Subscribe to RSS Feed

It’s natural…everyone encounters writer’s block at some point in their career while composing a blog post.  Although it is frustrating to be in this position, there are ways to conquer this condition.  Although creativity comes and goes, that doesn’t mean it disappears forever.  By continuously feeding your imagination, this will aid in decreasing your writer’s block symptoms.

Some of the most important advice is to not give up when the blank screen is staring back at you, no matter what.  Here are some blogging tips to win the fight over an empty page:

#1: Generate Ideas Separately From Writing

Come up with your ideas before you sit down to write. You can set aside specific times to generate ideas or you can just jot them down in a notebook.  So then when you sit down to write, you will have an idea ready to work on.

Source: Powells.com

#2: Start Off With Someone Else’s Words

Often, it’s hard to put the first words down onto that blank page. So start off with some ready-made words! Take a quote from a blog post that’s inspired you, or from a book that you’re reading. Copy it onto your page, and then start writing down your thoughts about it.

#3: Write an Outline Before You Start

Outlines are great for several reasons:

  • They often give you ready-made subheadings or list items for your post
  • They let you see how far through the post you are, which is motivating
  • They help you to create a structured, coherent post that comes across well to readers

#4: Set a Timer – and Write

Have you noticed that when you sit down to write a blog post, all sort of other activities suddenly look attractive?  Instead of getting distracted, set a 30 minute time block and write without stopping. No checking emails, no Twitter, no Facebook. You’ll be amazed how far you can get.

#5: Start With a Question

The first few lines of a post are often the hardest to write. There are a variety of ways to grab the readers’ attention, but an easy one if you’re stuck is to open your post with a question.

#6: Use a Prompt to Get You Going

Sometimes, you’ll find that none of your previously-thought-up ideas inspire you.  If that happens, a writing prompt is a great way to get going.  A prompt can be anything at all: a line from a song, an image, a question, or even a single word.

So when you find yourself wondering if your next blog post will ever come out, look back at these tips to get yourself started!

 

Digg This
Reddit This
Stumble Now!
Buzz This
Vote on DZone
Share on Facebook
Bookmark this on Delicious
Kick It on DotNetKicks.com
Shout it
Share on LinkedIn
Bookmark this on Technorati
Post on Twitter
Google Buzz (aka. Google Reader)

Tags: , , , ,

Leave a Reply

RSS Sister Blog – Astonish Results News

  • Newest Astonish Team Members are Software Geniuses! May 15, 2012
    Astonish has been busy scouting the best software developers in the biz and we’re happy to announce that we finally found them! Allow us to introduce our newest team members, Mike Benveniste and Kyle Bober. Mike joins the Astonish family to fill the role of Senior Software Architect and Kyle takes the title of Senior […]
    acollins
  • ACT Now! Watch This Week’s eMarketing Minute on Insurance Journal TV! May 4, 2012
    In this week’s eMarketing Minute, Adam DeGraide sits down with Jim Armitage, the Chairman of Agents Council for Technology (ACT), and owner of Arroyo Insurance. They discuss his role with ACT and how the organization is helping insurance professionals embrace and leverage huge technological changes in the industry. The new video is available now exclusively […]
    acollins
  • This week’s B.I.G. eMarketing Minute! April 24, 2012
    This week’s Insurance Journal TV eMarketing Minute features Jon Spaugy, the president of company council for Brokers Insurance Group. Adam DeGraide sat down with Jon to get the scoop on his rapidly growing organization. In this video, entitled “Brokers Insurance Group or B.I.G”, Jon’s passion for helping insurance agents to network, market, and grow is […]
    acollins
  • Astonish is Publically Recognized for its Charitable Contributions April 20, 2012
    Last December Astonish raised over $28,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island and now local publications are taking notice! Providence Business News recently published an article highlighting the company’s contribution to the charity. Astonish is honored to be included in such a prestigious local publication and to be a growing, […]
    acollins
  • Astonish Results is Looking Forward to the 2012 TMPAA Mid Year Meeting! April 18, 2012
    From April 30th to May 2nd, Astonish Results will be meeting, greeting, and inspiring over 600 insurance program business professionals at the Target Market Program Administrators Association 2012 Mid Year Meeting. This year, the TMPAA meeting will be held in West Copley Place, Boston, MA, and is featuring Keynote speaker Ted Koppel and Industry Speaker [... […]
    acollins

