When You Don’t Know What to Blog About…

The internet can seem like a scary place for bloggers who are experiencing a bit of writer’s block. After all, you have followers who visit regularly to read the latest pondering on your topic of choice. Who knows what’s going to happen if they arrive and there’s nothing new on the horizon? Do you even really want to find that out? Here are a few ways to get through those periods when your creativity engine has halted and you don’t know what to blog about.

Post a picture because images are nice to look at. It’s an easy way to deliver one thousand words to your blog readers without having to write a single sentence.

Tell a story because people relate to each other through shared experiences and intrigue. You’ll probably get return visitors if it’s funny, empathy from readers if it’s sad or hate mail if it’s controversial enough to make someone uncomfortable.

Ask a question because you’ve been dying to know something. Maybe you want to know if it’s just you who does that unspeakable thing sometimes in the middle of the night. Maybe you’re curious to find out where other people stand on a particular subject. Maybe you want options to troubleshoot a problem you’re having. Or maybe…just maybe…you want to outsource the need for having to come up with blogging ideas on your own. Whatever the reason for asking is…just ask.

Link to someone else’s blog because he or she has already done the work and beat you to it. Ugh. Don’t those prolific bastards just make you sick?! Yeah. They’re blogging it up while you’re staring at the keyboard and a blank page on the computer screen. Don’t hate them. Congratulate these bloggers instead by telling your readers to go check out the good blog post they recently put up. It will make you look good to your blog visitors because you’re helping them find other cool blogs to read and it will also save you from having to put up your own post…at least for now.

Respond to a current event because everybody has an opinion about the latest stories being reported on by the media. Whether it’s Dunkin Donuts’ new Cronut, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay,” Ebola, Immigration, Olivia Pope’s outfits on the last episode of ABC’s “Scandal,” Martha Stewart’s recipe for pumpkin soup, there’s something in the news that you surely can comment on in 400-500 words or more. Do that.

Review a product, service or event because that new thingamajig you recently bought or ate or participated in has exceeded your expectations. That is, unless it fell short of what you thought you were getting into, for one reason or another. Either way, blog about whether you are happy with your purchase or experience. The information could possibly be very helpful to another person who is considering buying/reading/eating/using/doing the very thing you already bought/read/ate/used/did.

What do YOU do when you don’t know what to blog about?

A-to-Z Challenge Co-Host Nicole Ayers blogs at The Madlab Post and she is an official ambassador of the 2014 Couch Fest Films Festival. Connect with her @MadlabPost on Twitter.  

The Season of Blogging

Do you know what it's like to sometimes feel like there’s not enough time in the day to post new content? Those of us who have had blogs for longer than a year have likely become broken down at one time or another, for one reason or another, in the struggle to keep our blogs going. Once it starts, the wave of procrastination, doubt and lack of interest in blogging can make us believe that our world doesn’t have room for our blogs at the moment.

It’s like a blogging breakdown happens, especially when writer’s block has reared its ugly head….again. Yet, it’s rarely noticeable as dirty dishes are piled mountain high in the kitchen sink because all the time spent working for the man required overtime this week. Plus, laundry needs to be done, dinner must be served and little Jimmy has baseball tryouts this weekend. Then there’s that sudden feeling technology overload once the cell phone starts ringing, alarms go buzzing and social media notifications pop up on the little screen. Oh wait…“The Real Housewives of Orange County” is coming on tonight and, well, the mere thought of blogging just elicits one big sigh, or maybe even a sense of sheer panic. 

Updating ones blog used to be a fun activity but now it just seems sooo last season. If this sounds like you and if you ever find yourself neglecting your blog or letting it fall by the wayside because, hey, life happens after all, remember this…

There is no right season or special sauce that determines when the time is right to get back into the swing of blogging.

As bloggers, we have to constantly work at putting out fresh content, out of respect for our readers, the platforms that we’ve built and for ourselves. We must find a way to make blogging fun again. This can be done by approaching our blog in a way that is hassle free, given our schedule and interests.

Maybe time and life duties won’t allow you to write that epic blog post today but what’s stopping you from posting a photo and a simple caption? Or perhaps, a roundup style blog post containing links to other bloggers that may be of interest to your readers? Or, maybe list style posts describing all of the things/people/places keeping you from blogging like a rockstar?

