7 Ways to Break Through a Blogging Slump

As I sit down to write this, I have to confess something: I’m in my own blogging slump.

I started the Valkyrie blog with a few tips I’d been saving up, and I knew I had a few weeks to get over myself and get in the groove. After all, writing for my clients is never an issue, right? So, why is it a problem when I need to write for my own business?

Honestly, it doesn’t matter why it’s a problem for me. Because I know it’s a problem for you too. Because it’s a problem that every writer I know faces, on one level or another. So, instead of navel-gazing about it, let’s talk about a few tangible ways to fix it.

1. Start writing. Now.

This one probably sounds familiar. I wrote about it in part one of my Write Better Content Right Now blog series. Ann Handley calls it The Ugly First Draft. Other writers call it other things.

Everybody knows it, though. It’s the concept that — if you’re going to get any writing done — you have to just start writing. You have to vomit the words out, no matter how ugly they are. After you’ve spewed words all over a page or a Word doc, you can go for a walk or grab coffee with a friend. When you get back, you’ll have something to edit.

2. Create a deadline

If you’re having trouble even sitting down with your laptop, pen and paper, quill and scroll, or whatever else you prefer to use for your first draft — let’s talk about getting you to the table.

I have never had a problem meeting deadlines for other people. And I know a lot of you are like me. When you’re working on someone else’s deadline, you have something on the line. If you don’t make it, you may lose a paycheck — or a job.

Here’s the key: Implement that sense of urgency on your own projects. Pretend you’re your own client, boss, or friend in need of a massive favor. Externalize the ask and create a deadline. And stick to it.

3. Change the scene

Having trouble working in your living room? Pack up your satchel and head to a coffee shop. Or just go outside (weather permitting).

Go somewhere that feels like a good spot to write, somewhere that you won’t be tempted to do something else, like folding laundry or binging Stranger Things on Netflix.

4. Think about what your audience needs from you  

So, you’re sitting at your laptop. You’ve taken away all distractions, and you’ve cleared your calendar. But the words aren’t coming. What now?

Think about your audience. What are they searching for? What do they need? What are they thinking about right now? Get into your target readers’ heads, and you might be surprised at how quickly inspiration strikes.

5. Consult your swipe file

I talked about keeping a swipe file in my last post, 5 Reasons You Should be Reading Other People’s Marketing Content. If you’re in a slump, go check out some of the titles, ideas, words, phrases, pictures, and other content that’s inspired you.

See what you can steal, and then work on making it your own. Remember to give credit where credit is due, and don’t ever plagiarize. But have fun with it, and don’t forget to take notes on any new ideas that pop up in the process.

6. Take a break

I know, I just told you to sit your butt down and start writing, but sometimes staring at a blank screen or piece of paper for too long is enough to drive you crazy.

As the cursor blinks back at you from the screen, the slump grows into a huge monster that you can’t get out of your head. Then, where you thought you had a little bitty writer’s block, you have a giant, slobbering beast that has your fingers frozen and your brain fogged.

If you find yourself in this state, get up, walk away, and get some fresh air. Don’t walk away forever. Put yourself on a timer. You might take a walk around the block. You might go throw some weights around at the gym. You might go read something from one of your favorite authors.

Whatever you do, do something that helps you get out of your head, and give yourself a deadline to get back to the keyboard. Then, when you have fresh eyes, come back and see what you can create.

7. Recognize that motivation is bullsh*t

Finally, I want to thank my friend Meredith Atwood (@swimbikemom) for this one. In a recent episode of her podcast, Meredith dove deep into what it means when you “have no motivation.”

If you wait until you’re motivated to write, you’ll never write. On the other hand, if you consistently show up, sit down, and start writing, you’ll love how far you get. To summarize Meredith’s message (which you should absolutely bump to the top of your podcast cue), motivation is bullshit. Consistency and dedication will get you to your goals every single time — whether you’re training for a triathlon or writing a blog for your business.

So, before you say you aren’t motivated to write your next blog post, think about whether you’re just not being consistent and dedicated enough to your blog. 

Motivation shows up when it wants to, and leaves you hanging the rest of the time. Consistency and dedication to writing — even bad writing — are the real MVPs in this game. Stick with them, and they’ll pull you through that blogging slump better than any motivational quote I can think of. 

Hell, they’re what got me here, to the end of this post. And the end of my own blogging slump.

So, what do you think? Do you have tips you use that get you out of a funk and back into writing?