Next time you’re feeling blocked or hopeless, you don’t need to panic. There are a few platforms to get inspiration for your next blog.
You’re in front of your laptop, and your Google Docs or Word document is open. There’s a blank white screen, and the cursor blinks. On, off. You write a sentence. But you don’t know what to write about. Writing is not easy, and Inspiration is sometimes hard to come by.
There are the more traditional ‘cures’ for inspiration and overcoming your writer’s block, such as taking a walk, running, taking a break, watching TV, etc. But very often, we are in this position, because we are simply overwhelmed by technical details and other logistic elements which leave us little room to be creative. Together, we will be diving into this subject and helping you get those words on the page, with a few quick tips, tricks, and platforms you can use to get back to writing!
Table of Contents
1. Just write!
Literally, about anything. In her famous book; ‘The Artist’s Way (1995)’, the writer Julia Cameron calls for writers or creative types in general to do their ‘Morning Pages’, which are three stream-of-consciousness pages of writing. The purpose is to get your creative juices flowing and tame the critical voice inside your head. Try using The Most Dangerous Writing App, a platform that will delete your text if you don’t write for more than five seconds. You better write, and do it fast if you don’t want to lose your precious words!
2. What do people want to know?
Like it or not, social media is an integral part of most people’s lives. It is where we share our thoughts, feelings, opinions, and interests. And, hint, hint, those are all things that should interest you as a content writer!
Check out Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and news sites. What are people interested in? What do they want to know? How can you research and deliver quality content people want to read?
If you want to get an even more accurate picture of what people are interested in, you could try platforms like Answer The Public, BuzzSumo, and Ubersuggest, which all show data about what interests readers most about specific keywords.
3. Would music help?
The answer is yes! Yes, it would. Who doesn’t like a little music in the background that can help you increase your focus? There are hundreds of Youtube videos, 10+ hour-long videos that contain music specially designed to help you focus, write, learn, or whatever the moment calls for.
If you want a more dedicated platform, you could try brain.FM, is a platform specially made for music that increases concentration, boosts creativity and helps you better retain information. The best thing is that it is so easy to personalize, from the activity you need the music for, to the types of sounds you want the songs to include. Let the music inspire you!
4. Are you using too much energy on details?
Now, if you’re anything like me and grammar or spelling aren’t your strongest suit, word processors that check for spelling errors and bad grammar are a lifesaver. Platforms like Grammarly are incredibly helpful because they allow you to make mistakes and focus on the actual content you’re writing.
Later on, you can check for spelling errors, better wording, and all technical things that have used up your brain, leaving little space for imagination and creativity, which is something we as content writers need.
What and how you write can determine the size of your audience, so analyzing your writing can help you boost your audience if that is what you’re aiming for.
Another helpful writing platform is WordCounter, which, yes, you guessed it, counts your words. But it does more than that! It also checks your spelling and grammar, scans for repetition, and all around gives your sentences a better structure.
5. Is everything just too distracting?
Try finding a space inside your home where you can write and edit in private, a haven of sorts where you only write. Or, if even your desktop proves to be too much of a distraction for you, try downloading the FocusWriter app, which highlights only the area where you will be typing and removes every other distraction. This is for when you want to get into the flow of writing, and let your creativity flow.
6. What do you write about?
Now, you may be a content writer that writes about finance, cryptocurrency, medicine, lifestyle, television, etc. It is important that we know who we are writing for, and therefore know our niche. Once this happens, we can move on to more important matters, like: Are you informing my reader the best I can? Content writing leaves room for creative liberty, which means you can even write about your own opinions on different topics and put your spin on them.
However, topics like medicine, in which correct, factual, and scientific information is very important, means that you have to get your information right. The last thing you would want as a content writer who writes about medicine is to misinform your reader. So, you must find online learning platforms for medicine, and use them to get accurate information about everything medicine related.
Coming up with ideas can be tough, but hopefully, this article has helped you not only find inspiration but also learn about different platforms that are useful for us as content writers. So, next time you’re feeling blocked or hopeless, you don’t need to panic. The internet can help you!
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