Blogging is never out of season, so we must do what we can to make sure that our corner of the web is always trending.

What are YOUR blogging struggles that YOU would like to overcome?

Nicole Ayers is an A-to-Z Challenge Co-Host who operates The Madlab Post and chats on Twitter. Her short narrative drama film “ABYSS: THE GREATEST PROPOSAL EVER,” is available on DVD (Limited Sneak PreviewEdition) as she works further relief efforts for disaster survivors including U.S. Military Veterans. 

Two Rewarding Results of Writing in Response to Blogs You Visit

Did you know that writing responses on your blog is of the quickest ways to feature a blogger in one of your posts? 

There are many ways to use the topic of another blogger’s writings as a springboard for your own blog’s content. Consider posting content that elaborates on a comment that you left, if any, on his or her original post. You can also forego commenting altogether, and write a response on your blog, making sure to link the post that sparked this subject you’re covering.  

No matter how you approach this method of responding to blogs you visit, it’s a win-win situation for all parties involved because it comes in handy where marketing and content creation is concerned.

Writing in response to the blogs you visit helps to cure writer’s block. Reading someone else’s perspective on a topic, or learning about certain experiences he or she had, is likely all it takes to revive your creative juices when you find yourself coming up short of blogging ideas.

Writing in response to the blogs you visit fosters interaction between bloggers. There is a good chance that bloggers whose post you’re responding to will visit your blog if you leave a comment on what they originally wrote with the permalink to your reaction. This might even lead to a mention and link in their latest blog post, which is one of the easiest ways for you to gain new readers. In the same breadth, linking to their post in the body of the content you write also helps to send your visitors their way – helping both blogs to build a network within the blogging community.

Have YOU ever written a comment that ended up being as long as the average blog post?

Nicole Ayers hosts the 'Monday Movie Meme' while also writing about independent film directors and their work at The Madlab Post. When she’s not keeping up with Jack Bauer, she also tweets.

Answers to the Alphabet

These Blogging from A to Z subjects are brought to you by Nicole at The Madlab Post...

Today marks the day that the Alphabet Soup series is going on a hiatus, so I am offering up the following prompts that can be used as themes or topics during the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. It is my hope that these blog post subject ideas will help get those of you experiencing some writer’s block through the entire alphabet with little to no fuss.

Adolescent Art - Scan or photograph one of your favorite (or least favorite) pieces of artwork that you made during your childhood years. This can be a sculpture, collage, painting, drawing, sketch or some other type of art that you made in school, church, at summer camp, etc. you get the picture.

Bake or Broil - Compare different foods that you think are better when prepared one way compared to the other. Does fish come out better when broiled? Is chicken more moist when baked? Do an experiment or share with readers a point of view based on your previous cooking and/or tasting experiences.

Censorship Commentary - Answer the question: Does censorship make you feel like you’re being shortchanged in the context of your ability to enjoy and/or absorb a television show, movie or song that you know has been edited for broadcast purposes?

Doomsday -  If the world was ending at the end of April 2013, how would you spend your time between now and then?

Embarrassment - Describe an embarrassing experience that you once had that would not embarrass you if it occurred today.

Fortune vs. Forbes - Read the current issues of both magazines and write a review on them, focusing on which one you would be more likely to want to read again and why.

Goodwill - Mention an act of goodwill that you received from another person within the last year; Or, mention an act of goodwill that you provided to someone else within the last year.

Hugh Hefner - Identify some things that one group of people (bloggers, parents, business owners, celebrities, seniors, etc.) can learn from the Playboy tycoon. Your post can be comical or serious or inspirational or whatever.

Illuminati - Describe the most absurd “discovery” that you read or hear from someone regarding the activities of this secret group.

Jumping Jacks - Conduct an exercise experiment by timing yourself doing 100 jumping jacks every day for one week and blog about your findings including how long it took you to do them, if you had to stop to take a break and how you felt before and after doing them. Did the exercise make you tired or did it boost your energy?

