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The Worry Of Not Having Blogging Ideas

A photograph of a notebook and pens. The notebook has a big question mark written on it

The worry of not having writing ideas is big when you blog and potentially more so when you’ve a regular schedule. Once you fall out of sync it’s not only hard to get back emotionally, you do worry a little (or a lot) what effect it might have on your readership. Of course you can ditch the schedule but that can cause its own issues.

You can also worry about the change in ideas. I know I seem to be running out of the general book topics that have been part and parcel of my blog, and whilst it’s not so bad as no ideas at all, again you wonder about the effect. I know I even worry about myself as a blogger in this context.

Does worrying about the lack hinder the formation of new ideas? Worrying is, in a way, good – it keeps you on your toes – but it can pull your focus away from brainstorming. It can make you more susceptible to rambling or running down the wrong pathways that are unrelated points. It can ruin a good idea by stopping you writing in the way you ought to be. We’re unlikely to come up with good ideas if everything we think of is dismissed as bad because it’s a fact that bad ideas (if, indeed, they are bad and not good ones we’ve glossed over) can be joined to good ones to make a great post.

(Though of course one can be far more astute when worrying and write something wonderful.)

I’ve been dealing with ‘idea anxiety’ for a few months now, in part, of perhaps mostly, because of the time I’ve not spent blogging. I find it ironic that last year I said that when there’s a deadline ideas happen, because they’re not happening so much now. I know there’s a lot to be said for my being out of sync and just away from blogging, but there have been times when I’ve had to accept that I won’t be posting and albeit that it’s not the end of the world, it’s hard to reconcile the fact. But of course I have to be reading and blogging to write.

There’s probably a post to be had about the irony that is editing books – being right ‘there’, in the thick of it – but not having ideas.

Having had this experience now I think regardless of how well I’m doing I’ll always worry about running out.

Do you worry about not having blogging ideas?

 
 

Tanya Patrice

January 19, 2015, 1:22 am

Probably all bloggers worry about that – including me. Which is why I like to blog about other things as well. I’m not really a fast reader, so there’s only so much boookishness i can talk about.

Belle Wong

January 19, 2015, 7:13 am

A month ago, I was thrilled at all the blogging ideas I had. But right now, in the middle of a deadline-driven month, it’s a lot tougher. So I’m learning this about me: I get far more ideas when I’m not staring a work deadline in the face. I’m hoping it will get easier in February!

Alice

January 19, 2015, 1:42 pm

I constantly worry about ideas, and not having them. Sometimes my Thursday posts are dire for lack of ideas. I should come up with more in advance. I like it when you write about writing/blogging, I hadn’t even noticed you’d stop talking about lit like subjects of late.

Jeanne

January 19, 2015, 1:53 pm

I don’t worry about ideas. I think about what I want to say when I get time, and make notes on odd bits of sticky note and on my computer. In a year like this one, where it’s been hard for me to find time to blog, I trust that I’ll make time to keep going at some pace, however slow, and that my readers will stick with me and be glad when I finally do get something written.

jessicabookworm

January 19, 2015, 2:50 pm

I can totally sympathise and I have in the past thought like you but I’m teaching myself not to worry now. Writing my blog is meant to be fun and a way to share the books I’ve been reading. If I haven’t got a book or related post then something doesn’t get posted. I would rather stay relaxed and keep on reading.

Kelly

January 19, 2015, 6:34 pm

Ah, I worry about this all the time. I feel that book blogs provide easy post fodder (in the form of book reviews), but they get old and repetitive–you need something else to liven up the dialogue. When you’re busy with other things, it’s harder to get that creative spark. I’ve tried to be better about writing down ideas as I get them, because I often come up with blog post ideas when I’m not in front of a computer…and then come writing time, I can’t make the ideas appear again.

Tracy Terry

January 20, 2015, 3:08 pm

So glad to discover I’m not the only one to have such thoughts. Thank you for raising the topic.

Jenny @ Reading the End

January 22, 2015, 2:03 am

I worry about it sometimes, especially when I haven’t been reading any books I feel like blogging about. Sometimes (like now!) I’ll schedule myself a little blogging break to give me time to catch up — I always do better when a deadline isn’t pressing, so it’s good to have posts scheduled out in advance.

Literary Feline

January 22, 2015, 3:51 pm

It’s nice to know I am not alone. :-) My blog today is so different than it was before–when I could post five to six days a week. Lack of time has a lot of to do with it and accounts for most of it, but the part I rarely talk about is the lack of ideas. It does put a damper on things. I think part of my problem is I have so much going on in other parts of my life.

I know some people aren’t too fond of memes, but, boy, can they be a life saver!

Charlie

January 23, 2015, 2:57 pm

Tanya: Good point. Blogging about more than one subject helps a lot.

Belle: That’s a good revelation to have; you can work around it and use foresight. Here’s hoping :)

Alice: Advance is good, but still difficult if there’s a lack of ideas overall :/ That’s good to know, though obviously I’ve now ruined the illusion a bit!

Jeanne: You do do well with your posts. I think the way you include your life in your literary posts works wonderfully. Your readers will stick with you :)

Jessica: I admire that, teaching yourself not to worry. You’re right, it is supposed to be fun, and we should remember that no matter how hard at first.

Kelly: Yes, we’re ‘lucky’ with our reviews, even if they are reliant on the time we need to read. And yes, sometimes you need more than that. Same here – must write them down or else they’re gone. I like the thought that when you’re busy you lose the creative spark. I think knowing that means you could possibly work around it or plough through it.

Tracy Terry: It seems a lonely place sometimes, when you read other blogs because you only see what’s on the surface.

Jenny: That’s a good idea. Deadlines don’t always mean a good post.

Literary Feline: This. Yes. It feels very lonely and it’s easy to see other people’s blogs chugging along and not think about what’s going on in the background. Time is a biggie, and being busy can stop ideas flowing which is funny because you think it’d GIVE you ideas. Quality over quantity – I think you’ve got a fair handle on that :) Yes to your thought about memes! It seems embarrassing (or is that just me?) to talk about the way they help, but they do. Memes, regular features, all very useful.

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