Book Fairy's Haven) said...

What a great post - and such excellent advice for anyone who is suffering from blogger's block. Thanks for the follow :) Glad you love the Tinkerbell header. Am now also a new follower :)

Serena said...

Ohhh great ideas, i do sometimes wonder about what to write. I would like to blog daily but never think of anything exciting exciting to say. The Bucket is a great idea. might try that my self.

Stina said...

I love the idea of themes. Okay, maybe that's because I do the same thing. I write my blog posts in advance, too. Mainly because I need to give them space before I edit them.

Fortunately, I've got tons of ideas for my Wednesday's posts. Though I don't have anything quite as thought provoking as yesterday's topic. Whew! I need a break after all the excitement.

LTM said...

what's all this Rachel Zoe crap???

j/k--I have a stash of blogs that I wrote that just didn't feel right for whatever reason at the time I was going to post them...

does that count? I thought the bucket was for chicken. Or was that what you were supposed to do before you die or something. Never saw that movie...

Summer Ross said...

I usually do my post atleast one day ahead, that way they get posted on time lol. Blog stalking for ideas is great- sometimes I read someone elses blog- like yours Jen- and boom- idea pops into my head!

Serena said...

this sounds like fun. Ill be giving it ago, but i need to get snooping ;) so ill get back to you jen.

vic caswell said...

the idea bucket is a golden idea!

Karen Jones Gowen said...

Jen you could blog about a dandelion and make it fun and interesting! I especially like the title of this post LOL.

Sondrae Bennett said...

Your idea bucket is great! I'm totally going to use Tuesday Twist on my blog!

Erica Mitchell said...

You amaze me with you ability to plan so far in advance with you blog ideas. Mine come at some point during the day, I hope...
I need a schedule of some sort so my "bucket" has a few more topics in it so at midnight I'm not just staring at the computer waiting for it to blog for me :)
And your a great jazzerupper

Jillian said...

Wow Jen you are one wise blogger lol

Melissa Hurst said...

I am terrible about waiting until the last minute to come up with a blog topic and often I have to THINK for a while. So I'm going to give the blog idea list a try. And I love all of your suggestions! Thanks for doing this series!

Anonymous said...

Fascinating and useful stuff. Thanks for sharing this.

Have a nice day, Boonie

M. said...

you are most def Jazzy. :)

Matthew MacNish said...

I pretty much just wing it, making posts up the morning of ... unless there's a guest. Then I do plan ahead, out of respect, but otherwise I'm just too lazy.

Great post though Jen, lots of good ideas here. You're obviously very organized!

Elana Johnson said...

Excellent list. I forgot to mention in my post that you should poach! Doh! I'm gonna go fix that.

Cruella Collett said...

Great list!

For me the problem usually isn't not having ideas, but not having the faith in that they will work out as blog posts. It's similar to how there are certain days when I have "nothing to wear". I do have a closet full of clothes, but there are days when nothing I have feels "right". Usually it's just a matter of trying on a few different outfits, and then I eventually find something I tolerate (often it helps to put on a pair of spiffy earrings).

Same thing goes for blog topics. If nothing in my idea bucket (or computer folder, as it actually is) feels right, then I try to sit down with them for a while and think of what I can do. Sometimes my best blog posts come out of this process.

Lindsay said...

Great list Jen.

I'm a blog post pantser, but I'm trying to get a pre-blog writing schedule together. Now I've got a handy cheat sheet of ideas. Better get my jazz hands ready. :)

Emily White said...

Is that like jazzercise? :D

Great post and awesome suggestions!

Colene Murphy said...

wow. youre just boggling my mind this week!

Ann said...

An idea bucket. Hemm, interesting. I really liked the way you jizzed things up too.

Lenny Lee said...

hi miss jen! wow you sure got good ideas for blogging. for me i mostly do one post a week. i try to do something people could like that fun or some different. for me i dont have lots of ideas. maybe you do cause your lots older than me and got a lot more going on in your life.
...hugs from lenny

Laura S. said...

I have an idea bucket similar to yours! It's a notebook just for blog ideas.

Great tips here!

Roxy said...

Very funny! I like the suggestion about stockpiling blogging ideas for those off days. From now on, I swear-- no more crap blogs. ;)

Shannon O'Donnell said...

Lots of great ideas, Jen! Thanks for the tips. :-)

Melissa said...

Throughout this week you have clearly shown how you have reached 700+ followers. (This is an insane number, by the way - Congratulations!!)

These are really excellent suggestions. I have this problem - one week I'll have a billion ideas for blogs but not write them down and then the next I'll be like... oh what did I want to blog about again. And then, like the bad person I am, I probably just WON'T blog. I'm definitely going to start an idea bucket. Thanks Jen.

Also in response to your comment. No I have never met JK Rowling. If I had...trust me, the world would know, it would be in my sidebar - at the top, at all times. I would kill to meet her. (Though I do plan - IF i ever get my book published to buy a copy and send her a copy of it and write her a letter telling her that she was a huge inspiration to me and a huge reason why I decided to turn my love of storytelling into writing. Whether she reads it or not is irrelevant. Though HOW cool would that be?)

Also, thanks for the convert. I've hit 101 which is totally, completely, awesomely amazing to me! So THANKS Jen.

HP reveal tomorrow. :D

Lola Sharp said...

You go, jazzy girl!

Bring me the idea bucket. (oops, I just went to a Monty Python place...sorry)

You can call me Ant. said...

Thanks for the tips! I read your blog earlier this morning, but didn't have time to comment on it until just now. I seriously need to get an idea bucket.....really, and maybe I'll look into writing blogs on a particular day, that's a good idea, I might be more productive with my real writing if I set blog time aside and not try to use it to procrastinate.

jenny wilson said...

great tips as usualx

Aubrie said...

