Getting Out Of A Blogging Rut - By K.M. Allan

The decision to start a blog is big. The decision to post to a blog regularly for the unforeseen future is even bigger. It requires time, sacrifice and takes you away from other tasks—especially when you're a writer.

While you can argue blogging is writing and any practice makes you better—writing blogs instead of your WIP doesn't get your book completed any faster!

Blogging does have its perks, though. Nowadays, it's part of the "Author Platform" expected for modern writers and puts you in touch with other authors, readers and helps sell your books. But like anything in life, and even if you love it, you can find yourself in a blogging rut.

I've had my share of ruts since my blog launched in 2017. There have been posts I've loved that no one has responded to. There have been posts that took ten minutes to write that became my most popular. I've spent a whole week on posts and I've written posts the night before I needed to publish them. I've sometimes wondered if I should keep blogging and I've had readers telling me not to stop blogging (thank you!).

If you've found yourself in a similar blogging rut, these are the ways I've found to dig your way out.

Getting Out Of A Blogging Rut

Take A Break

I know I just said to dig out of the rut and now I'm saying to take a break, the thing I'm not saying is to quit.

If you still have the passion to blog but it's just taking a little longer to get into the groove, all you need to get your mojo back is to take a break.

The only time I've not posted weekly blogs was after having surgery in 2018. I was physically and emotionally drained and just couldn't do it. I was also creatively blocked, so that didn't help. What helped was leaning into that and taking time off. Sometimes you've got to take a break, forced or not, and just give yourself time to be creative again.

Build Up Posts When You're At A Creative Peak

Earlier this year I hit another creative low. Then I went to my first writers conference and got enough material for several posts. Having those posts written gave me a few weeks break from having to pen new blogs, and that allowed me to avoid the rut I was careening toward and work more on my current WIP—refilling my creative cup.

If you ever get into an inspiration peak, go with it and write as many blog posts as you can. They don't even need to be more than a rough first draft. Just having a backup of content takes the pressure off and can really keep your blogging going.

Change Things Up

While routine can be your best friend when you're a blogger and is one key to regular posts, it gets boring.

Knowing you've got to piece together yet another blog post when it feels like you just finished one can spiral you right into a rut. When you feel like you can't take another day of writing intros, thinking of snappy titles, and finding one more image of a generic desk with a laptop on it, it's best to change things up.

Write a different kind of post. Use different pictures. Change your blog theme. I recently launched a newsletter (which you can sign up for here).

It's not often I write about blogging, so this post in itself is creatively different, but you could also try adding gifs, images, or color to your posts. Anything that will make it feel like you're not repeatedly churning out the same thing.

Designate A Blogging Day

Running a blog while writing my YA series Blackbirch was getting overwhelming and the writer-guilt of feeling like I wasn't doing either properly seeped in. When you're feeling negative about the task at hand, that rut looks mighty cozy and a great place to stay.

So, I implemented a non-overwhelming writing routine. Now I have a designated blog day where the only writing I have to do on a Tuesday is a blog post. If one is all I can do, then that's all I do—guilt-free! If I get into a creative flow and write as many posts as I can, I'm then ahead. I aim for those goals every Tuesday, so I'm building up my post stockpile and pulling double-duty to keep myself out of the rut.

Start An Ideas System

One reason you might get into a blogging rut is that you don't have any idea what to write from one week to the next. Planning can help with this, but if you aren't a planner, at least try to become an idea-er (or something that's a real word).

Brainstorming helps. Just sitting down and trying to think of what you'd like to blog about is usually enough to kick start ideas.

If you come up with multiple ideas, start an ideas system. It's as simple as typing them out in a notepad file or Word doc or writing it down in a notebook (but not one of the pretty ones you bought but will never write in).

I use Scrivener and have all my blog ideas in separate note files with the title as the file name. That way I can just scan each file at a glance and decide what I want to work on or drag them to a dedicated "month" folder so I can plan my content and make sure I'm not blogging about similar topics in the same month.

I've got such files going back years, including the year I thought about blogging before actually launching my blog. I may never write all of those ideas, but having them is like having a shovel to dig yourself out of a blogging rut—and is something I highly recommend.

How about you? What do you do to keep your blogging fire burning? Share your tips in the comments below!

— K.M. Allan

You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

K.M. Allan is an identical twin, but not the evil one. When she’s not writing, she likes to read, binge-watch too much TV, and take more photos than she will ever humanly need. Visit her blog at kmallan.com to discover the secrets of the universe, or at the very least, some good writing tips.

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