6 Ways to Get Out of Your Blogging Rut.

School aside, I feel like my brain has been in a real rut lately. My creative juices aren’t flowing. I can’t think of anything I care enough to write about, or even anything I think someone else would care to read about. I think bloggers and writers go through this more often than we care to admit, but when I’m going through a creative rut, I’ve found these quick tips help me regain purpose and focus:

·      Plan your content ahead of time. Writing up a blog post on a whim is my specialty, but it isn’t the best way to go about keeping this baby current. I feel like most bloggers are already on top of this (unlike myself), but planning content ahead of time gives you the leeway to write a quality post versus something you threw together in 45 minutes (guilty).

·      Make an idea web. Like elementary school style. Write down words and ideas that feel relevant to you in this moment. Emotions, directions, places you want to go, where your worry comes from, where your stress comes from, where your happiness stems from, your biggest fear, your biggest hope, your biggest “what if.” See what you can come up with and go from there.

·      Use Microsoft Word instead of your blogging platform. Personally, I don’t find Blogger to be the least bit inspiring. Something about a blank Word document feels so much better to me than writing in a small box within an internet browser.

·      Or a journal. If you keep a personal journal, use previous entries to spark post ideas. Obviously what I write down into my journal is a lot more revealing than anything I’d like to post on the internet, but it’s a start.

·      There’s an app for that. There are hundreds of apps targeted to writers, from brainstorming to plot twist ideas and motivational catch phrases. When you’re in a creative rut, nearly anything helps.

·      Simply start writing and don’t censor anything. Also known as a “brain Just stare at your keyboard and start typing. Use punctuation, or don’t. Don’t worry about spelling, don’t think about stringing together artfully crafted sentences – this isn’t meant for anybody else, just for you. Set a timer for yourself, or just write until you’re fresh out of thoughts.

Have you ever found yourself in a creative rut? What do you do to get yourself writing again?