Killing with Kindness - Share your experiences with the “Kill them with Kindness” saying, focusing on whether or not you think it works in all circumstances; sharing tips, if any, that you may have for others who find it difficult to practice this in their lives.

Lapsed Laws - Blog about a particular law that you think is too old to be still on the books.

Muses - Do you have a muse? If so, what is it? If not, do you think there are benefits to having one or does it really matter?

Neverland - If you could build your own version of Neverland Ranch, what would it contain?

Offensive Oppositions - Blog about a gesture or behavior, etc. that usually offends most people, except you.

Prince and Princesses - Highlight a real-life prince or princess that is little known among the masses.

Qdoba - Compare the quality of two different restaurant locations that you visited, paying attention to customer service, state of the food (did it seem stale, was it hot, etc.) and atmosphere.

Rich Reflections - Define what makes your life rich.

Satirical Secrets to (Fill in the Blank) - List humorous “secrets” to parenting, completing the A to Z Challenge, finding the best parking spot, preventing wrinkles in clothes, aging well or whatever topic you are interested in poking fun at.

Timeless Toys - Highlight a few toys that you believe will never go out of style.

Utterly Unattractive - List some unattractive traits that you find in the opposite sex or in the general population.

Victory - Blog about a time in your life when you felt most accomplished and what it took for you to get there.

Mr. Winkle - Do you think this is a real dog or a marketing ploy? If the former applies, what do you think Mr. Winkle is mixed with? Do you think mixed breeds are a blessing or a curse? Does the Mr. Winkle phenomenon beneficial to the importance of bringing more awareness to animal welfare and animal shelters or does it exploit our western culture’s obsession with stardom, fandom and materialism?

X Games - Blog about a high profile X Games participant or some X Games controversy that might be of interest to sports fanatics.

Yokozuna - Offer some background information on the significance of this particular wrestling rank; Or, just highlight the name of the WWF guy who had this name. Your choice.

Zipcar - If you’ve used this car sharing service, blog about your experiences; If this does not apply, then compare the service to car pooling, focusing on which one you think would be more useful.

Have a Good Friday, Everybody!

Nicole
Also @MadlabPost on Twitter

Alphabet Remix - We Were Warriors

These blogging prompts are brought to you by Nicole at The Madlab Post....

It’s time for The Alphabet Remix - A Writing Prompt Idea Engine Treating A to Z Blogging Avoidance Disorders

Today, W is for Warriors. Partly because I feel like fighting so many things right now, partly because of the people who changed lives by going to battle for a cause or injustice and partly because it’s just such a powerful term. So, here are some topics about Warriors that you can consider when writing a blog post for Letter W during the next A to Z Challenge.

A Warrior’s Wardrobe
List one warrior each from different decades and compare their wardrobes, paying close attention to whether what they wore had any impact on their battle methods. You could also compare historical warriors from different countries, cultures or generations of men.

Words of a Warrior
Find quotes in autobiographies, magazine articles or other literary material, that were written or said by someone who is considered a famous warrior of his time. Share the quote with readers on your blog and then write about whether you think there is a certain meaning or perspective  from the comment that can be useful to you or your readers, and in what capacity.

What makes a Warrior?
Write about your definition of a warrior and list some examples that reflect your definition. The examples do not have to be famous or fictional warriors from books or from historical wars. They can be regular people who you know in real life or regular people whom you haven’t even met.

Now, onto other Friday Fun Time news:

The winner of last week’s Alphabet Soup game titled Watching Westerns is...

Loca4Crafts who also blogs at The Drunken Vegetarian.

Loca correctly unscrambled all four movie titles from films in the Western genre. Loca’s prize package includes: the title of “Alphabet Wizard,” first choice of the next letter to be used for an upcoming Alphabet Soup game, and the option to select a theme for a future Monday Movie Meme on my blog. Congratulations to Loca!

Here are the answers from last week’s Watching Westerns game:

1. iWiedstdWllW is Wild Wild West.
2. cilBWhhnedTu is The Wild Bunch.
3. rueiGtTr is True Grit.
4. hoCosdaebmtsetiJassAatdarTeesbifrowJsnehonoResrFy is The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

Have a Fun Friday, everybody!

