Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Dear Blogging Monkey

Welcome to another installment of Dear Blogging Monkey. better Monkey-typing

Dear Blogging Monkey:

Is it hard to come up with topics to blog about, three times a week? I mean, is there ever a day when you just draw a giant blank?

Signed,
Big Fan Of The Blog


Dear BFOTB,

Thanks for being a die-hard follower of the blog. I appreciate every single follower I can coerce, er get. And that's a mighty fine question, too. Sometimes it is difficult to come up with a pithy topic or humorous post. Yes, there are some days when I draw a giant--make that King-Kong-sized--blank.

So what do I do on those occasions? Well, I try to dig deep and step up to the plate, so I can deliver the goods (often, clichés seem to help). Being a Big Fan Of The Blog, I'm sure you know that not all my hits are homers.

On those days when I seem to suffer from "blogger's block," I still try to post something.

Even if it is totally lame.

Thanks for your fun question! And remember to stop by on Friday for another enthralling blog post.

Signed,
One Blogging Monkey

 

******

How about you, bloggers? What are some of your fall-back posting strategies for those days when your imagination has taken a trip to the zoo?


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10 comments:

Elspeth Futcher said...

I do the same thing as you. Write about not having anything to write about. Well done.

Elspeth

Patricia Stoltey said...

Babbling works. My snowstorm post today is a good example.

Also photos. I'm trying to take more photos so I have options on brain freeze days.

Write about someone else's book(s). I do that a lot. Takes time (with links) but it's easy and makes the author happy. Also, I received the most blog visits ever during the week I featured the 21 Bouchercon debut novels.

Last resort. Write about food. Especially chocolate.

Alan Orloff said...

Elspeth - Thank you. (Can't slip anything by you.)

Patricia - Photos, nice. Talking about other books is good (I've used that one before, on numerous occasions). Chocolate, of course. You can never go wrong with chocolate. (Maybe I'll double dip with photos of chocolate.)

Karen - Babble? Me? Pretty much every blog post is a babble.

Annette said...

This is a timely topic for me, since I really zoned out early this week and didn't get anything posted until today.

Like Patricia, I rely on photos quite a bit. They can also make a short post look quite long if you post enough of them. And since I recently bought a new camera, I have added incentive. I like the writing about chocolate thing. Will have to try that. Assuming of course, that it involves taste testing...

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Funny you should ask, because I just came across a great article yesterday on the web: http://www.problogger.net/battling-bloggers-block/ . This fellow's whole site is pretty interesting, and this article had plenty of concrete advice, I thought.

Not that you or I would have this problem, of course!

Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder

Anonymous said...

Alan -
I think we all have those days..... I read other blogs and almost always get inspired by them. When that doesn't work, I like the stragegy of involving readers. There are lots of good poll widgets out there, for instance, that get readers thinking, and make them feel a part of the blog.

Alan Orloff said...

Annette - Photos. Really large photos. Good idea! (I also like your taste testing idea.)

Elizabeth - Thanks for the link. Changing my locale might help. I bet I could think up a good blog post on the golf course.

Margot - Good idea about the polls. Of course, then I'd have to think up some questions!

JournoMich said...

The other day I posted "Where do you write?" It was a total bomb. I have 10 followers (9 at the time - thanks, Alan, #1-oh!) and it didn't appeal to a single one. Of course non-followers read blogs as well, and it still didn't hit the mark. BUT, it was what I was thinking at the time, and that is the point of the blog. My blog is my journey into the world of writing. But we do have to keep it interesting if we want people to read us.

I've found one thing to do one drab days is find a meme and answer those questions. It usually gets me thinking in a new way.

Short, but good, Alan.

Michele
SouthernCityMysteries

JournoMich said...

Oooh, I second Annette's photo idea...Sometimes I even run outside and take photos. Thank goodness for digital cameras! I can have it on the computer in minutes and am usually inspired to write something, be it dreary or full of sunlight. Good point, Annette!

Michele
SouthernCityMysteries

Alan Orloff said...

Michele - What!? Blogs are supposed to appeal to other people? Mostly I just write mine to amuse myself. And, believe me, that doesn't always work!