What do you write when you’ve got nothing to say?
And what can you say when you feel you have nothing to offer?
For weeks now, I’ve been wanting to whip up a blog post full of awe-inspiring insight and mind-blowing brilliance. Or at least offer a tiny tip that might help you write your own bright and shiny copy or content.
But I felt like a singer without a song. A poet without a rhyme. A joke without a laugh.
Because every time I attempted to write something, pfffffffttttt! Nothing. Zip. Nada. Every idea I had felt forced or flimsy, shallow or stupid. Or so overdone and uninteresting.
As the weeks trudged on, I became desperate. Anxious. Even slightly depressed. If I didn’t come up with something brilliant to share soon, if I didn’t force myself to write something, if I had to go another week without offering something to my peeps, well, then, I… well…
And that’s when it hit me. The real reason I felt so pressured to come up with some tasty tidbit to share with you.
Content is my permission slip.
If I can’t I serve up a delectable dish of high-value content for you to chew on, I don’t have permission to connect with you. I mean, I can’t just show up here on this blog or in your email inbox and say “Hi. How ya doing? Whazzup?” unless I give you some kind of life-changing, business-boosting tip at the same time.
No content, no connection.
I remember when a very wise man named Jack Kornfield once said (and I know I’m misquoting him; it was so long ago when I heard him say this) that so much of our conversation and endless yakking all boils down to one unspoken message: “Hi. I’m here. Are you in there? Let’s be here together.”
We talk, write, schmooze or even argue as a way to connect with each other. It’s how we give ourselves permission to interact, engage and not be so alone with our thoughts, dreams, fears and amusements.
Content, and conversation, are our permission slips. Or maybe they’re more like raffle tickets. If you’re lucky, they’ll give you the big prizes of connection, community and companionship.
When You’re Writing On Empty (and In Need of a Permission Slip)
So, what can you do if, like me, you find yourself without a lick of ingenuity or one single blood-pumping, thought-provoking, eye-popping idea… but you’re desperate to connect with your peeps?
Well, let me give you a few tips that may help you (and me!) any time you’re trying to write on empty.
1. Play Headline Mad Libs
Did you ever play Mad Libs as a kid?
If you don’t know what the heck I’m talking about, I’ll clue you in by saying that Mad Libs is a fill-in-the-blank word game that was popular in the late 50’s, early 60’s. (You can check out the new online version here.)
Well, whether you like Mad Libs or not, it can be fun and idea-generating to grab some headline templates, fill in the blanks with words or phrases that are aligned with your expertise (or not!) and see if one of those headlines sparks some new and crazy ideas. (If you’re fresh out of headline templates, just google “headline template” or “how to write a headline” and you’ll find a bunch.)
One of my favorite headline resources for blog posts is Jon Morrow’s Headline Hacks. Let’s play with one of Jon’s headline templates:
7 [Blank] Mistakes That Make You Look Dumb
Easy! So, I could put in “copywriting” or “website” or “headline” or “customer service” in that blank space. (What could you put in?)
But I could have a lot more fun if I stick in any kind of adjective that comes to mind. “Corny” “Common” “Sloppy” “Funny”… you get the idea.
Or…. If you want to up your game and double your fun, try this headline hack, also from Jon Morrow:
5 [Blank] Mistakes That Make You [Look/Sound] Like a [Blank].
How about:
5 Makeup Mistakes That Make You Look Like a Ferret
5 Headline Mistakes That Make You Sound Like Cal Worthington on Speed
By the way, a colleague of mine used Jon’s Headline Hacks to create 52 new headlines. Then, she wrote a post to match each one. Pow! She had 52 weeks worth of blog material.
2. What Happened This Week?
Look back over your week or your month. What happened? Did one of your clients have a breakthrough? Did you learn how to do something new? Did someone piss you off? Or maybe you pissed someone off.
Review your experiences and see if there’s some little nugget that you could share, some story you could tell. If something great happened, can you track how such fabulousness came about? If something crummy happened, can you turn that experience into a bit of wisdom your clients could benefit from?
3. Read. Watch. Listen.
Sometimes, when I’m running on empty inspiration-wise, I read something that is either so well-written that it makes me pant out loud, or something so fun that I laugh out loud, or something so beautiful I cry out loud.
For me, reading great writing wakes me up, stirs my soul, and reminds me of what I love. And in doing so, I get reconnected to my own creative flow of ideas, urges and impulses.
But listening to a great podcast (my newest addition is The Fizzle Show), radio show (This American Life is the best thing on radio; it’s a podcast as well) or seminar recording (I’m currently reviewing the audios from Marie Forleo’s B-School) can also fill my inspirational well.
Start a swipe file of anything and everything that turns you on, jostles your brain cells, touches your heart or makes you laugh. Use this file as your personal treasure chest of sparkly idea-igniters.
4. Write a love note.
Screw trying to write epic, dissertation-worthy content! Yes, I know every marketing rockstar, blogging brain trust and social media maven preaches that you must create and consistently offer tons and tons of high-value content. But if you sometimes feel more than a shot-glass shy of mind-blowing brilliance when creating content for your blog or newsletter, write a love note instead.
Express your appreciation for your readers and clients. Tell them how much you appreciate their faith in your expertise, their support, their time and attention.
Or express your love for what you do. Or for a mentor who’s helped you. Or some unsung hero you idolize and think about often.
5. Write nothing at all.
Give yourself a break, cut yourself some slack, and just let go of the need to write anything. As my big boo sometimes says, no small children will die if you don’t write a blog post this week. Or next week. Or ever again, for that matter.
Sure, it’s ideal if you can consistently churn out great content on a regular and somewhat predictable basis. But if you’re trying to “write on empty,” and you don’t feel genuinely excited and eager to write something you can share with your readers, give yourself permission to leave it alone for a while. Instead, focus on filling up your own creative well.
And a Few Other Resources To Get Your Creative Juices Flowing…
- Now, if Alexandra Franzen’s post of 100 Questions to Inspire Rapid Fire Self-Discovery doesn’t shake loose some inspiration, you really do need to take a break.
- Jon Morrow’s blog is packed with posts that will slap the sleep out of your eyes, raise your blood-pressure and turn your brain upside down… in a good way. But one of my favorite posts of Jon’s is 27 Wacky Ways to Beat Writer’s Block.
- And then, there’s Danny Iny’s blog post on Copyblogger, 21 Ways to Create Compelling Content When You Don’t Have a Clue.
So, let me ask you, how do you find inspiration and ideas for content? What do you do or where do you go when you need a jolt of creative energy? Let me know by leaving a comment below.