NICOLE
Find Me @MadlabPost on Twitter

Sign up for the Monday Movie Meme, a weekly group blogging series that inspires discussion about entertainment in a whole new light and provides recommendations for your DVD, on-demand or theater fix. New topics are posted every Monday at The Madlab Post!

Alphabet Remix - Wrestling with Writing

These blogging prompts are brought to you by Nicole at The Madlab Post....

It’s time for The Alphabet Remix - A Writing Prompt Idea Engine Treating A to Z Blogging Avoidance Disorders

Today, W is for Writing -- probably one of the most commonly topics addressed prior to, during and after the Blogging from A to Z Challenge each year. I have encountered a bit of writer’s block trying to find one topic of interest to Remix for writing prompts that all of you can use when developing a blog post in April. So rather than talk about Wrestlers, Water or Weather (all of which could be a useful topic for some of you who are looking for an entire theme for the next A to Z Challenge), here are subjects about writing that can be covered in April without making your blog look like it’s singing the same old tune as all the other A to Z participants.

Written by...

Publish a list of all the guest posts that you have written for other blogs in the last year and then share some tidbits on the how and why you structured them in one way or another. If you do a lot of guest posting, just pick out a few of your favorite ones and then go from there. Another way to approach the “written by...” topic is by uploading a photo of a poem, essay or short story that you wrote during grade school. This is a fun way to get a blog post up quickly while also reminiscing on your earlier writing and noticing how it has either changed or evolved over the years. You could also compare two photos of handwriting -- one written by your younger self and one as an adult -- to see if it has improved, stayed the same or declined in time.

Writing Weaknesses

Are you a sucker for a certain type of writing? Do you gravitate toward works written by specific authors because of their writing style? If so, highlight some of them in a blog post that either evaluates similarities between the authors or, at the very least, cause readers to do some self-reflection on the writing styles that peak their interest most. If this particular angle for “Writing Weaknesses” doesn’t excite you, then try another approach: Critique your own writing, specifically, pointing out areas where you either know you could have done better or you feel you should have but have no idea how. This particular approach to the topic could open your blog post up for discussion and constructive feedback from readers -- a plus, if you’re still working on the work that you are critiquing.

Who Wrote What?

Use the A to Z Challenge as your opportunity to dispel some myths about where a famous poem, story, magazine article, song, novel or other piece of literary material actually originated from -- as in, who really is the source of it. Or, remix this to quiz your readers on their knowledge of old written works. Ask a question such as “Who wrote ‘nothing gold can stay’ -- Margaret Mitchell or Robert Frost?” and then sit back to find out which of your readers knows this without having to do an online search for their answers. Make sure, however, that you DO actually know the correct answer before quizzing others on such works.

Now, onto other Friday Fun Time news:

Since no one unscrambled any of the motion picture companies in last week’s Alphabet Soup game titled Big Wigs in the West, Tina at Life is Good remains the Alphabet Wizard, by default.

Here are the answers:
1. The Weinstein Company (Django Unchained; Silver Linings Playbook; Seal Team 6)
2. Warner Bros. Pictures (The Dark Knight Rises; Wrath of the Titans; Cloud Atlas)
3. Walt Disney Pictures (Brave; The Muppets; Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides)

Have a Fun Friday, everybody!

NICOLE
Find Me @MadlabPost on Twitter

Sign up for the Monday Movie Meme, a weekly group blogging series that inspires discussion about entertainment in a whole new light and provides recommendations for your DVD, on-demand or theater fix. New topics are posted every Monday at The Madlab Post!

Alphabet Remix - Couches and Casting Calls

These blogging prompts are brought to you by Nicole at The Madlab Post....

It’s time for The Alphabet Remix - A Writing Prompt Idea Engine Treating A to Z Blogging Avoidance Disorders

October is shaping up to be quite a busy month. I’m currently holding a casting call for the short film that I’ve been working on for several months now - AND - I am one of maybe a dozen or so hosts for Couch Fest Films, an annual film festival that screens short films in people’s houses and other alternative venues throughout many different countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Iceland, Sweden and India, to name a few.

