Coming up with ideas for blog posts can be challenging at the best of times. Some days you will have ideas for blog posts gushing out of you and there will be those creative low days when, still pyjama clad at lunchtime, you will be wearing a facial expression similar to a bulldog chewing a wasp. After five hours, three cups of strong coffee, a lengthy sit on the toilet and an emotional breakdown at the kitchen sink, the only blog post title you can force out of you is…’a blog post’. 

Readers, I have been there. It is no fun being short of blog ideas. Uninterested loved ones won’t understand your mental block and the most you will get out of them will be a roll of the eyes and maybe some words muttered under their breath. So, I have created this rescue post for blog post idea generation.

Here’s what to do if you want more ideas for blog posts:

You break processes down into stages and then you write a post based on each stage.

Let me explain what I call the process method:

I am a writer and my posts are about writing. So I brainstorm the process of writing:

• I think about doing some writing.
• I muster up the energy to do some writing.
• I think of all the reasons why I shouldn’t do some writing.
• I force myself to move to the table.
• I plan out what I am going to write.
• I turn off social media.
• I start to write.

So, out of this list I can see a few blog post titles:

• The things I do before I start writing.
• The things I tell myself before writing.
• How I plan what I am going to write.
• The importance of turning off social media before you write.

 

If I had a food blog I would do something like this. I would brainstorm the process of cooking something dreadful (as I can’t cook to save my life this topic is relatable):

• I find the mouth watering recipe.
• I get carried away with the fantasy of me actually cooking it.
• I ignore worried looks from loved ones.
• I skip happily down supermarket aisles choosing produce.
• I tell myself all the reasons why I should be able to follow simple instructions.
• I turn on the radio.
• I lose concentration after the first few steps.
• I decide that I know best about cooking.
• I put recipe to one side.
• I pour myself a glass of wine and get carried away with the fantasy of me cooking.
• I end up a tear-stained mess in the corner of the kitchen.

So out of this list I have a few ideas:

• What things attract me when looking for a new recipe.
• The cooking fantasy versus reality.
• The things I tell myself before I start cooking.
• What I listen to whilst cooking.
• Why recipes never turn out the way I wanted them.
• My top 10 emotions post feel cooking?

 

If I had a blog about romance issues I could do something like this:

I would brainstorm the process of breaking up:

• The shocking ‘I didn’t see this coming’ news.
• Crying for days.
• Crying harder.
• Denial.
• Anger.
• Social media stalking.
• Burning all their belongings in the garden.
• Revenge / passionately kissing someone they know.
• Realisation it’s over.
• Deleting relationship photo albums on all social media.
• Move on.

So, out of this list I would have quite a few titles:

• Things to do when you receive the unexpected news your relationship is over.
• How to take care of your eyes during a relationship breakup?
• The stages of a relationship split.
• Does social media stalking make you feel better during a relationship break up?
• Top 10 ‘get revenge on your ex’ ideas.
• How to delete your relationship from all your social media.

 

As you can see with the process method you do end up with more blog post ideas. It can be done with any subject.

Choose a day when you are feeling creative and brainstorm a load of ideas using this method.

Then you put some away for the ‘bulldog chewing the wasp’ blogging days!

The process method always works for me and the fun part is actually breaking down the process into stages.

Try it and let me know what you think.

Do you have a strategy for generating more blog posts?