If you’re anything like me, sometimes a good blog topic just doesn’t fall into your lap.
Here are some good ideas when you’re having trouble coming up with a good topic:
How-To Posts: 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):
- How to Invent Compelling Characters
- How to Create a Compelling Backstory
- How to Write Convincing Dialogue
- How to Flesh Out a Flat Character
- How to Breathe Life Into Your Characters
- How to Compose a Good Scene
- How to Compose a Good Chapter
- How to Know When to End a Chapter
- How to Ramp Up the Tension and Conflict in Your Story
- How to Create Atmosphere
Best-Of Posts: Readers love lists, and what better list than one sharing the best of some topic they’re interested in?
- The Best YouTube Videos for Writers
- The Best Twitter Accounts for Writers to Follow
- The Best FaceBook Pages for Writers to Follow
- The Best Instagram Accounts for Writers to Follow
- The Best Books on Writing
- The Best Books on Editing
- The Best Books on Storytelling
- The Best Websites for Writers
- The Best Magazines for Writers
- The Best Places To Write (Outside of Your Office)
Comparison Posts: 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.
- Microsoft Word vs. Scrivener for Writing
- Mac vs PC for Writers
- Pantser vs Outliner
- Writer’s Digest vs The Writer
- FaceBook vs Twitter for Writers
- YouTube Video vs Blog Post for Writers
- Pen and Ink vs Computer for Writing
- Social Media vs Email List for Writers
- Writing Mindset vs Editing Mindset
- Traditional vs Self-Publishing
Question Posts: 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.
- Why do writers make the best lovers?
- Why is editing harder than actual writing?
- Why are most writers busybodies?
- Why is Scrivener the best word processing program for writers?
- Why should every writer have a YouTube channel?
- Why should every writer create a book trailer?
- Why do writers read?
- Why must you “show, not tell”?
- Why must you “kill your darlings”?
- Why is blogging essential to your success?
Lists: 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 …”
- The Top 10 Reasons to Write
- The Top 10 Websites for Writers
- 5 Books Every Writer Must Read
- The 3 Things Every Writer Must Know
- 20 Fantastic Writing Tools
- 5 Things Every Writer Must Do Before Writing
- 10 Things to Check Before Handing in Your Manuscript
- 5 Songs I Play When Writing
- 5 Sure-fire Ways to Create Winning Dialogue
- 15 Blogs All Writers Must Follow
Personal Essays: 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).
- How I Dealt With Rejection
- My Most Embarrassing Moment
- What I Have Learned From My Regrets
- My Childhood Home(s)
- How I Landed An Agent
- My Pets and Their Quirky Personalities
- Things My Family Says
- How I Gave Up Caffeine
- The Eulogy I Want Read at My Funeral
- My Goal(s) and How I Plan To Reach Them
Lifestyle Posts: With the right slant, even health and lifestyle posts can appeal to writers.
- How Meditation Can Make You a Better Writer
- Top 10 Snack Choices for Writers
- Can Exercise Make You More Creative?
- 5 Exercises That Can Make You More Productive
- Yoga for Writers: Why Does It Work?
- Eating to Improve Your Brain Function
- Socializing 101 for the Writer
- Top 10 Tips for Focusing
- 5 Super Foods That Will Keep Your Brain Active
- How Much Exercise is Enough For a Writer?
Photo Posts: While perhaps not exactly worth a thousand words, a picture can share a lot with your readers.
- Share photos of your writing space(s)
- Ask your followers to take a photo of your book in their hometown and share the photos and their locations
- Share photos from your travels
- Share photos from your latest book tour or signing
- Share photos of your pets
- Share photos of your readers’ pets
- Share photos of your hometown
- Share photos of your book covers and/or any artwork you have
- Ask your readers to snap a photo of them reading your book and post the photos
- Share photos of your favorite meal(s)
Interviews: 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.
- Interview a famous writer in your genre
- Interview a famous blogger
- Interview a social media expert
- Interview a literary agent
- Interview a publisher
- Interview someone with a special skill
- Interview someone with expertise pertinent to your stories
- Interview a writing teacher
- Interview a typical reader
- Interview a lot of readers or authors and post the average responses
Recap Posts: 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).
- Recap what you learned at a conference panel
- Recap what you learned at a webinar
- Recap what you learned at a writing class
- Recap what you learned from your mentor
- Recap what you learned from your agent
- Recap what you learned from your publisher
- Recap a special event that inspired you to write
- Recap a venture into a new skill or hobby
- Recap what you learned from a book about writing
- Recap your experiences as a teacher or mentor
5 more ideas to generate blog posts:
- Opinion pieces: Start a debate by posting your opinion and asking for responses
- Free Stuff: post a link to a free short story or novella for loyal readers
- Music: share what you’re listening to, or what songs represent your main characters
- Nonfiction: 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.
- Infographics: these seem to generate more hits, especially on Pinterest
Keep the list going! What is your favorite blog topic or one you’d love to see written?