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The dreaded writer’s block! This seemingly-harmless issue could cripple your blogging or writing career if not handled immediately. As a writer, can you picture anything worse than watching that blinking line with a mind as empty as the text box? The harder you try, the worse the writing sounds. Don’t worry, though! There’s still hope that you will produce quality content despite the temporary block. Having experienced it far too many times, we’ve decided to compile a list of 10 ways to get over writer’s block (maybe even for good!)

1. Get over that OCD – We know, we know. You need to start writing from the beginning and continue writing until you get to the end. It seems like the natural order of things. However, this can actually make your writer’s block even worse. By focusing too much on writing and producing results in a certain arrangement, you might overlook the most important thing about writing: the content. If you already have an end in mind, write the end first. If you already have the middle thought-out, then start there. The ideas will start flowing and before you know it you’ll have a whole, finished piece. Take it like a jigsaw puzzle. You would never think to put the pieces together row by row in a consecutive fashion. You put together pieces at random and they form the picture in the end.
2. Create a calendar – We’re going to refer you back to last week’s post about editorial calendars because it’s one of the most important things to have when running a blog. By having ideas that you wrote down in advance, you can just start writing without having to rack your brain thinking of a topic.
3. Writing prompts – Remember grade school when you were given a subject to write about every day? Start doing that again! Not only does this nurture your writing skills, but it can also be great content for future blog posts. Make a list of prompts for two weeks in advance (or a month if you’re feeling brave) and start writing. Just don’t make your prompts as easy as they were in grade school, like writing about your favourite colour. If you make your prompt topics interesting for yourself, you’ll want to write about it.
4. Forget the backspace key – Once again, don’t let your writer’s OCD kick in while you’re writing. If you are continually finding errors and pressing back space, you’ll become discouraged from writing about the topic – even if the topic is good. It’s all about creativity, not perfection. There’s always time to edit it later once you’re finished writing the bulk of it.
5. Walk around – Get up from that chair, walk to a convenience store, grab a soda, admire houses in your neighbourhood, and do whatever else gets your mind off of writing. Refresh your brain (or completely turn it off) and come back to the writing later. The writer’s block will only feel worse if you’ve been sitting in the same place for hours forcing yourself to write without taking a break.
6. Change of scenery – If you’re feeling extra frustrated with your writer’s block, move your desk (unless it’s really heavy – in which case we suggest you buy a lighter desk) to a place where you’d never move it (the bathroom could be fun). Try moving it in front of a window – or away from a window if you’re easily distracted. Or, if you’re not in the position to move your desk, simply find a place to write. Try a park, coffee shop, or a library. A simple change of scenery can do wonders.
7. Download browser extensions – Google Chrome offers a variety of free, downloadable extensions that allow you to block certain URLs that will distract you (like Facebook, Twitter, Reddit etc). There are some that make you simply click an enable or disable button, and there are more serious ones that make you type in a long and annoying code in order the disable the extension (making you less likely to disable it while you’re writing).
8. The Pomodoro Technique – Developed by Francesco Cirillo who was definitely suffering from intense writer’s block in the 1980s, The Pomodoro Technique breaks up your work in 25-minute intervals. Set up a timer anywhere for 25 minutes and see what you can do in that period of time. After the 25 minutes is up, take a 15-minute break and go back at it for another 25 minutes.
9. Just write – Write anything, even if it’s not at all related to your topic. Sometimes in the dead of winter you need to rev the engine a bit to heat up the car to get it running more smoothly (we don’t really know much about cars, but this sounds accurate). Maybe a better metaphor would be the importance of stretching before a workout to avoid cramping and soreness. Well, you get the idea.
10. Be nice - We’re our own worst critic, right? Well, it’s time to stop being so harsh on yourself and your writing. Many writers fall victim to over-criticizing their writing to the point of no return. You’re a writer because you can write well, and don’t let that voice inside your head tell you otherwise. Once you’re done writing it, don’t over-analyze it – just hit that publish button. Of course, its always good to proof-read your writing, but only for grammatical errors. Once you change the content of one sentence, you’ll go onto the next sentence, and it’ll end up being a domino effect of changes.

