The Secret Identity of Blogger’s Block

Do you really know why you get stuck blogging from time to time? Many people refer to it as blogger’s block, you don’t know what to write about. Hence, you begin to post on your blog less frequently, and then you just stop. It’s a frequent occurrence and a good way to filter those who REALLY want to blog and those who think “If they can blog, I can blog.”

I think it’s BS. There’s no such thing as “I don’t know what to blog about.” Look around you, you’re living in the information age. The keyword is information. It’s everywhere, there’s plenty of it. So it’s a lousy excuse, it doesn’t hold up.

You read news online (or somewhere else), you watch TV, movies, videos, you read blogs, leave comments, read tweets, play games, walk outside, drive, see things happen, and the list goes on. And it’s all in one day. So how can you say you don’t know what to write about?

Hell, Google your blog topic and write about the first result that pops up. It’s not hard, you just have to think. Information about your blog topic is everywhere, write about it. Stop overthinking it.

Secret Identity Revealed

Yes, I was a bit harsh in the above statement, but you’re in luck Mr. Nice guy is back. Not knowing what to write about is not the reason why people stop blogging. There has to be an underlying problem that shuts down the creative part of your brain after you begin blogging.

In my experience, for many people it’s fear. There, the blogger’s block has been exposed, it’s fear. Any way you look it, fear finds a way to impede your progress in any tasks you undertake, including blogging.

I’m Not Afraid of Blogging

You’re right, fear of blogging is not the fear that causes blogger’s block. This fear, or even fears, is one of the most common fears we face on a daily basis. It’s different for everyone.

What you need to do is look at what’s going on in your life and try to pinpoint your fear. I know it’s there. We’re humans, we have fears. Take a closer look at your life and you’ll see what causes trouble.

Recently, I had to deal with one of the fears (that I thought I didn’t have) that hindered my photography. I admitted I had a problem, and now I’m working on resolving it. Once you fix the underlying problem, you won’t have any issues blogging. There will always be something to blog about, no walls to your creative side.

Identifying Fear

Here’s a quick list I’ve seen others have, including me. Try to see what you’re facing right now and which fear might be hindering your blogging

Fear of:

• rejection (lack of comments, visits, in the beginning, might do that to you)
• success (some people are afraid of success, I had those problems before)
• failure (pretty much everyone is afraid to fail and ties in with rejection)
• criticism (performance anxiety is a good term for this)
• change (yes, a lot of people afraid of change blogs might bring)
• commitment (blogging requires commitment, people don’t realize it until they begin blogging)
• unemployment (maybe you’re afraid your employer might not like your blog)
• publicity (it ties in with success, some people want privacy)
• list goes on

These are some of the most common fears that you might be dealing with. It might be a bouquet of fears. I’ll be the first one to admit that I dealt with all of these fears one way or another, not only blogging but any block: photography, blogging, relationships, you name it. I’m first to admit I had them and still have some of them. But I’m working on fixing them.

The Road to Recovery

I’m not a shrink, but exercising some common sense goes a long way. Once you know what your fear (or fears) is you can figure out a way to begin working on it and taking it out of your life’s equation. That’s one variable you don’t need.

Figure out the best way to approach your fear. There are plenty of books and resources online that will help you guide through dealing with your fear. Once you accept it, you will feel lighter – a weight off your shoulders has fallen.

I’m still dealing with some fears, but I’ve accepted them and feel that I’m a new person. It has given me the strength to do what I love, photography and writing, without futile blocks.

If you don’t figure out what you’re afraid of, blocks will keep showing up and you will suffer from it in the long run. Uproot the problem from the source, that’s the only way to do it. Here’s some wisdom from Mark Twain on fear to close:

Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.

Are you suffering from blogger’s block? What is your fear? Tweet me.