Can’t Think of Anything to Write? Here Are My 5 Solutions for You.
Writer burnout is real and writer’s block is normal.
Consistently creating content is hard. Trust me, one writer’s block is enough to send this writer spiraling down the “am I good enough?” road.
But, it is normal.
When you’re a full-time writer, there’s no getting out of writing. You have to write to pay the bills, and that usually causes a major burnout for writers.
Or if you’re just starting a blog, it can be frustrating to want to succeed but you can’t think of anything to write.
It might be one of the reasons why bloggers quit their blogs 95% of the time according to the New York Times.
I’ve been on both sides of the coin.
One realization that I had is this: it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been writing, sometimes you just have a bad writing day and that’s okay.
Here are my solutions when I can’t think of anything to write about:
Use a blog ideas generator
A blog ideas generator helps with creating headlines or generating topics for your blog.
Arguably, HubSpot is the favorite content marketing tool writers use to generate random blog topics to write, and it’s free.
It’s okay to use AI to help with your writing. Content marketing tools like this are made to help writers like us.
Go outside and experience life
This goes especially for opinionated and personal essay writers.
Go outside — get irritated with the line at the bank, smile at a stranger, or take pictures of the things you find pretty.
Your story will not be written without you, so make one.
Think about people’s problems
This is always my go-to technique when I’m running out of ideas.
Try and think about questions and problems people might have that have something to do with your niche.
When I was trying to think about a topic in writing, I took a look at the problems that a writer like myself can have — like not having anything to write about.
A little bit ironic.
An easier trick might be to go on Google Search and type why, how, when, or where. Then add words you’d think would fit what you’re trying to write.
It’s old-school SEO. If done right, it can lead to more views on your blog.
Writing prompts
Literally, on this platform alone you can just search for writing prompts and there would be many to choose from.
Writing prompts are usually formatted with the topic followed by a question. So it’s prompting you to write a blog post about that topic and question.
An example of a writing prompt would be this:
Cure for writer’s block: What do you do when you have nothing to write about?
Read about what you hate
Nothing gets me writing more than having a strong opinion about something.
That’s one of the reasons why opinionated political articles do well. They’re usually written with conviction.
So yes, get that blood flow going and then write about it.
Know when to take a break
The era of grind and hustle is over, but so is the era of self-care. It’s all about finding the balance now.
Know when to take a break or else your body will tell you when.
Here are signs, among others, that you need a break from writing:
- constantly frustrated
- not eating right
- losing motivation to do anything
- lack of sleep
When you don’t know what to write about, maybe the solution isn’t to sit in front of the screen blanking out — maybe it’s taking a break.
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