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21 Tips for Defeating Writer’s Block

Copyright (c) 2011 Trey Pennewell

One of the most difficult aspects of article writing and
marketing, once you have been doing it for a longer period of
time, is how to come up with fresh topics to write about. It is
even more difficult to put your finger on ideas that are hot and
related to your topic.

Here are some suggestions to help you get those creative juices
flowing again.

 * Visit forums related to your niche. Spend 30 minutes a day in
forums related to your niche. Write down common questions or
inquiries and use those to craft articles.

 * Visit the Q&A sites like Yahoo Answers. If one person has
asked the question, chances are there are many more who have it
but are afraid to ask. Answer the most common questions you see
with a new article.

 * Check the news. Being on top of the industry news will help
you be able to write related articles as the news events take
place. This can also be a great way to grab expanded exposure. By
piggy backing off the hot topic you can grab way more readers
then you would with a normal topic. And not just the big news
stations either. Some of the smaller more local stations may have
topics not covered by the larger ones and can be a potential
goldmine for ideas.

 * Set up a Google alert for your topic. This way you’ll be
emailed how ever frequently you choose, with up to date blogs and
posts and new stories related to your topic that you can get and
gain ideas from.

 * Spend 30 minutes brainstorming. Do not allow yourself to focus
on anything but your topic. This will get easier the more times
you do it. It can be difficult the first few times to get your
mind to actually produce something, but once you’ve done it a
few times your mind will know you mean business and will help you
populate ideas quite quickly.

 * Use Google’s wonder wheel for ideas. Instead of using it to
get keywords, use it to help you get some ideas as to what to
write about.

 * Create a mind map about your topic. And then each and every
sub-topic that you come up with, until you have multiple mini
mind maps and plenty of ideas to source article topics from.

 * If you’re really stuck, check out the competition. Seeing
what they are writing about may give you ideas of what to write
about.

 * Re-purpose old articles. But, not by rewriting them. Instead
approach the same topic from another angle. If your topic was say
5 tips to succeed in article writing, a new approach would be 5
things to avoid in article writing, or 5 tips to improve, or a
better way to do it. Just using the same general idea, and giving
it life in a new way can be the perfect method to get unstuck.

 * Check out the bookstore or the library. The ones that have
real books. Look at some of the ones related to your niche and
see if you can’t gain some writing ideas from them.

 * Go to e-book sites as well. Do the same thing as you did with
Amazon and the library. Look for titles in your niche, and use
those to help you get new creative ideas to write about.

 * Use seasonal events to your advantage. Instead of just writing
about autism, write about how to help autistic children cope with
Christmas, or other such seasonal event related topics.

 * Carry a notebook with you. Ever feel like you’ve got the
perfect idea but are not at home and able to write the article
right away. Carry around a notebook so that when the idea strikes
you can jot it down before you forget it again.

 * Get away from the computer for a bit. Real life and real life
situations may give you ideas you never would have come up with
by simply sitting in front of your monitor. Use real life
experiences and events to create ideas and creativity for your
articles.

 * Talk to industry leaders. Just a quick Q and A with someone in
the industry may prompt ideas you would have never thought of
otherwise.

 * Read. By reading what others have wrote on the topic you may
be able to come up with ideas of your own, or a new twist on an
old idea. The best writers and the most avid of readers.

 * Along the same lines as reading, read articles in some of your
favorite authority blogs and websites. One of my favorite blogs
is Mashable.com. They may bring to mind a thought or idea you may
not have thought of otherwise.

 * Join a mastermind group. Being able to float ideas around with
others and discuss your topic can help breathe new life into a
topic you found going stale. And, it is a great way to set up
potential cross promotions with others in your niche for the
future.

 * Use your imagination. Put yourself into the mind of your
target audience, and figure out questions and topics that may be
important to them and write about them. Just a little bit of
imagination and role playing can lead to many new ideas.

 * Watch movies or television shows related to your niche. They
may cover topics or ideas you may not have previously covered or
thought about.

 * Think about your own personal experiences. There may be things
within them that you can revisit and create topics about, with a
good solid base of reality to make for a more interesting and
informative article.

Hopefully these ideas will help you come up with and create your
own ideas and topics to write about. Ideas are limitless, you
just need to develop the skills to mine the topics and ideas out
of the things around you. The more you write and the more you
strive to generate ideas, the more ideas you’ll eventually come
up with.
About The Author:
To make your article marketing more profitable, get your copy
of, “Article Marketing Secrets: Turning Words Into Dollars”:
http://thephantomwriters.com/ebooks/article-marketing-seo.html
If you are looking to increase your writing speed consider, “How
To Write Articles Fast In 20 Minutes or Less Without Sacrificing
Quality”: http://thephantomwriters.com/article-writing-guide/
Subscribe to our twice-weekly general marketing tips here:
http://thephantomwriters.com/karmaonline Author: Trey Pennewell

Read More Articles From Trey Pennewell:
http://thephantomwriters.com/recent/author/trey-pennewell.html

Image: © Trevor Goodwin | Dreamstime.com

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