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Writer’s Block. The Pain and Panic are Real.

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By Lisa D. Jenkins

There’s nothing quite like that feeling of knowing you owe the readers of your blog several hundred words and realizing you’ve got no idea what to write about. The realization that you can write on just about anything only makes it worse. It mires your brain in some sort of one track spiral that does nothing but turn around and around on itself.

Sorry, there are no blogs coming out of the station today.

So you take a walk. You open up the Google machine and surf around. You browse your book collection. You check your blog roll. Hoping for some sort of inspiration to drop an idea into your head.

Been there?

We’ve all seen the lists of X Ways to Beat Writer’s Block and there are often some great bits of advice in them. The problem is sometimes when you’re so stuck you can’t string a cohesive content thought together to save yourself, light prompts usually don’t cut it. You need serious, focused help.

Enter the blog topic generators of the world!

They aren’t perfect, they won’t write for you and they can’t be held responsible for everything, but topic generators have saved me more times than I can count. Here’s a look at 4 blog topic generators you can use to get writing, right now.

BlogAbout by Impact Branding & Design

“BlogAbout was an idea born out of frustration.”

Blogabout

Start by clicking the refresh button in the center of the screen until you find a prompt that strikes a spark.

Clicking it 5 times has given me:

  • preparation
  • the customer experience
  • customer service
  • a challenge
  • saving money

I’ll use preparation.

Now, click the Next button that generates a fill-in-the-blank phrase you can use with your own keywords. Hit the refresh button to get a new phrase or hit the heart to save a phrase to your notebook.

Here’s what I got:

  • When It Pays to
  • Why __ Timing is Everything
  • 7 Things that Really Great X Do
  • 7 X Tools No X Should be Without
  • 4 Ways to Make Your X More Successful

And that’s how I ended up here with a post on blog topic generators no blogger should be without. How great is that?

Here are a few more generators for you to check out.

ContentIdeator

Enter in a single keyword and click Get Ideas. Pages of existing headlines come up and all you have to do it choose whether you want to see 10, 20 or 30 ideas at a time. Use what you see as inspiration for you own post.

Portent’s Content Idea Generator

Enter your keyword and click the arrow to get started. I’ll use content. Next, you’ll get a title with helpful descriptors. Don’t like it? Hit refresh for another, and another. Here’s the second title I was given:
That’s workable, right?

Portent

Blog Topic Generator from Hubspot

You’ll need three nouns for this. When you’re ready, hit the Give Me Blog Topics button. I used content, productivity and business and was given these 5 blog topics.

Hubspot content generator

So. I’m not saying these generators will fix everything but they’ll get you focused on a single thread that’s more likely to turn into a blog post or article than, say, aligning your writing utensils from left to right in order of frequency of use will.

And now I give a round of applause to Impact Branding & Design, Portent, Content Forest and Hubspot for helping us all to find our way out of the desolation that is writer’s block.

Author’s Bio: Lisa D. Jenkins is a Public Relations professional specializing in Social and Digital Communications for businesses. She has over a decade of experience and work most often with destination organizations or businesses in the travel and tourism industry in the Pacific Northwest. Connect with her on Google+

Have a Good Business Idea?

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abizideaThe business world changes every day and if you want your business idea to succeed tomorrow, then you should pay attention to what’s trending today.

That’s right, by keeping an eye on the current market and successful business ideas; you can make an informed decision based on changing consumer needs.

When it comes to learning from current business trends, here are just a few types of businesses that are expected to grow for years to come:

Accounting

Whether it’s for small businesses or individuals, everyone needs help running numbers. If you have a knack for the financial side of life, then starting an accounting business is definitely a promising career. Accounting is a growing business landscape that offers plenty of job opportunities. The field of accounting isn’t something you can just jump into. To become a certified accountant, licensing and training is required. However, if you do have experience, turning your accounting business idea into a reality is a relatively easy and affordable process. From handling company balance sheets to general tax accounting, there’s no end to the growth possibilities of accounting.

Computer and Smartphone Repair

The popularity of computers and smartphones is going to continue to increase exponentially as time goes on. With a little training and basic licensing, you can turn your computer and smartphone repair business idea into a full-fledged career. There are a growing number of repair businesses that specialize in on-site computer hardware and software repairs as well as smartphone screen repairs. In addition, there are also a number of mobile repair businesses that can take care of repairs quickly and on the spot. No matter which direction you take, the computer and smartphone repair industry is really taking off.

