It happens. You think of a brilliant blog post idea only to find yourself wondering why the content you’re creating feels forced, disorganized or otherwise unwritable. It’s tempting to toss out the potential post entirely but who wants to waste all the brain power it takes to create a great idea? Me either. Instead of throwing in the towel, let’s talk about six ways to tackle – and actually write – a stubborn blog post.
Narrow Your Focus
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’re attempting to wide-angle-lens a certain subject. Instead, zoom in on one part of the whole and write about just that. Self-care is a pretty broad topic. Self-care for moms is a little more precise. Self-care for moms on a budget is a brilliantly specific post waiting to happen. The amazing thing about writing a more focused post on a roomy subject is having the opportunity to write about other aspects of that same topic in future posts.
Find an Alternate Angle
At times, our beef isn’t with the content itself but rather how we’ve chosen to convey it. If you’re struggling with a How-To post, make it a How-Not-To post or a “How I…” post. If you’re super excited to share your recent vacation but concerned it won’t add value to your readers’ lives, turn your experience into a travel guide. There are so many ways to switch up your approach to a certain subject rather than modifying – or scrapping – the subject itself. You simply have to find one that works for you and your blog!
Get a Second Opinion
There’s nothing like a second set of eyes to give you some fresh perspective on a pending blog post. Employ a friend or family member to review what you’ve written or just run some ideas or notes past them and ask that they bestow upon you their honest opinions. What do they like and dislike about the post? How can it be improved? Ultimately, it will be up to you to decide what the final version of your post looks like, but having some outside influence might just help you get from the starting gate to the finish line.
Let It Marinate
When attempting to write a large post in one sitting, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, lose your train of thought or begin to second-guess yourself and your bright idea. Combat this by allowing your post to marinate for a moment (at least one hour or overnight – haha) and revisit it when you’re ready to start writing and revising. You may find better ways to word some things, express your thoughts or infuse your writing with additional awesomeness. So walk away, come back with a fresh pair of eyes and get it done!
Make It a List
Finding the flow of an awesome intro, magical segues, perfectly tailored paragraphs and an epic ending for your post is not always easy. When I’m having a hard time putting my thoughts into long form – or if I’m feeling a little lazy – I opt to reformat my posts into lists. Not only will this give you a little reprieve from having to write a big post, it will make for easily digestible content for your readers. As good as long posts are for adding increased value as well as boosting your SEO, I think it’s nice to give everyone a break from all that reading and writing with a well-curated list once in a while.
Shrink It for Social Media
If all else fails, sometimes creating a tiny, precise post via social media (aka microblogging) is superior to struggling to compose a full-blown blog post. When I’m really anxious to express my thoughts but I don’t want to outline every detail of what’s on my mind, I take to Instagram to create a mini post instead. This gives me an immediate outlet and frees me from the feeling of “how do I put this all together” that would otherwise haunt me for days. The best part about writing up quickie social media content is that you can always expand on it later when your thoughts are a little less muddled and you have 500+ words worth of them all ready to go. And – BONUS – you might even obtain some input and feedback from others in the form of comments, likes and replies prior to writing your full-blown blog post!
Those are my tips for tackling stubborn blog posts! Leave yours below or let me know which of the above you think will help you the most!!
Ashlynn Cueto says
I love these tips! Sometimes we just need to take a step back and redirect our focus. Maybe we just need a nap or a snack to refuel. 🙂
nickyashleigh says
Thank you Ashlynn!! Yea, snacks and naps definitely help! 🙂 🙂
Sara Beth says
Hi, Nicky. Lovely tips. Blogging (Writing) can be a bit cranky at times, right?
After writing my first draft I like to sleep on it. (snacks are good too)
I usually catch errors and tighter ways of writing something OR even cutting certain things out.
Dropping in from #USBlogChat
nickyashleigh says
Hi Sara! Thank you so much!! I agree, sleeping on it is definitely one of my favorite methods especially when I feel like I’m forcing my writing or trying to rush through things when I know better. Lol! And aww! I’m so glad. I’ve missed the last few #USBlogChat chats but they’re always so fun. Hopefully next week I’ll see you there and I’ll have to thank Marie for connecting us! 😉
Jaycee says
Aah, this was super helpful. I’m having trouble writing a post today, and this made me realize that my focus is too broad! Will work on narrowing the subject it down, and I think that will help me have something to write haha. Thanks for this!
nickyashleigh says
Thank you Jaycee!! You’re very welcome and I’m beyond happy that you found it to be of use! I just popped over to your blog and the safari photos look amazing. That must have been an incredible experience!
Candace says
Great post! I often find that I want to write about huge topics. I told myself this week that I need to narrow it down! Thanks for sharing
nickyashleigh says
Thank you Candace!! I completely understand and glad we’re thinking alike. 😉 Thank you so much for commenting!
Kumar Naidu says
This is for all bloggers. Very informative post.
nickyashleigh says
Thank you!! 🙂