Great advice! The title really got me. I was thinking: do I ever blog about crap?

Nicole Zoltack said...

I've only started recently to write blogs in advance and omg, it is so helpful! Especially with two little ones under two. Yes, I'm crazy, I know. The idea of writing down future blog topics is a great idea, one I'm gonna steal. :)

TerryLynnJohnson said...

very helpful post.

VICTORIA SAAVEDRA said...

Great suggestions. I like the way you think :)

Alison Pearce Stevens said...

Brilliant! I love your idea bucket. I keep a short list of ideas, too, but I need to go back to writing my blog posts on one day of the week, so I have more time to write later on. Thanks, Jen!

Emily Cross said...

Excellent post and thanks for adding me :)!!

I've come up with great ideas before but I always a] don't stick to them or b] they fall flat on their faces (so maybe they weren't that great lol)

I like your suggestions though and your blog is gorgeous!

February Grace said...

Wow.

"Don't blog crap"???

Respectfully, I would assert that like taste in books, movies and music, what constitutes 'crap' in a blog post/blog overall is all subjective. One blogger's 'crap' may be another's inspiration, or story that brightens their day, or makes them laugh or cry or feel connected.

I don't think one size fits all in blogs- in fact, I think I will have to blog about that.

Thanks for sharing your viewpoint!

~bru

Southpaw said...

I’ve been waiting for this post! I have a basic set of ideas to write about but I’ve wanted to expand it, but I wasn’t sure how. Thanks. I love your “fun ideas”.

Clare C. Greenstreet said...

Hey great suggestions! Just got onto this blog after I saw your comment on my blog. By the way, my follow button is very near the bottom of the page. You have to scrowl down a long way to find it.

SusanKMann said...

Hi, Thanks for visiting my blog and for all your lovely comments. I am following back, it looks great and a fantastic and helpful post thanks. xx

Angie said...

Haha. Now you have me thinking that I blogged crap today. Oh well. Srsly, you won't even come look at my spider? I like your ideas, though that would take an awful lot of organization on my part and i don't think I'm capable of that. :)

Anonymous said...

Heh, I like to stalk other blogs for inspiration too. It's the lazy blogger's way out!

I keep all my blog ideas in a Microsoft Word document, and I try to mix them up; that way, I won't blog about a similar topic twice in a row.

Kelly Polark said...

I love your ideas! I do have a few blog posts ready that I use when I can't think of anything! I do need a Word File with general ideas that I can use when needed!

Terry Stonecrop said...

Great advice! The one thing I'm never at a loss for is ideas. Whenever I get one I start it, usually at night or on weekends. When I'm really on a roll I may write two or three posts in a day.

But I've worked as a journalist so I'm used to pumping out words. I find fiction harder to pump out.

I only blog once a week, and that's the way I like it, but it helps to have some already written. I know if I get a crazy week, I can count on my back-ups.

Erin Kane Spock said...

Excellent jazzing.
I have moments of blog genius (or just ideas) randomly. I try to go type right at that minute or it will flutter away. Thank goodness for scheduled posts. Seriously, sometimes I'll churn out 10 posts in days, then do nothing for a long time. Then I have that "Oh yeah! I forgot I wrote that" moment when something scheduled pops up.
I schedule mine ever 3-5 days unless there's a blogfest.

Rose Cooper said...

LOVE this post Jen! I was actually going to ask you if you could help me a bit with this, so this came at the perfect time! I'm so unorganized and I need to do a more scheduled blog, not just random things everyday. Yay you! This definitely gives me somewhere to start!

N. R. Williams said...

I'm still learning. three days is all I can handle right now. I have definite ideas for Monday and Wednesday and don't know for Friday.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author

Janet Johnson said...

Great ideas! I think I will steal your "idea bucket" idea. So smart! (So why haven't I thought of it?)

Kimberly Franklin said...

You're so full of great blogging advice! Now, if you could just figure out a way where I could clone myself and do everything I wanted... well, that would be super awesome!! :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for being such a sweet, positive blogger! You have such great ideas and inspiration. What an awesome post!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Great ideas to keep blogging. Lately I've been having a lot of "omgosh what am I going to say" moments ;)

Lyn
W.I.P. It: A Writer's Journey

Jai Joshi said...

So many cool tips, Jen!

Jai

Shelley Sly said...

I love this blog series you guys have going on! Excellent advice, girl! :)

T.J. Carson said...

Great tips Jen!!! And I always loved your Tuesday Twist :)

Carolyn V. said...

Whew! Excellent advice Jen. I totally need an idea bucket!

Arlee Bird said...

I take much the same approach as you do.

I find that having my regular schedule of different features each day makes it extremely easy to come up with ideas.

Whenever I come up with a new idea I will either add to a list I keep in a file or I start a new blog entry to be completed when I ready to do so and schedule it for a couple months in advance so it stays on top of my scheduled blogs list--I just reschedule the posting date when it's ready to go.

There should really never be a dry season for blog topics if you follow the suggestions both you and I have offered.

Lee
Tossing It Out

ali cross said...

I have an idea bucket too! It's on my iPhone so it's with me whenever/wherever and when inspiration strikes--I get it down (with at least a bullet point or two to remind me what the heck I was thinking about when I jotted it down because in the past I haven't and then I'm left going what???). My little list has bailed me out more times than I can count!

Ellie Garratt said...

I have an idea bucket as well! Usually just post-it notes with a few scribbled ideas, but it comes in handy.


p.s. I'm running a competition until the 21st September.

Ellie Garratt said...

Aggh. I got the link wrong. I'll try again.

Competition

Jennifer Shirk said...

Your blog post title hooked me in and I had to read. LOL

Great advice!!