Business Planning

If your business idea involves helping others develop their own business plans, then you’re on the right track. As the following article shows, starting a business plan service is 1 of 3 business careers that are actually fun and rewarding for both parties involved. The startup costs for a business planning service are minimal, but the career opportunities are huge. From preparing and formatting business plan layouts to creating financial outlooks, helping others plan their business will provide you with steady work for the foreseeable future. You can even offer add-on services like ongoing business consulting, which will provide you with a steady workflow as opposed to a freelance-style business approach.

Editing

Editorial services take a number of different shapes and forms nowadays. Whether it’s copyediting for online publications or proofreading company documents, businesses and individuals are always in need of quality editors. The best part is, being an editor means you’ll have a flexible career that you can take on in a full-time, part-time, or freelance capacity. Copyediting and proofreading are probably the two main editorial services that come to mind, but you can expand on your business idea to include other services too. Developmental editing, indexing, copywriting, blog writing and editing, ghost writing, and book doctoring are all much-needed services that fall under the editorial services umbrella.

If you want to know your business idea is a worthwhile venture for the future, then take a tip from the top trending businesses above.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of ddpavumba at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About the Author: Adam Groff is a freelance writer and creator of content. He writes on a variety of topics including business planning and career outlooks.

Three Blogging Tricks That Will Save Your Sanity

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Bloggers are always “on deadline.”

No matter what the posting schedule is like (daily, weekly, monthly), there is always another deadline looming. It can feel like one of those hamster wheels where you can’t get off.

With several years of blogging under my belt, I have accumulated some tricks that keep me from losing my mind.

Keep These Blogging Tricks Up Your Sleeve

Rainy Day Posts

The next time you’re feeling especially productive and the words are flowing easily, sock away an extra post that can be “evergreen.” Even better if you have 2-3 extras. Put them in a special folder or Evernote notebook. Break glass in case of emergency.

rainy day blog posts

Writing “Stubs”

Many bloggers keep a running list of topic ideas, which is very useful. However, I like to take it a step further and flesh out the ideas as I have time. Whenever you have a spare moment, add to your “stubs,” without paying too much attention to grammar, structure, etc. Just jot down the bones of the post in a free-flowing way.

If you get bored with one of the “stubs,” move on to another one that’s more inspiring in that moment. No pressure to complete it, add URLs, etc., just get the ideas out of your brain and into the “stub” bucket.

Over time, you’ll have a fertile ground for picking up “stub” posts and completing them when you’re not feeling able to punch out an entire post from scratch. No more blank page staring at you.

Set up a Series

Establishing a series on your blog is one of the best ways to “have an ace in the hole.” If you establish a certain day of the week that is focused on a specific subject, then you aren’t grappling with that aspect of writing.

This also helps your guest bloggers. It’s much easier to find someone to write on a specific topic than to just say “write anything.”

The best part of running a series is that your audience will return to see the next post in the series too. It’s a great way to build audience attention over time, once they become invested in the subject.

What do you do to keep from losing your blogging mind?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Photo Credit: h.koppdelaney via Compfight cc

The Ron Popeil Method of Problem-Solving

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My favorite Ron Popeil commercial was always the rotisserie chicken machine. “Set it and forget it!” Who doesn’t want to have delicious, juicy chicken roasting in their kitchen, being basted by a machine?

Showtime rotisserie machine

Stay with me a minute while I equate your brain to that self-basting rotisserie machine.

Your unconscious mind is capable of doing a lot of heavy lifting while you’re going about your daily tasks. According to a University of Alberta study, it’s constantly evaluating whether objects in your environment are helping you move toward your goals or away from them.

Your unconscious can be creative, even while you’re vacuuming or playing golf or filling out timesheets.

So if you’re trying to come up with a new idea, a blog topic, a cartoon, a product design, it pays to “set it and forget it.”

This mechanism is the basis for Think and Grow Rich, The Secret, Oprah’s dream boards, and enough self-help books to fill the Grand Canyon.

But wait, there’s more!

You can try this in your very own home for the low, low price of….nothing!

Step One – What’s Your Problem?

Think very vividly and in detail about the parameters of your problem. Say it out loud to yourself, write it down, describe it to someone else. Just define what you’re trying to solve (perhaps you’re just looking for a great blog topic).

Step Two – Go About Your Business

That’s it. Totally forget about your issue, and concentrate on another task that’s unrelated. Do the laundry, file your taxes, finish that re-branding project, anything that distracts you from the problem.

That’s when the magic happens. Delicious, juicy, rotisserie chicken, just for you.

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Inspiration: Ending Writer’s Block

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David Showell

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Coping with Writer’s Block

For freelance writers, maintaining a healthy output of work is perhaps the most important issue, because without it the steady flow of income will soon start to dry up. However, it’s not always easy to find the inspiration that’s needed to create quality content. Writing can be a wonderful occupation, but it should be noted that it’s not like an ‘ordinary’ job – if you can’t produce the goods, you simply won’t get paid.

