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What to do when you can’t think of a good blog topic?

I’m committed to one blog article per week. Since I started on January 1, 2014 I’ve been keeping up. 

But some weeks I struggle to come up with a good topic. I start working on the week’s article on Monday for a Saturday posting deadline. The routine goes like this: 

Monday: Come up with an idea and write a short introduction. Do any on line research needed for topic. 

Tuesday and Wednesday: Develop the article, expand ideas, edit on the fly. 

Thursday: Start wrapping it up. Write a conclusion. 

Friday: Edit and proofread. 

Late Friday/Early Saturday: Post article. 

The problem is, if I can’t think of  a good topic, or I don’t like the topic, then the process cannot move forward. This week, I’m recycling a topic I used a few weeks ago and writing a follow up to it. It’s a worthwhile topic but I don’t feel the love the way I did the first time around. 

I’m also conflicted with posting longer & more detailed, but less frequent articles, vs. shorter articles more than once a week. 

I’m not looking for answers necessarily. Mostly venting. 🙂

Thanks for listening, everyone. I’m new here and grateful for the support. 

 

My blog is at http://www.twentyfirstsummer.com  

 

 

 

 

 

9 thoughts on “What to do when you can’t think of a good blog topic?”

  3. I’ve got so many half completed topics. The idea works in theory but doesn’t come through in practice. Keep it on file. What doesn’t fly today may come together in two weeks, two months or even two years time!

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  4. Your blog is well thought out and well written. I’m now a follower.
    I’ve been posting everyday. Sometimes I write something inspirational, (hopefully) helpful or cheerful. I also love photography, (and what it can say) and usually include a photo in each post. I’ve recently tried a couple of videos (but that’s a learning curve). To me, Humour is also a part of healing.
    Mostly I want to help people. But I often wish I’d edited more or waited a few days before posting. I really admire your commitment to that. I’ve found the most viewed posts, are the ones where I’ve been aiming for helpful: That’s what I’m most passionate about. But I’ve haven’t been posting as long as you.
    You are passionate about so many important things and that comes through in your writing. I feel that if you continue to write about what you are passionate about, the words will come.

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  5. As someone whose posts don’t depend on research too much, I wouldn’t know the time and effort that goes into but I can imagine that if you don’t get the idea sorted first it’s difficult to motivate yourself afterwards. That said, if I don’t get an idea for a post, I let it go-if I’m not excited or interested in it enough, then why would other people? I have lots of ideas banging about in my head and I have a notebook I jot ideas down in as they come to me-maybe that’s an idea to consider? If not, best I can say is, take a break, recharge and let it stew.

    -The Ace

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  6. I post as and when a good topic to write about comes to me. Like you, Chris, my aim was to post once a week but over the last month, its been up to three times a week, although the blogging 101 course was part of that. I have a few draft posts which I go back to every now and again but as yet I’ve not deleted anything. However, I have only been a blogger since February so I am sure the days of deleting something will come. As the others above have said, the Daily Prompt from WordPress does really help and one of my short stories, which I posted a few weeks back, was as a result of one of their prompts.

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  7. Wow, so much positivity and good will going on here!

    I am reading every reply and taking them to heart. I’m also slowly adding blogs to my “follow” list.

    I do have a pool of my own half-baked ideas and some of them will eventually turn into completed articles.

    It would be great to blog every day but I do have time constraints. And if I can’t put up something I feel good about then I’ll wait. I don’t believe in posting just for the sake of keeping a schedule.

    Thanks again everyone.

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  9. I agree with you Chris! I also have time constraints, so I usually draft the posts I want to finish later, then I write them completely on weekends. This gives me the time to think about these drafts and decide whether they deserve to be published or not.

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