Sources:

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/20-ways-to-kill-your-writers-block-forever.html

Posting quality content frequently and consistently is one of the biggest challenges of maintaining a good blog. Keeping an editorial calendar can greatly increase your blog’s chances for success by enabling you to plan and track your content strategically. Here are some tips to keep in mind in order to effectively manage and organize your editorial calendar.

1. Access to calendar: If you’re working with more than one person on a blog, have the editorial calendar uploaded on one central location, such as a Google Calendar or Drive. This enables other users that have access to the file to edit it and add new ideas at a moment’s notice. If it’s just you working on the blog, it’s still great to have a copy of the editorial calendar living online so it’s always readily available.
2. Sync to mobile calendar: If you aren’t checking your calendar frequently, you could be missing important information or deadlines that are coming up. If you sync the calendar to your phone, you can set alerts or reminders so you never miss a beat.
3. Deadlines: If you plan to publish a certain number of posts per week, an editorial calendar will help you keep publishing dates consistent. For example, if Tuesdays and Thursdays will be your main posting dates, put those two days down in your calendar as deadlines.  If necessary, make the deadlines red so they stand out. It’s easier to keep track of publishing your content when you see it highlighted in front of you on a calendar.
4. Content: This seems like a no-brainer, but if you don’t have ideas for future posts clearly written out, then it might become difficult to keep up with the main theme or idea of your blog. The content of your blog is the structure of your blog. If you have inconsistent content, your blog will be a random, jumbled mess of posts. Jot down notes for what you plan to write about at least a month in advance.
5. Purpose: Always keep a solid reminder as to why you’re writing about that particular subject and the audience for which you’re writing. For every post you plan on publishing, make a note for yourself below it that tells you the audience and purpose of that particular post. This helps you decide whether the content is suitable for the overall theme of your blog.
6. Keep notes when on-the-go: If you’re old school, carrying around a small notebook and a pen is great for those spontaneous bursts of inspiration. When you’re on the go and don’t have your computer near you, make sure to write it down in the notebook and later add it to your calendar. Alternatively, if you’ve synced your editorial calendar to your smart phone, you can input notes on the calendar right from your phone. Whichever way you do it, just make sure you always have an accessible place to write down those ideas! There’s nothing worse than getting a great idea and forgetting it five minutes later.
7. Social media: If you’re going to be promoting your blog on social media sites, be sure to include a separate category on your editorial calendar for tweets, status updates, etc. For example, you can include a light blue category as a reminder to post on Twitter that day, or a dark blue category to post on Facebook. Include what you’ll be posting so its available when you need it.
8. Images: Gather photos in advance for every blog post you plan on publishing. This eliminates having to search last-minute for the right photo to go along with the blog post, which can be stressful when the deadline is an hour away. Don’t forget to include any links to the original source of the photo, unless its your own.
9. Tags/SEO: This can easily be overlooked when planning content for a blog post. Make sure  you list all the tags or SEO keywords you plan to use, that way you can save time by having them available on the calendar and transferring them directly into your blog post.

Although we do admit that it’s a bit time consuming in the beginning, creating an editorial calendar will help keep you and your blog on track. Once you already have a calendar established, you will find it much easier to keep all of your content organized.

Sources:

http://properpropaganda.net/2013/08/13-tips-to-create-a-killer-editorial-calendar-for-your-company-blog/
http://blog.journalistics.com/2013/how-to-create-an-editorial-calendar/

Don’t be fooled by articles and advertisements that promise earning thousands of dollars a week by blogging. You might be tempted to dramatically quit your day job and start earning six-figures by blogging full-time from a St. Lucian beach, but the truth of the blogging business could not be further from this ill-conceived notion.  Check out these 8 tips that can help you work towards your dream of earning a solid income from blogging.