On Saturday, November 10th, you are all welcome to attend a Couch Fest screening if there is one happening in your area. The one I’m hosting is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but there are several other places where screenings will be happening throughout the U.S. including Iowa, California, Ohio and New York. So today, C is for Couches and Casting. Here are some blogging prompts related to these two topics that you can write about during the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Casting Couch Claims

For those of you who are familiar with this term, it is often used to describe the exchange of sexual favors with famous directors who have the clout to help actors land a role or further their careers in some way. Write about a famous Hollywood actor or actress who has allegedly used the casting couch to further his/her career. More specifically, add your opinion on whether you believe the claims are true or false and why. You can also use this time to express why you think this particular actor or actress would benefit (or not) from utilizing the casting couch method of gaining roles, representation, contacts, contract negotiations, etc. in Hollywood.

Critique Casting Choices

Write about films that you think could have been better if they featured different cast members than ones originally cast for the film. You could also write about casting selections that were pleasantly surprising due to low expectations or a mere guess that the casting choice may have been misguided. For example, many fans of the film adaptations based on James Patterson books were not too happy when news broke that actor Morgan Freeman was not going to be in the upcoming Alex Cross movie -- and movie mogul Tyler Perry was cast in the lead role for this film, instead. Surprisingly, however, Perry has received positive reviews from movie critics and industry insiders who got a first-look at the film.

A Cast of Couples

List your favorite couples featured in a movie. They don’t have to be a couple in real life -- your blog post can be about couples who have the best on-screen chemistry or actors and actresses who played the most convincing couple in a particular film.

Now onto other news: The WINNER of Alphabet Soup - Cinematic C’s is....

Tina Downey at Life is Good

Tina correctly unscrambled three of the five cinematic terms that start with letter C. As a result, she has not only reclaimed her title of ALPHABET WIZARD but she also gets to pick the letter for the next Alphabet Soup game as well as the option to suggest a topic for an upcoming Monday Movie Meme over at The Madlab Post.

Congratulations Tina!

Here are the answers to the Cinematic C’s themed Alphabet Soup game:

1. iterapngmhyCoa is Cinematography.
2. ctsuCgnhoiCa is Casting Couch.
3. esdnigirlCsotC is Closing Credits.
4. Cyitnotuin is Continuity.
5. oiroCtls is Colorist.

Have a Fantastically Fun Friday Everyone!

Nicole

Find Me @MadlabPost on Twitter

Sign up for the Monday Movie Meme, a weekly group blogging series that inspires discussion about entertainment in a whole new light and provides recommendations for your DVD, on-demand or theater fix. New topics are posted every Monday at The Madlab Post!

Alphabet Remix - Naturally Normal Nintendo

These blogging prompts are brought to you by Nicole at The Madlab Post…

It’s time for The Alphabet Remix - A Writing Prompt Idea Engine Treating A to Z Blogging Avoidance Disorders

Today's A to Z Challenge blogging prompts are all about gaming. N is for Nintendo and I picked this particular gaming console because it was the first (...I think) video game system that I played during my childhood years. I also selected it as today's topic because video games deserve some A to Z attention -- they are just as enjoyable as books, music, movies or any other activity that we use to pass the time. So, here are some ways to incorporate Nintendo into your blog posts for Letter N during the A to Z Challenge in April.

Nintendo Ninja Nation
Build your own nation of Nintendo Ninjas by blogging about tips and tricks on how to beat the levels on a particular Nintendo game that you are good at. You could also teach people shortcuts for certain actions or even show them repair tips on how to keep an old or sorta broken Nintendo game in working condition for as long as they can before having to buy a new console. These blogging options can be used for just about any device in the Nintendo family, including Nintendo DS and the Wii.

Noteworthy Nintendo News
List some little known, funny or outrageous facts about the history of Nintendo and/or its fans and their behavior over the years.

Nintendo Novelette
Make the gaming console a theme for your entire string of 26 posts and write a novelette, making each letter in the alphabet a different chapter of a story -- a heroic story about a suicidal Nintendo fanatic or a fantasy young adult fare about two teenage co-workers at a Nintendo store or a mysterious story that takes place at a Nintendo convention...there are numerous possibilities for a story surrounding Nintendo gaming.

