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<\/a><\/p>\nHere are some good ideas when you’re having trouble coming up with a good topic:<\/p>\n
How-To Posts<\/strong>: writing, like any other craft, always has room for one more “How-To” post. Here are some good ones to play around with (and of course, you’re more than welcome to come up with even more ideas based on what you know):<\/p>\n\n- How to Invent Compelling Characters<\/li>\n
- How to Create a Compelling Backstory<\/li>\n
- How to Write Convincing Dialogue<\/li>\n
- How to Flesh Out a Flat Character<\/li>\n
- How to Breathe Life Into Your Characters<\/li>\n
- How to Compose a Good Scene<\/li>\n
- How to Compose a Good Chapter<\/li>\n
- How to Know When to End a Chapter<\/li>\n
- How to Ramp Up the Tension and Conflict in Your Story<\/li>\n
- How to Create Atmosphere<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Best-Of Posts<\/strong>: Readers love lists, and what better list than one sharing the best of some topic they’re interested in?<\/p>\n\n- The Best YouTube Videos for Writers<\/li>\n
- The Best Twitter Accounts for Writers to Follow<\/li>\n
- The Best FaceBook Pages for Writers to Follow<\/li>\n
- The Best Instagram Accounts for Writers to Follow<\/li>\n
- The Best Books on Writing<\/li>\n
- The Best Books on Editing<\/li>\n
- The Best Books on Storytelling<\/li>\n
- The Best Websites for Writers<\/li>\n
- The Best Magazines for Writers<\/li>\n
- The Best Places To Write (Outside of Your Office)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Comparison Posts<\/strong>: The idea is to compare any two things, giving the pros and cons of each and showing the strong and weak points in comparison to one another.<\/p>\n\n- Microsoft Word vs. Scrivener for Writing<\/li>\n
- Mac vs PC for Writers<\/li>\n
- Pantser vs Outliner<\/li>\n
- Writer’s Digest<\/em> vs The Writer<\/em><\/li>\n
- FaceBook vs Twitter for Writers<\/li>\n
- YouTube Video vs Blog Post for Writers<\/li>\n
- Pen and Ink vs Computer for Writing<\/li>\n
- Social Media vs Email List for Writers<\/li>\n
- Writing Mindset vs Editing Mindset<\/li>\n
- Traditional vs Self-Publishing<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Question Posts<\/strong>: You can take any sort of position and defend it (or tear it apart if you so wish). Hint – if you start with “Why?” your questions will be more entertaining to most readers, as well as lead more naturally into debate.<\/p>\n\n- Why do writers make the best lovers?<\/li>\n
- Why is editing harder than actual writing?<\/li>\n
- Why are most writers busybodies?<\/li>\n
- Why is Scrivener the best word processing program for writers?<\/li>\n
- Why should every writer have a YouTube channel?<\/li>\n
- Why should every writer create a book trailer?<\/li>\n
- Why do writers read?<\/li>\n
- Why must you “show, not tell”?<\/li>\n
- Why must you “kill your darlings”?<\/li>\n
- Why is blogging essential to your success?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Lists<\/strong>: Everybody loves a good list, and you can whip up a great blog post by trying the old stand-by — “5 Things …” “Top 10 …” or “3 Reasons to …”<\/p>\n\n- The Top 10 Reasons to Write<\/li>\n
- The Top 10 Websites for Writers<\/li>\n
- 5 Books Every Writer Must Read<\/li>\n
- The 3 Things Every Writer Must Know<\/li>\n
- 20 Fantastic Writing Tools<\/li>\n
- 5 Things Every Writer Must Do Before Writing<\/li>\n
- 10 Things to Check Before Handing in Your Manuscript<\/li>\n
- 5 Songs I Play When Writing<\/li>\n
- 5 Sure-fire Ways to Create Winning Dialogue<\/li>\n
- 15 Blogs All Writers Must Follow<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Personal Essays<\/strong>: As a blogger and a writer, everything you think, feel, or do is fair game for a post. This especially holds true if your essays are about your life as a writer. Just remember to keep these light-hearted or downright funny (unless you’re aiming to incense or turn off your readers).<\/p>\n\n- How I Dealt With Rejection<\/li>\n
- My Most Embarrassing Moment<\/li>\n