RSS Brother Blog – Astonishing Agencies

  • These Agencies are Rocking the Astonish System! May 15, 2012
    Tweet John Andrade Insurance and Better Business Planning Insurance are revitalized and excited to sell! After signing on with Astonish, these agencies attended training sessions that motivated them to implement digital marketing and other proven sales strategies. A new energy and culture in these offices is steering them toward success. John Andrade Insuran […]
    acollins
  • These Agencies have seen Astonishing Results! May 11, 2012
    Tweet This month, we’d like to spotlight three agencies that are diving headfirst into the Astonish system and seeing great results! Preferred Insurance, Lloyd Pro Group, and Peck-Glasgow Agency are rocking their social media and VIOs and seeing awesome growth. They’ve become Astonish success stories! After attending Astonish training, Dan Muhlenkamp from Pr […]
    acollins
  • Cheney Insurance has Achieved Astonish Results Success April 27, 2012
    Tweet After being inspired by Astonish’s email campaigns, Cheney Insurance dove head-first into capturing client email addresses and has reached heightened levels of success! The agency has dedicated itself to building and correcting their current client email database. Cheney Insurance, located in Damariscotta, Maine, and specializing in Maine life insuranc […]
    acollins
  • St. Johns Insurance: Another Astonish Success Story April 20, 2012
    Tweet As Astonish reviews many of its successful clients, St. Johns Insurance is a true standout. Since signing on with Astonish in July, the agency has made several positive changes in its culture and procedures. This motivated agency is based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and specializes in Windstorm Insurance. St. Johns Insurance has taken […]
    acollins
  • The Insurance Company of Florida is an Astonishing Agency April 18, 2012
    Tweet “And because of this, the agency saw a 300% increase in business from their first to second year in business.” Got your attention? Good. Let’s talk about why we love working with the Insurance Company of Florida, and how they’ve been absolutely crushing it. The agency has been soaking in the sales-centric culture and […]
    acollins

RSS Cousin Blog – Ganis Consulting

  • Insurance Training Summit You Don’t Want to Miss May 8, 2012
    In October of this year, Astonish and several Sponsors to be named will be holding the eagent summit in Orlando Florida. I attended the eagent Summit in 2011 and it was amazing. There’s a great general session, and breakout training sessions on virtually any subject you can imagine. The Summit will have courses on Blogging, […]
    Stuart Ganis
  • Great Article on how Insurance Agents can Leverage LinkedIn May 7, 2012
    Our good friends at Insurance Journal published an article from the CEO of Astonish, Adam DeGraide. Here’s a short excerpt from the article with a link to read the entire piece. This post is part of a series on insurance marketing and training sponsored by Astonish Results. Since it focuses on business and networking opportunities as […]
    Stuart Ganis
  • Insurance Agencies Need a Digital Marketing Strategy April 30, 2012
    I taught a class this Saturday at the NetVu Conference in Anaheim, Ca and had about 40 Agencies in attendance. We discussed the Big Rocks of Digital Marketing and the participation of the agencies was amazing! As NetVu members, these are agents that have obviously embraced technology, but Digital Marketing seems to be a challenge […]
    Stuart Ganis
  • Come Visit us at the NetVu Conference in Anaheim Apr 26-28 April 26, 2012
    This week is the NetVu Conference in Anaheim California. Vertafore always puts on a great show with a First Class Trade Show, Education and Entertainment. We’re very excited to attend and highly suggest that you register. We’re a Platinum Sponsor at the event and I’ll be speaking Saturday at 8:15am. There are tons of exhibitors and […]
    Stuart Ganis
  • Mercury Insurance Awarded by Forbes April 26, 2012
    Once again, Mercury Insurance has been named one of America’s most trustworthy companies’ by Forbes Magazine. As a former Mercury Agent and Vendor that currently services many Mercury Agents, we’re extremely happy for them and the timing couldn’t be better as they’re celebrating their 50th anniversary. You can read the full article here. Congrats! […]
    Stuart Ganis

RSS Insurance Journal

  • Group Urges N.Y. to Overhaul Regulation of Force-Placed Insurance May 17, 2012
    The Consumer Federation of America (CFA), a Washington, D.C.-based consumer advocacy group, today called on New York regulators to become a national leader in overhauling regulation of force-placed insurance (FPI) for homeowners. New York Financial Services Department is holding a … […]
    admin
  • Lafayette, Louisiana, Traffic Camera Program to Continue May 17, 2012
    Lafayette, La.’s traffic camera enforcement program will remain in place. The City-Parish Council voted to extend Lafayette Consolidated Government’s contract with Redflex Traffic Systems, but it drastically changed the extension negotiated by City-Parish President Joey Durel’s administration. The council not … […]
    admin
  • Hawaii Health Insurance Providers Report 1Q Income May 17, 2012
    Hawaii’s two largest health insurance providers earned operating income during the first three months of the year. Hawaii Medical Service Association on Tuesday reported operating gain of $7.2 million for the quarter, amounting to just over 1 percent of dues … […]
    admin

Canonical URL by SEO No Duplicate WordPress Plugin