5 creative ways to make blogging more enjoyable this summer
Are you feeling a little bored by writing and publishing? If it’s not giving you any joy right now, you could probably do with some inspiration to energise your blogging and make it more enjoyable again.
One thing you won’t hear me say though is to “just do it” hoping the fun will come back that way. It could be poor advice for a non-professional blogger or anyone without a strong natural urge to write. I have been blogging since 2007 and can tell you that sometimes you want to think a little outside the box.
1. Use images to inspire you
People love images and images don’t always need words to tell their story. Good reasons why you don’t want to underestimate the visual side of your blog. Of course your written words are important for SEO purposes as they help search engines to find your blog. But words alone are not enough.
So why not shake things up a little and try something different. If you like photos, you might like to create a predominantly visual post and allow your images to tell the story.
This is a great way to teach, or feature your event, travel, food, craft, or nature pictures. You still want to include your image description and at least 300 words (incl keyword or key phrase) in the post so it gets found by the search engines. But essentially it’s all about the images.
If this kind of post would be off-topic, you can create a new blog category with a name such as ‘inspiration’ or similar.
Or you could write your usual length post but use more images than you would normally to enhance the words. I like to add an image per 300 words but you could add more.
If you don’t feel like writing a new post, there’s always the option to edit and update an old one and make it more visual.
It’s best not to use random pictures in case they might confuse your message. Finding the right pictures to support your message can be quite a creative exercise by itself! My stack of pebbles above once helped me to illustrate a mindfulness exercise once and I also included it in a guest post about finding ease in challenging situations.
Should you take your own pictures?
Yes I do think it is worth having a go! Especially as smartphone cameras have got so much better now.
You may be surprised by how enjoyable the creative side of taking and editing photos can be. It is so easy to beautify even an ordinary looking picture with the help of a specialist App like PIXLR or Canva. Enhance is great too, if simplicity is important to you. (I used it to add the words to the image at the top of this post.)
Saying all that, some people like to leave the hard work to someone else. In that case, you can always download professional photos from dedicated websites. To avoid copyright issues, I recommend you start with Pixabay or Unsplash where you may not need to attribute the source. But please check the small print!
2. Story magic can make blogging easier and more enjoyable
Do you use stories in your posts? Stories are powerful: they engage your reader, bring your post alive and can be fun to write too.
When I couldn’t see my little grandson for months on end during the early pandemic I regularly used WhatsApp to read him a story. As time went on, he wanted to join in and this led to us creating our own imaginary stories. Occasionally we use props too and it is lovely to see how exciting and real these stories feel to him. The more stories we create, the more he puts his heart and soul into the process and the better he gets at fleshing out all the actions. It’s a win-win for both of us because I am having so much fun too.
The benefits of story telling
Everyone likes stories, not just children! And there are many reasons why they work.
Stories draw readers in and help them to relate to and your experiences. You keep their attention for longer and they get to know you better too. What a wonderful way to connect with your readers!
Story telling isn’t just for personal bloggers. It works ever so well in business articles where your stories make your copy engaging. There is nothing better than a good story to share an idea or demonstrate a solution that is very easy to understand.
But we as writers benefit too. Story telling is like a muscle that needs exercising. And the benefits increase the more you do it.
What to consider when sharing little stories
On the simplest level your story will have a main character (you in this instance), a beginning, a middle, and an end. But that that doesn’t sound very engaging does it!
For me it’s often about a specific place or moment in time when something unexpected happens. This might cause some emotional turmoil and the struggle of coming to terms with change. But eventually I get to a point where I am able to recover or turn the situation round.
It is how you solve a challenging problem that will be of interest to others in a similar situation!
I find journaling helps me to practise writing about events that unsettle me. But journaling is way more than a writing exercise. It is about gaining a better understanding of what’s happening and trying to process the emotions and the learning too.
Who would have thought that putting you at the centre of your story could become an important self-care exercise too?
Incidentally, there is no expectation to share every story. But you may find that by exploring one, you remember others that could work well in your blog posts.
3. Try other creative ways to make blogging easier and more enjoyable
How else, other than via stories or photos could you get your message across? It pays to think creatively here.
A few years ago, a colleague of mine started experimenting with writing Haikus for business. They became so popular, he decided to publish them in a book.
Some people enjoy writing and sharing poems, others draw and paint pictures to go with their writing. I once created a collage which later became the topic of a post and on another occasion I wrote about my vision board for the New Year. There are so many possibilities
Which creative activity could energise you and make your blogging more enjoyable again?
4. Use your passion freely
Do you write about topics that are close to your heart? Creative writers usually do. Whereas business bloggers often shy away from sharing their beliefs for fear of risking their professional reputation.
What happens when you follow your heart
A few years ago, I worked with a business client whose faith meant everything to her. She had a deep desire to talk about her beliefs by including bible stories in her writing and her marketing messages. Everyone else had advised her against it but I knew she had to follow her heart. Slowly but surely she attracted other business people who shared her faith and became loyal clients because of it.
Here she was creating a very successful niche for her service. Each time we spoke she had a smile on her face and it was evident how much more she was enjoying her work.
One of our supporters is very open about her terminal illness and just says it how it is. She too feels compelled to share and has attracted a dedicated following as a result. It goes to show that nothing is impossible!
When you specialise in an area you feel strongly about, there will always be some readers who don’t like it. But you can never please every single reader anyway! Being real and true to yourself in your writing is key. Because your experiences and beliefs will be powerful magnets for the right reader.
The more enthusiasm you have for your topic, the more you will stand out in the sea of bloggers. And the more enjoyable it will be to write. It may even make you less prone to experiencing writer’s block. It’s a no-brainer!
5. Think who you can help today
Is it possible you got a little bored with blogging because you lost sight of the deeper reason why you do it? Not having a clear purpose can take the fun out of writing. A clear “why” will help you to focus on what is important and filter out all the noise. Then you’re free to feel the joy again. You can read more about finding your purpose here.
It goes hand in hand with what I said above about specialising and having a niche. One side of blogging is about you, your “why” and your message, whilst the other is knowing who exactly you want to reach with it. This may be the reader who needs your unique advice or inspiration because they don’t know what you know and appreciate you for helping them.
Who is your own special reader? It is so much easier and more enjoyable to write and create for that special person than for hundreds of people with different needs and expectations.
Which story do they need to hear? Which images or art work might inspire them or cheer them up? Just imagine how you (and only you) could make their day that little bit better!
I’d love to know what creative approaches help you to write when you don’t feel the love. Please comment below!
Alternatively, feel free to message us if you want to get more from your blogging or your business. Helping blog writers to move forward is what we’re good at!
