The reason I can offer tips? I spent 15 years in newspapers. Writer’s block was not a luxury that could be afforded when you have multiple stories some days that have to be written or they are no longer timely. In that business, you have to feed the beast. And it is hungry.

Here are a few ways to break past it:

• Step away from the computer. Grab a notebook or journal, head outside on your deck or porch with a cup of coffee, and try blogging old school. Sometimes a simple change of scenery is all you need. Our brain needs new stimulus to be, well, stimulated.
• Read blogs. Spend a day in which you vow to do nothing but poke around fellow bloggers’ feeds. Vow there will be no chatting, no Twitter (OK, limited Twitter…), just consuming blogs. You are bound to be inspired or get a few ideas sparked. Grab that same notebook and write down any blog headlines you think up. There’s no need to get fancy, just make a list of potential post ideas.
• Brainstorm ideas. The SEO on me loves a way to break blogger’s block and do some site optimization at the same time. Yes, SEO can be creative. (I keep saying that and people look at me like I am crazy). Here’s how: go into your stats program. See which keyword phrases are sending you the most traffic. See which posts get the most clicks from Twitter. Now start from there, and brainstorm ideas for similar posts or posts that expand on your original one. Don’t fret over whether the ideas are excellent, just freewrite. You don’t have to do them all. You just want a list of ideas to consult when you are blocked. The great part? When you write them, you can link to your original post and go to your original post to link to the new content. That will make your blog stickier.
• Walk away. Sometimes what our brain needs is a break. Get outside. Do something fun. Visit a local attraction. Hey, you have to do something to have material for the blog anyway, right? Your mind might just need a reboot.
• Forget the distractions. Blogging is so much more than writing. That can be good, and that can be bad. The bad side is that it can become easy getting so caught up in the tasks of being a publisher (that is really what bloggers are) that we forget the reason we are doing this to begin with: we enjoy it! Don’t look at your stats. Don’t worry about what your readers like. Write for you and just for the joy of it. And odds are? You’ll get the traffic and your readers will love it.

I hope some of this is helpful. I would love to hear what works for you when your brain just won’t blog. How do you break blogger’s block?

Photo of frustrated blogger, copyright channah at sxc.hu