If you write for your blog on a regular basis, there are times when your ideas simply do not come together for you. Either you cannot find a topic that moves you enough to write about it, or you cannot find the right approach to write about the topic with a fresh perspective and in an interesting way. Here some specific suggestions, which if applied, can overcome “writer’s block,” help you to choose an interesting topic whenever you need one and enable you to effectively write about it:

1. Cultivate the habit of looking at familiar things in new ways, i.e., in an unusual way that most people would not think of. To accomplish this, practice reversing the natural order of things or asking the question “what if?”

2. Be alert when people around you are complaining about something that really annoys them (as long as it is not you…) The little, and sometimes big, annoyances of life can be good material to write about, especially if it is a common annoyance.

3. Try to be curious about everything and interested in many things. When you are always looking for answers or asking questions, you are developing an analytical approach to life that enables you to see more deeply and with more insight into life situations. What you discover about anything that you investigate with this kind of well-honed intellectual curiosity, you can share with your readers who may not be inclined by disposition or opportunity, to analyze something in the same way you can.

4. Develop an instinct for news and an understanding of how to report news by listening, reading and watching news stories and noting how journalists present the facts of an event. This will help you develop the skill, if you do not already have it, of being able to write more fluently if and when you have news or new information to report in your blog, article or news item.

5. Always be alert to the unusual story about the strange, the odd, the eerie, the unbelievable, the shocking or the ridiculous. People, are, generally, fascinated by these kinds of stories, as evidenced by the incredible success of the “tabloids.” A century or more ago, before modern communication, these sorts of accounts would be passed around town, village or countryside in the form of particularly delicious morsels of gossip. Today, topics based on the above themes are popular posts on blogs.

6. Write through all your senses: Smell, Taste, Touch, Sight, Sound. Describing experiences in terms of the sensory impressions, helps to create strong imagery that will powerfully and vividly communicate every meaning and idea about your subject that you want to convey.

7. Think of an adventure you have had, or perhaps, one of your friends or relatives have had an adventure. Write about it and try to find a general lesson to connect with the experience, so you can share it with your readers. Many readers who are not adventurous, love to read about the daring exploits of others, as long as they can read from the comfort of home.

8. Write about something that everyone can identify with; some idea or problem that is commonly encountered by the general public—Things like: bad drivers, exasperating bureaucrats who have, unfortunately, enough authority to affect our quality of life by their bad decisions or refusal to approve some important legal document we need, rude sales people, difficult coworkers; you could probably add to this list—and should! That is how you discover new material for posts or articles.

9. Read through a book of quotes. Select a few that interest you. Use one of these as the basis for a new post, connecting the quote to some personal experience or accounts from modern society that show the truth, wisdom and relevance of the quote.

10. Use the “title format” in which a specified number of items promise a desired result or outcome, e.g.:

6 Things that I learned when I…

3 Things you need to…

5 Things you cannot afford to be without…

7 Simple Ideas That Will Help You to…

12 Suggestions to Help You Choose… etc.

You get the idea. Titles such as these possess an almost irresistible, curiosity-provoking attraction for readers. Use these titles as a theme for a post and you should find it easy to write the posts.

11. Write with great zeal and enthusiasm! If you can write in this way and can convey your own sense of wonder, fascination, and excitement through the written word, then you are going to inspire your readers with a sense of wonder, fascination and excitement. It is contagious. This effect is similar to that of a group of neighborhood children who spontaneously gather around the one child holding a three-legged frog, all pressing in closely with irrepressible curiosity, to get a glimpse of this wonderful thing. That is how you should write: You must try to be the child holding the three-legged frog.

12. Write about human virtues and vices. There is a rich source of useful material that can be derived from personality traits of people. Shakespeare was a master at identifying and using these traits to create memorable characters in his plays. You can use these too. You can write about the noble qualities of human beings such as selflessness, loyalty, kindness, perseverance etc. Also remember that people love stories that have a happy ending and they enjoy reading about others who have triumphed over hardships and attained success.

People’s less appealing qualities also offer interest. Unbridled greed, deception, conspiratorial scheming and stupidity(my personal favorite) can be written about in either a serious way or humorously.

The next time you are searching for a good idea for your next topic, try these 12 suggestions. Here is one reason why you should try them: They work. These suggestions can help you to find your next topic and and they can help you write a wonderful article or post.

Thanks for reading.   I hope you will come again,

–wil