Many know it as writer’s block and I’ve heard a few refer to it as brain fart, whatever you may call it, we can all agree that for anyone who writes, this is a horrible condition to be in. This is a state when a writer (a blogger, in this case) feels there is absolutely nothing left to say, no inspiration, no fresh content, absolutely nothing. The good thing about this not-so-good-thing is that it happens to everyone, the bad thing occurs only when you do in fact throw in the towel and give up!
As a wedding blogger, I find this blogger’s block happens a lot frequently because let’s be honest, what has not already been written about? Are there really peculiar weddings that really exist (perhaps a wedding on the moon?), or flowers that haven’t yet been photographed on Pinterest already? It’s very common for bloggers such as myself to find themselves in this situation and asking the question: What’s new to write about?
This blogger’s block can also come from the pressure to have to keep up your routine of being a daily blogger. The usual case is; you’ve grown a good following over the years and many readers look forward to receiving your new posts in their email every day – clearly the last thing you’d want is to fall flat on that amazing reputation you’ve built. So you are not just looking for new content but you are looking for “new” content to dish out every day.
Because life happens, the blogger’s block is surely bound to happen, the time when you feel like You. Just. Can’t. Write. This beginning of the problem is understanding that there really may not be anything “new” to write about, but there could be something new for your readers to read about. Once that’s figured out the next question is how to go about achieving it.
While there are a number of ways to overcome blogger’s block, here are a few I have used in the past.
Refresh old posts: To refresh your old posts in a blogger’s life simply put, is going back to an old post and asking yourself, “Does this still hold true?” And in cases when it doesn’t, rather than edit that old post, create a new one. Of course you can’t really “refresh” a real wedding post, so keep in mind there are specific posts that can be. Many times, these are posts about wedding planning advice, etiquette and trends in the wedding fashion world. Typical example, your “top 10 wedding color combinations” in 2015 may very well be different in 2016, so go ahead and let your readers know that.
Argue with yourself: A lot of time people think it’s a sign of lack of integrity to question themselves, I don’t believe that, especially in the wedding world which can seem to change pretty quickly. What seemed to be true a few years back may not be true today and it’s fine to question yourself or even change your thinking. A good example might be wedding etiquette – with the times changing very fast especially in the technology area, what seemed to be “bad etiquette” in the 90s could very well be considered normal in today’s world (e.g., having a social media wedding). If you really have been blogging for that long, then take that opportunity to argue with yourself, back then you might have had solid reasons for having a totally unplugged wedding but now, solid reasons may exist for not having one. Not only does it give your readers your new perspective on the topic but it allows them to get a not-so-biased view (pros and cons) of it.
Call a friend – Guest Posts: In the world of blogging, guest posting is not a new concept. From having your blogger friends show up for you with a post to having PR companies pitching you their new content (which some would easily pay for), there is hope of not having your blog suffer from content drought. Again, this may not necessarily be “new” to your readers, but it could be a new/different perspective from what your readers are used to having. When going for this option, you need to remember to choose very carefully, select guest posts that you know your readers would appreciate but also something that is different from what they are used to; it’s all about finding the right balance.
Share Others’ Content: Lastly is the option of sharing your content of others in your niche but doing so ethically. By ethically, I can’t stress enough how wrong it is to scrape another’s content word for word. No, don’t do it! “Ethically” in this context means giving your readers a sort of sneak peek of what they are about to read but still driving them over to the blogger’s own page to see all of it. That way you win because your readers have something new to keep up with but the other blogger also gains by having the traffic counted for the work they have put into that post. This example is seen a lot of times with bloggers who do weekly roundups; they scour the World Wide Web for pretty wedding inspiration and list them all in one post with photo and source credits.
Like I’ve implied, a blogger’s block may not always be about new content but also about keeping up a frequency you’ve trained your readers to expect. In most cases for wedding bloggers, there would always be newly submitted weddings and styled shoots (this is why many of us stress on the importance of exclusive submissions) but when all those are running low, these are a few suggestions to help that block.
