How to Write When You Can’t

There are days that I just can’t seem to get anything done on the computer. Either the kids are in chaos mode, or the house needs attention or an emergency comes up that there is no way I could have planned around.

Keeping consistent content on my blog can be hindered by these days. It can also be hurt by those days when I just don’t feel like writing or don’t have anything to say (although those days are very few ).

I’m learning some quick tricks to help me post an article even when I don’t have time to think about my blog. There’s a challenge at problogger.net that has me thinking about these tricks and tips.

1. Pre-write some posts. I keep several “generic” posts in my database that aren’t time specific. This gives me an emergency back up if I get into a position where I can’t post for a day. It also gives me a place to put all those blogs I write when my muse gets out of control.

2. If you have the capabilities, even pre-post what you have written. Wordpress allows me to change the date or time (or both) of my post. With this feature, I can do a week’s worth of posting at one sitting. It’s a great thing for rainy days or weekends.

3. Rework something you’ve written in the past. If you do ghost writing, or have been writing for very long, you probably have hundreds of articles at your finger tips. Take your long articles and condense them or take your short articles and expand them.

4. Surf the web. Some days, just reading what others have written (and maybe leaving a few comments) can be all that I need to motivate my writing.

5. There is always tomorrow. If you don’t make a post today, it will not be the end of the world. Consistent (quality) posting is the key to consistent traffic, but one day won’t be the demise of all your hard work. Make plans to wake up early and get right on it tomorrow.

Getting into the habit of writing daily (same blog time, same blog place) is the best way to guarantee you have a regular posting schedule. For those days when nothing goes right, try so of these tips to get you through.

17 comments August 5th, 2007