Posts tagged idea generation

Ever forget what you planned to blog about?

Blogging Meandering Genius 1 Comment

Here I sit, first thing in the morning, ready to start writing my daily blog. Yesterday, I had two great ideas for topics, but this morning, they completely escape me. Does this happen to you?

This isn’t the first time that I’ve drawn a blank on what I was thinking about the day prior.

Without having anything else to write about this morning…well, nothing top of mind…I thought I would examine my problem and discuss a solution.

This helps me think through the problem–I’ll call it Blog Brainstorming.

For some people, ideas come to them when they are in bed or in the shower. Not so true for me. I have about a 30-minute commute to and from work every day. It’s mostly one straight highway–IH 10 between San Antonio and Fair Oaks Ranch. That’s when the ideas tend to come to me; mostly when I’m driving home from work, because on the way in I tend to be thinking about the day ahead.

So yesterday, as I was driving home, I was thinking about “things” and one of them struck me as a potential blog topic. Every time I have these ideas, I tell myself not to forget the idea. Nine times out of ten! I do.

So, how to fix this?

As I was about three paragraphs into this blog, I remembered the topic that I was thinking about on the way home. I was thinking about writing about why you blog…exploring the reasons why people might write blogs. This idea came based off a discussion yesterday with a good friend of mine at work that is planning to start up her blog.

So, how do I capture that idea? Do I tell myself not to forget the idea, which I will probably do anyway? No, that doesn’t work.

I had considered going into my WordPress app and posting it as the title for a draft blog and then saving the draft. I have done that before, but that can have issues. One of those issues is that I just remembered the topic while I’m writing this blog and that would mean saving this draft blog, opening a new one, and then saving that draft. Those steps on the app are not that easy. Additionally, two things happen when you do that in WordPress. First, the blog takes on the date that you saved the draft. So, I have to remember to change the posting date or what will happen is it will look like I posted it earlier than I really did when I publish the blog. Second, the app doesn’t allow you to simply publish once you’ve saved it to draft. To actually publish blogs on the app, I have to do some things to get it to post.

All that said, I think my screen would be pretty cluttered with bunches of draft blog ideas mucking up the system. So, I am discarding that idea.

I could carry around a pen and paper everywhere I go. That way I could write down the blog ideas when they hit me. That sounds like a good idea, but then I would have to always have that notepad with me…in bed, near the shower, in the car, at work, out to dinner. You get the picture. No pad with me, no blog ideas written down.

So, that idea, however potential, probably wouldn’t work for me.

But then I think about what do I have with me pretty much all the time…the electronic leash. That’s right, I almost always have my cell phone with me. I don’t take it in the shower, but it’s in the bathroom when I’m taking a shower. I literally take the cell with me always. Also, Monday through Friday I blog on my iPad, not my iPhone, so it’s free to use and I don’t have to hop out of The WordPress app to save an idea. With any mobile phone, you have some Notes app and there are a ton of them I’m sure that you can download that might have better features. I use the notes apps for a few purposes already…mainly to put together my weekend to do list so I can check off things as I get them done.

As I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve not only added the first idea from yesterday that came back to me, but I have listed two other blog ideas. They are right there on my Notes app ready for use tomorrow and future days. So, I think I will try this idea capture tool for a bit and see how it works.

The phone is with me all the time. It has a simple way to capture ideas and save them. It is separate from my iPad, so I don’t have to switch apps and it won’t clutter my app screen. Sounds like a good idea.

What type of ideas do you use to capture those fleeting ideas for blogging?

Blank Page Bingo Blogging

Blogging Meandering Genius

Do you have days where you stare at the blank blog page and simply have no idea as to what to write about that day?

The harder you think, the more menacing that blank page becomes. Just starring back at you laughing and mocking you.

Here’s a way to solve it…Blank Page Bingo.

It takes a little bit of preparation, but it’s worth it.

1. Build a six by six table and number the rows and columns 1 to 6.

2. Down the left side, next to the numbers, list six big things you normally like to blog about. For example, mine might be things like Strategy, Process Improvement, Employee Engagement, Blogging, Leadership, and Communication.

3. Across the top, above the numbers of each column, write done these words: Getting Started, Educational, Something Funny, Pro, Con, and Future.

Now, when you’re staring at that blank blog page, roll a six sided die twice. The first roll is your Blogging Interest (row) and your second roll is your Topic Generator (column).

In my example, let’s say I rolled a 1 and a 1 (snake eyes). Then I would talk about Strategy and Getting Started. So, what I could write about is getting started in strategic planning…how did I start…how could you get started. Now all kinds of ideas can flow from these two things–strategy and getting started.

If you write about more things than six in your blog, then create 11 rows and label them 2 to 12. Your first two rolls are added together for a 2 to 12 number. Need more Topic Generators…create 11 columns the same way.

I wouldn’t recommend that you use this generator every day you blog, just when you get stuck. If you roll your numbers and you still can’t think of an idea, then roll again…no biggie. You can also close your eyes and point, toss a coin onto your grid, literally however you would like to pick.

If you have ten rows and ten columns, you could use the month number and the last number in the day to do your picking, but that’s less random.

I think you get the concept.

Blank Page Bingo is nothing but a simple idea generator for you to come up with a quick blogging topic if you can’t think of something to write about. Anyone should be able to write about the things they know something about, once you have a direction.

Have fun with this tool and feel free to change it out if you use it a lot. Honestly, I was having a bit of blog block myself this morning and I was thinking about how to get over that while staring at the blank page and this idea popped in my head.

So, what I’m telling you, it was like I rolled a 4 for Blogging and a 2 for Educational. Additionally, I just made this up so it’s about as simple as that. Use it with caution, this method has been know to generate some pretty interesting blogs.

Have a great Friday!