- What I Have Learned From My Regrets<\/li>\n
- My Childhood Home(s)<\/li>\n
- How I Landed An Agent<\/li>\n
- My Pets and Their Quirky Personalities<\/li>\n
- Things My Family Says<\/li>\n
- How I Gave Up Caffeine<\/li>\n
- The Eulogy I Want Read at My Funeral<\/li>\n
- My Goal(s) and How I Plan To Reach Them<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Lifestyle Posts<\/strong>: With the right slant, even health and lifestyle posts can appeal to writers.<\/p>\n\n- How Meditation Can Make You a Better Writer<\/li>\n
- Top 10 Snack Choices for Writers<\/li>\n
- Can Exercise Make You More Creative?<\/li>\n
- 5 Exercises That Can Make You More Productive<\/li>\n
- Yoga for Writers: Why Does It Work?<\/li>\n
- Eating to Improve Your Brain Function<\/li>\n
- Socializing 101 for the Writer<\/li>\n
- Top 10 Tips for Focusing<\/li>\n
- 5 Super Foods That Will Keep Your Brain Active<\/li>\n
- How Much Exercise is Enough For a Writer?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Photo Posts<\/strong>: While perhaps not exactly worth a thousand words, a picture can share a lot with your readers.<\/p>\n\n- Share photos of your writing space(s)<\/li>\n
- Ask your followers to take a photo of your book in their hometown and share the photos and their locations<\/li>\n
- Share photos from your travels<\/li>\n
- Share photos from your latest book tour or signing<\/li>\n
- Share photos of your pets<\/li>\n
- Share photos of your readers’ pets<\/li>\n
- Share photos of your hometown<\/li>\n
- Share photos of your book covers and\/or any artwork you have<\/li>\n
- Ask your readers to snap a photo of them reading your book and post the photos<\/li>\n
- Share photos of your favorite meal(s)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Interviews<\/strong>: This can be a tricky one. You actually have to know someone your readers would like to learn about — or be able to convince a stranger that an interview on your website would be a good idea.<\/p>\n\n- Interview a famous writer in your genre<\/li>\n
- Interview a famous blogger<\/li>\n
- Interview a social media expert<\/li>\n
- Interview a literary agent<\/li>\n
- Interview a publisher<\/li>\n
- Interview someone with a special skill<\/li>\n
- Interview someone with expertise pertinent to your stories<\/li>\n
- Interview a writing teacher<\/li>\n
- Interview a typical reader<\/li>\n
- Interview a lot of readers or authors and post the average responses<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Recap Posts<\/strong>: Any event you attend can be fodder for a good blog post. A recap is a short summary of an event (a webinar, conference, class, or special occasion).<\/p>\n\n- Recap what you learned at a conference panel<\/li>\n
- Recap what you learned at a webinar<\/li>\n
- Recap what you learned at a writing class<\/li>\n
- Recap what you learned from your mentor<\/li>\n
- Recap what you learned from your agent<\/li>\n
- Recap what you learned from your publisher<\/li>\n
- Recap a special event that inspired you to write<\/li>\n
- Recap a venture into a new skill or hobby<\/li>\n
- Recap what you learned from a book about writing<\/li>\n
- Recap your experiences as a teacher or mentor<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
5 more ideas to generate blog posts:<\/p>\n
\n- Opinion pieces<\/strong>: Start a debate by posting your opinion and asking for responses<\/li>\n
- Free Stuff<\/strong>: post a link to a free short story or novella for loyal readers<\/li>\n
- Music<\/strong>: share what you’re listening to, or what songs represent your main characters<\/li>\n
- Nonfiction<\/strong>: if you’re a fiction author, write a nonfiction essay about something from your stories, like the history or a site or an event that would have taken place during that time.<\/li>\n
- Infographics<\/strong>: these seem to generate more hits, especially on Pinterest<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Keep the list going! What is your favorite blog topic or one you’d love to see written?<\/p>\n
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