1. Set yourself up for failure

We put this at the top of the list not to discourage budding bloggers, but to prepare them for the reality of the business of blogging (note the distinction between that and the hobby of blogging). As of 2013, there are more than 239 million blogs combined on WordPress, Blogster, Tumblr, LiveJournal and Weebly (snitchim.com). This number excludes the blogs on Blogger, Posterous and Blogsome. There is a lot of competition out there, and only a handful of the 239 million are earning at least some profit. Simply having your blog online isn’t enough to generate revenue and a sustainable source of income. Treat it as you would a start-up business. You need to put effort into making it grow. It will either take-off or flop, and expecting riches quick is unrealistic.

2. Choose your niche wisely

We’ve visited countless cooking blogs, fashion blogs, beauty blogs, and the soccer-mom blogs who manage to squeeze in just enough time between diaper changes to blog about the experience. The truth is that many of those blogs will fail because the market for that topic is over saturated. If a broad topic such as fashion is your true passion, focus on a particular detail and grow from there. For example, instead of blogging about fashion, you can instead dedicate your entire blog to Denim. Once you delve deeper into this one particular subject, you have the potential to become a well-known (and respected) denim blogger.

3. Quality vs. quantity

If you go around commenting on every random blog you can find, telling them to visit your own blog, chances are you’re not going to get a good following. Don’t expect to gain hundreds of followers in a short period of time, either. Blogging takes time, but finding your target audience is more time-consuming than the writing process itself. Research blog topics that are similar to your own and take the time to read their posts. If you are genuinely interested in their work, make productive comments and follow them. By doing so, you have a higher chance of attracting a quality target audience who will also be genuinely interested in your posts. Remember to also spend a good amount of time looking in your back-end analytics, this will give you a realtime indication as to what content is meaningful to your readers.

4. Use social media (duh!)

Having an online presence is a key factor in having a successful blog. If you already have a solid following on your blog, start a Facebook and Twitter account (if haven’t already done so). If you already have a good following on Twitter and Facebook or other networks and are just starting a blog, use those networks to promote your blog. Be persistent and be patient. Tweet, re-tweet, and repeat. Follow the right people on Twitter, and be an active member of all your social network communities – it’s a great way for you and your future or existing fans to connect and spread the word.

5. The money-maker 

Although to some this may seem like selling out, if you’re looking to earn money off your blog, having advertisements is a good way to do so. If your blog has enough traffic, you can offer up space for Google Ads or other content providers on your site for a reasonable fee (just make sure it’s brand safe!). Also, have a look into affiliate links within both your posts, and in the form of ads.  And don’t forget: search engine optimization (SEO) is a great way to optimize your posts to be more search-engine friendly, and Google offers various tools you can use to help your blog with attracting more visitors (such as Google Trends and Analytics). It takes a lot of work, like any business. If you’re in it for the long haul, the work will eventually pay off.

6. Reach out to PR agencies 

Contact agencies that fit in with your particular blog topic. For example, if you have a travel blog, reach out to agencies that specialize in tourism, hotels, travel, etc. If you write them a good pitch, you can potentially receive free samples or one-night stays at hotels in exchange for publicity on your blog. Be forewarned, PR agencies worth their salt will want to know some of the analytics behind your blog, so know your unique monthly visits (not page views) along with your demographic!

7. Don’t forget the art of writing!

What it all comes down to is that blogging is about writing. You can’t expect to have a successful blog if it has no substance. Good writing takes practice, so don’t get discouraged if your thoughts aren’t being translated the same way via text. Keep writing and you will find your own distinctive writing voice.

8. Make an editorial calendar 

Aside from all of the above, your blog needs two main things in order to succeed: regularity and reliability. In order to stay organized and on top of your posts, make an editorial calendar for yourself. Write down ideas in advance and make clear, organized notes for when you plan to publish each post. It’s difficult to come up with a new subject on the spot every day or every other day. It’s much easier to think of a few different ideas and put them in a queue for publishing on your blog.

With all these in mind, happy blogging and good luck! If you do end up getting rich, don’t forget to take us out for a drink or two

Sources:

http://www.nydailynews.com/jobs/real-money-blogging-article-1.1396145

https://www.mint.com/blog/how-to/turn-your-hobby-into-a-money-making-career-0713/

http://snitchim.com/how-many-blogs-are-there/