It's January ... so if one of your goals for this year is "launch my new blog" or "post regularly on my existing blog", then one of your big challenges might be coming up with enough ideas for new posts.
Whether you're blogging for fun, to grow your reputation in a particular area, or to make money, you'll want a reasonably steady supply of new posts ... which means a steady supply of inspiration.
Here are seven handy places to find that:
#1: From Other Blogs You Read
I'm not suggesting you write a post that looks just like the last half-dozen posts you've read ... but sometimes, an idea or quote from another blogger can spark off your own ideas. Maybe they said something in passing that you want to draw out and make much more of, for instance -- or maybe they said something you disagree with.
#2: From the Questions You Had as a Beginner
If your blog involves helping people learn about a particular topic (whether that's parenting, gardening, writing, etc...) then think back to when you were just getting started. What did you struggle with? What questions did you have? Chances are, these will be the same issues that your readers are facing.
#3: From the Questions Other People Ask You
If you've been blogging for a while, or if you talk to people about your topic in other ways, think about the questions that crop up a lot. These make great blog posts too ... especially as then you can point people towards the post, instead of having to repeat or rewrite your answer every time.
#4: From Books You've Read Recently
Have you read any books related to your topic in the past few weeks or months? What did you think of them? You could write a review for your blog, or you could simply take inspiration from what the books did -- or didn't! cover. That might mean tackling a new topic, or taking on an angle that doesn't often get covered in your field.
#5: From Something You Wrote in the Past
I've been blogging for over ten years now, and inevitably, I've forgotten the details of most of the posts I've written! When I dig back into the Aliventures archives, I find all sorts of ideas in there -- especially when I wrote about something years ago and my thinking on that topic has moved on, or when I want to take something further.
#6: From the Tools You Own
Some topics lend themselves to this more than others -- but almost any topic will involve some sort of tools, whether those are digital (software) or physical (equipment). You could write about your favourite tools, bring together tools in specific categories, or whatever works for you and your topic.
#7: From the News
Is there a current news story, or something topical that you could write about? It doesn't necessarily have to be directly related to what you write about -- something topical, like the Olympics, the World Cup, Christmas, or a major news issue like Brexit, could form the basis of an interesting and unusual analogy.
If you're struggling for ideas, pick one (or more!) of the above methods and see if they bring up some inspiration. Don't censor your ideas, either: yes, some might not be quite there yet, but by writing down the over-done or unworkable ideas, you'll make it much easier to get to stronger ones.
