I'm going to honest with you, readers-- I had absolutely zero ideas when I sat down to write an article this week. This is the first time in 31 weeks that I have been completely stumped for ideas. This will be my 32nd article for Odyssey and I've run out of steam... or at least I thought.
For the occasional blogger/article-writer like myself, it can be hard to keep coming up with ideas that are relatable to other people but still personalized to what you want to write about. With that being said, here are a few things that help me when I have some serious writer's block:
Pull from the things around you.
Right now, my baby brother is watching Star Warsin the living room, it's snowing outside, and we're about to start putting decorations on the walls. If I think for about two minutes, those three things could lead to multiple different articles. It's just a matter of finding out what will and will not work for your audience.
Use Pinterest to look up journal prompts.
Pinterest is always full of ideas for just about anything, including writing! If you're ever stuck, just look up "journal prompts" and I guarantee that you will find something to write about. Give it a try!
Write about current events.
Opinion pieces are pretty popular on the internet right now, so read the news! Write what you think about politics, movies, the weather-- literally anything. Just make sure you have all the facts before writing; there's nothing worse than reading an article where the author has no idea what they're talking about.
Log ALL of your ideas.
If you wake up in the middle of the night with a great idea, write it down. Don't wait; it will most likely be gone from your brain in a few hours. Soon enough, you'll have a list of ideas you can pull from when you're feeling stuck.
Free write.
This is possibly the most useful tool for me when I have writer's block. Just write. Get a notebook or a laptop, and write about anything. It doesn't have to be good-- it doesn't even have to make sense. Just write! It will get your creative juices flowing and you'll be unstuck in no time.
If you really want to improve your writing, do this once a day. It'll keep your ideas fresh and you'll always be ready to write.
Nobody likes writer's block, but there are definitely ways around it. Try some of these tips out-- you never know what might work for you!
