This is the second post in a three-part series on ideas for blog posts when you’ve run out of ideas (read ideas 1-10 here and 21-30 here), featuring examples from some of the #30PostsHathSept bloggers and others. Please use the comments to share other ideas that work for you.
11. Write about growing old, your generation, or your age.
Cathy Day, who describes herself as author / speaker / literary citizen (aren’t you already hooked?) is one of the most consistently engaging bloggers I follow. Her recent post “On Turning 47” is representative of her authentic voice and effective use of detail, headings, and structure.
12. Share the costs or other requirements of a hobby or passion.
Outlining the details of day-to-day aspects favorite activities not only informs and inspires others, but also can enhance your own experience. #30PostsHathSept blogger Allyse (aka The Frog Lady) wrote today about “Yearly Maintenance for Tanks” (you can see her detail-oriented, engineering mind in action!).
13. Blog about a furry (or scaly or slimy) friend.
This idea comes from Write to Done’s “Creative Writing Exercises: Write About Your Most-Loved Pet.” Whether from our past or present, nearly all of us have a “pet story” that other readers will be able to relate to.
14. Put together a list of resources in your area of expertise.
The area of expertise can be anything—work, hobbies, family, personal background. #30PostsHathSept blogger Jo Freitag’s blog, Gifted Resources Blog, is entirely resource focused. See, for example, her recent post on Australian blogs on the topic of giftedness.
15. Create a photo essay of some ordinary part of your life.
Just in time for fall garden clean-up (or not), #30PostsHathSept blogger Mary Krawczyk invites her garden to be her guest blogger with photos and words in “Dear neglectful gardener: a photo essay.”
16. Write a sonnet or other poem.
Find creative inspiration in #30PostsHathSept blogger Marianne Kuzujanakis’s post, “Fourteen Lines,” in which she discusses the relevance of poetry and shares some entertaining and informative videos, as well as her own “Sonnet to Wings” (accompanied by one of her striking photographs).
17. Share how you have overcome or understood in a new way a challenge.
Showing our vulnerability helps to connect us to each other. It can also be very helpful, as there are certainly readers who face struggles similar to ours. One of my favorite blog posts in this category is Kristin Lamb’s “10 Ways for ADD Authors to Be OOH! SQUIRREL!!!! …Productive.”
18. Describe a recent festival or cultural event you attended.
In “Poutine Fest in Montréal, and other Friday night activities,” one of the #30PostsHathSept bloggers shows us through words and photos Montréal’s four-day Poutine Fest. What is poutine, you ask? He writes, “poutine is a Canadian dish (Canadian, not just québécois) with a base of fries, a sauce sort of like gravy and BBQ at the same time, and cheese curds. However, to make the dish original any sort of topping can be added. At this festival, originality was sort of the game. I saw a BBQ poutine, Jägermeister poutine, italian poutine, pad thai poutine, and a ton of others.”
19. Blog about blogging.
I want to encourage all of the Blog Challenge bloggers to do this at the end of the month, but anytime is a good time to write about your experience of blogging, why you do it, how it changes, what you learn along the way. See, for example, Allison Arnone’s recent “I Don’t Want to Build a Blogging Empire, I Just Want to Write.”
20. Share a photo of yourself dressed up like a zombie.
Okay, this one isn’t for everyone, but it does give me an excuse to link to George R. R. Martin’s blog, “Not A Blog,” and his post “Zombie Time on Z-Nation,” where you can see the author in full zombie make-up.
Thank you for these suggestions which I will file away for future reference when the ideas tap will not turn on!
And thank you for including a link to Gifted Resources Blog too 😀