Getting started

[Allison]

Hello all!

I recently started a blog that focuses on my work/life experiences as it pertains to me as a member of "generation y." I started the blog because I was reading so much about my generation and found myself wanting to explore what that means. When I first started I had a lot to say. Now I am stuck! I havent written in about a month and I would really like to get back on track. Part of it is that I am not reading as much as I was before. Also, I will start a blog and suddenly not have any idea of where it is going and will never complete it.

I am asking if any of have suggestions/tips for staying on track and keeping the juices flowing. I would really like to the keep blog going.

[Simon Thomas]

Hi Allison. There are a few tips you can use to get some ideas for posting. One of the most common is to read up on what others in your area of interest are writing about. This will get you up to speed on the current trends and news as well as giving you something to respond to. if you read something you don't agree with, you can respond on your blog and strike up a conversation.

Another technique I use is to trawl through my logs to see what people are searching for. Often people will get to your site with a query that doesn't exactly match your content. You can take advantage of this by writing a post that does meet the query.

I write up some quick tips a while ago on finding content for your blog. You can read it here - http://www.oakinnovations.co.uk/blog/2007/08/04/how-to-scientifical...

Hope that helps!

[Michele Martin]

Hi Allison--First of all, recognize that this is REALLY common and that you aren't alone. Sometimes it's a matter of needing some down-time from your blog to get the juices flowing again. I seem to periodically go through these times where I just can't think of anything to write about, but eventually the mojo returns. I actually went through this a few weeks ago and ended up writing a post about it with advice from other bloggers that might be helpful.

Another way to move is to think about writing different kinds of posts. Here's a list of 37 different kinds of posts you could do--maybe one or more of these gives you some ideas that you could apply to the Gen Y experience.

Simon makes a good point that it can help to read what other people are writing. I set up Google Alerts for the topics that interest me (like Generation Y) and subscribe to Technorati and del.icio.us tags to keep an eye on what people are saying. Here's a quick little tutorial on subscribing to Google Alerts if you aren't familiar with how to do it.

I hope some of this helps. And hey--I live in Philly too--we should connect in person!

[Christy Tucker]

One of the things I've done is keep a list of ideas as they come to me. I have basically a "buffer list" of topics I can write about if I'm feeling uninspired. It helps with the "I don't have anything to write about" days (although it doesn't do anything for not being motivated to write!).

It took me a while to create a list and have that backup resource though. It sounds like you need something a little more to get you started though. What about doing a concept map to help you plan out a bunch of potential concepts? You start with Gen Y in the center, then have your big categories: work, life, relationships, race, or however you want to divide it up. Within each of those categories, think of possible topics. A series can be especially good, because if you plan out a bunch of posts in order it seems easier to keep it going.

Lest you think this great idea is original to me, check out where Darren Rowse explains it.

One thing I noticed on your blog is that there aren't any images or multimedia. It sounds like just reading isn't inspiring you right now, so what about looking somewhere other than just text for your inspiration? Maybe some YouTube videos will inspire you to comment. Maybe a Flickr search for Gen Y or race relations or Philadelphia will spark an idea for a post. What music gets you energized and makes you want to write?

Best of luck!

[Allison]

Hey all!

Thank you so much for the advice! Reading other blogs in my field really helped as well as commenting on other blogs and just free writing from time to time to get the juices flowing.

Thanks :-)