Generating content is undoubtedly one of the most difficult aspects of maintaining a blog. It’s also, I imagine, the biggest reasons why people give up on their blog; they simply run out of things to say. So it should go without saying that if you can come up with a way to keep ideas coming fresh and regular, you’d be in great shape.
Ideas for stories can come from anywhere. Just like any other form of writing, you have to provide fertile soil for inspiration to take root. Any writer worth his salt will find inspiration in the littlest things. I’ve gotten short story ideas from nothing more than the way the sunlight fell on the grass.
Inspiration is a fickle thing, however. You could go stretches where every tiny thing enamors you with countless ideas. But there will also be times when it feels like all your creativity has vanished in a puff of smoke.
As a blogger, encountering a drought of content will result in dropping traffic, which may result in reduced revenue. So what can you do to better position yourself to continue creating content, even when inspiration is hard to come by?
“What Should I Blog About Today?”
Just like Homecoming Week back in high school dictated the way you should dress for each day of that week, Theme Days for your blog will set up a particular posting protocol for each day of the week. What you choose will depend greatly on what your blog is about. I’ll use a technology blog as an example.
Mondays could be Microsoft Day. This means that on Mondays you’ll choose a topic relating to Microsoft or any of its products. Tuesday might be Apple Day, Wednesday could be Linux Day, maybe Thursday is Tutorial Day, and then rounding out the week, Friday could be Free Download Day.
This helps you focus your attention on a particular facet of your niche. It gets your mind moving in one direction, instead of wandering about aimlessly. If it’s Microsoft Monday, you already know you’re going to write about Microsoft, so you can search news sites and other blogs for Microsoft stories or information.
Theme days answer the question “What should I blog about today?”
Your Mileage May Vary
Don’t think of these Theme Days as a rigid posting regimen. This is meant to be more of a safety net for when you’re wracking your brain, but just can’t come up with a post idea. You don’t even need to alert your readers to the pattern of your posts; just keep the Themes on a sticky note.
As I mentioned before, what you come up with for your Themes will depend heavily on what your blog is about. Some topics will be better suited than others. Take a look at some of your major categories; can they be used as Themes?
One thing to keep in mind when choosing your Themes is try not to be too general, but don’t be too specific, either. If you’re too general, you’re defeating the purpose of establishing Theme Days. In our tech blog example, using “Computers” as a Theme might be too vague, and you might find yourself struggling to come up with something. However, if you choose “Graphics Cards,” you might find yourself running out of material. It will be important to find that happy medium.
Good luck, and good blogging!