Most writers will freely admit that there are times when a blank screen simply refuses to be filled up with high class words, and each of them will have varying techniques to get past the block. For some, the best option is to just walk away from the computer and take a break for a little while. All good writers will be constantly on the lookout for ideas to write about, so heading out for a little walk is often a good option.

A stroll along the local high street could prove inspirational for many, thanks to the wide range of goods in the shop windows. Perhaps articles along the lines of ‘Ten Great Inventions’ or ‘The Recession in the Retail Sector’ could be created as a result. Similarly, a wander through the park may be all you need to start thinking about ‘Five of the World’s Best Bridges’ or maybe even ‘How to Cope with Hay Fever in the Summer’.

If you’re stuck for ideas and don’t wish to venture outside, another good idea is to watch a little TV for a while or perhaps to read a book or magazine. There are good ideas to be found almost anywhere, although there are times when it feels like nothing will inspire. Many writers find their finest articles are borne of ideas when they least expected them, despite the fact that most writers will tell you they rarely switch off.

Some of the more prolific pen-men and pen-women are able to produce large quantities of work with very few interruptions, although the majority of them will have all experienced that sinking feeling from time to time. In many cases, the best option is to stop trying to write anything at all, and to just let a little break restore the mind’s equilibrium. Whether you’re looking to manufacture the next great American novel or you’re looking to write a short article for a travel website, you need to spot the times when the creative juices are flowing and when they’re not.

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Author’s Bio:David Showell is a UK-based writer who works for a car hire company. He specialises in deals for tourists who are visiting the island of Sardinia.

 

Thank you, David. Insights that keep ideas flowing are always welcome.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Influencing Decisions Part 1: 4 Things to Know Before You Propose an Idea

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IRRESISTIBLE BUSINESS: Influencing Decisions

Be Prepared to Influence the Results

cooltext443809437_relationships

The CEO was a great thinker. He made his decisions on the facts. As I watched him in meetings as people presented ideas with their best efforts to win him over, I learned a lot about what influences the decision making process.

One of the most important things I learned was what I should know to hedge my bets.

Influence is built on trustworthiness and connection.
To achieve those and meet our goals, it’s important to finely focus on the roads that will take us to our goal and the ways of inviting people to join us that move their mission forward as well.

4 Things to Know to Move Forward Before the Abyss of Next Steps

Whether we work for a huge corporation or sit at a desk in our living room, we can’t be successful without tapping into the influence of others who can help us make our ideas and our projects become real. Yet, we all also know the experience of leaving a meeting or ending a phone only to find that the decision we wanted fell off the table into an abyss called “Next Steps.”

Knowing a few things before we go into those meetings can influence the results significantly by building foundational trust in our competence and connecting our goals to how those we want to help will benefit.

    1. Know your short term purpose. Who are you and what are you building? Too often, we enter a meeting, write a blog post or email, or walk into a meeting without a specific and thoughtful goal in mind. Why are you there? Are you trying to rally support for a new idea? Do you want to change a plan in progress? Are you exploring ways to work together? Are you after funding to research the idea? Will you share something new you’ve discovered? What do you want to be true when the conversation ends?

    2. Know how this project will make the answer you want clear. Know how you’re going to make the project happen. Ask yourself before you meet, “What would be next if the answer is yes.?” Sketch out a plan of action and reasonable estimates for the costs and the resources needed to execute that plan. Do the thinking so that they don’t have to. Present a simple plan that can stand on its own.

    3. Know how your plan will bring relevant and positive results faster and easier. Establish context that makes your goal relevant to the audience you want to enlist. Why are you pursuing this goal and why would the audience want to align their goals with yours? Are you informing a large audience or a small one? How deeply do they need to know the details? ?How will you connect what you want to happen to what already is? How will the proposed project fit into what they’re already doing? How can you make your proposal mission critical to THEIR goals?

    4. Know how your experience will add value and mitigate risk. How will you establish your knowledge base as an expert? If possible, tie the proposed idea or project to something you’ve succeed at in the past. If you can’t, know what you’d expect based on your experience and be able to explain why you’re confident that together you can make this innovative approach a success. Research similar ventures. Be prepared to speak to one or two you know well.

Ideas are fun, but they’re not the genius that builds an economy. For no matter how ideas — genius or not — that get set on the “business table,” it’s the ones founded on solid thinking, realistic plans, and influential support from the right sources that develop into the next awesome technology or killer app we own.

If we do the strategic thinking and develop credible plans before we propose the idea, attracting the influential support of the right people is faster, easier, and more meaningful. In fact it could be said to be irresistible.

Be irresistible.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!