So there you have it! -- Nintendo remixed for your Blogging from A to Z Challenging pleasure!

Now, the WINNER of the "Naming Names" Alphabet Soup game is...

Caitlin at Happy Hootenanny

Caitlin correctly unscrambled all five movie character names that start with Letter N, so she now succeeds Marta Szemik for the title of ALPHABET WIZARD. Caitlin's prize package also includes the choice of the letter for the next Alphabet Soup game and the option to select a topic for a future Monday Movie Meme on my blog. Congratulations to Caitlin!

Here are the answers to the Naming Names themed Alphabet Soup game.
1. iobrNt is Norbit. (from the comedy movie titled "Norbit" starring Eddie Murphy)
2. iNkyc is Nicky. (from the comedy titled "Little Nicky" starring Adam Sandler)
3. aoNl is Nola. (from the drama titled "She's Gotta Have It" starring Tracy Camilla Johns)
4. Nnia is Nina. (from the drama titled "Love Jones" starring Nia Long)
5. eoNm is Nemo. (from the animated film titled "Finding Nemo" starring Alexander Gould)

Happy Friday Everybody!

Sign up for the Monday Movie Meme, a weekly group blogging series that inspires discussion about entertainment in a whole new light and provides recommendations for your DVD, on-demand or theater fix. New topics are posted every Monday at The Madlab Post!
.
NICOLE 
@MadlabPost on Twitter

Alphabet Remix - Lamenting Love's Lure

These blogging prompts are brought to you by Nicole at The Madlab Post....

It’s time for The Alphabet Remix - A Writing Prompt Idea Engine Treating A to Z Blogging Avoidance Disorders

Love has been one of the most popular topics for Letter L during the Blogging from A to Z Challenge -- so popular that some bloggers have opted to forgo being yet another one of the bajillion and six people who write about the sentiment in April. I mean, if we read one blog post about love, then we’ve read them all, right? Much like any other topic or letter, the answer to that question all depends on what is written.

You see, I don’t need a reminder of the existence of a possible oversaturation of love, to understand how dull the topic becomes when it’s sung, performed about and blogged into the ground. I’m in a metropolitan area known as “The City of Brotherly Love” and “The City that Loves You Back.” Heck, the sentiment even has its own park, complete with a waterfall and great views of the famous “Rocky” steps, just a few blocks away.

I’m sometimes puzzled when I notice tourists in awe of such landmarks -- probably because locals like myself often take these placed for granted. Yet, I still don’t mind reading about the topic of love because there are so many different ways that A to Z Challenge participants can write about it without looking or sounding like the same ol’ tune that their fellow bloggers are mixing up. Here are a few Love mixes to consider when trying to find topics to write about during the Blogging from A to Z Challenge in April.

Love Letters
Write a love letter to your spouse, parent, friend or a deceased loved one. Better yet, teach your readers how to craft a love letter to an estranged family member if they are seeking a reconnection. If you’re feeling artsy, make a comic showing three different love letters -- one between teenagers, one between newlyweds and one between two elderly people.

Lovers
Write a short story about two lovers who are faced with a problem. The conflict could revolve around an either low (or high. It could go one way or the other) libido, a scandalous trial over their extreme PDA or some weird transformation issue a la Cinderella, Shrek, Snow White, etc. if you like magic or fantasy stories.

You could also try your writing skills at creating some fan fiction starring two loves from your favorite Soap Opera, novel series or television show. An alternate approach to the topic would be to profile your favorite famous love triangle or lovers scandal in (hollywood, music, political, publishing/fictional) history and write about why you favor their story.

Lovely Fairywren
Find some interesting facts about this Australian bird and write about the one that you find most fascinating. Maybe you could explore how the “lovable” bird got its name or teach your readers about any nicknames that this particular species has. It is one of the quickest options for writing a short blog post for Letter L during the A to Z Challenge.

Now, onto other business. The Winner of Last Week’s Alphabet Soup Game is....

Corinne OFlynn at Ode to Blogging

She correctly unscrambled five of the eight movie titles ending with a Letter L word. Her prize packages includes: Title of Alphabet Wizard, The authority to pick the letter for the next Alphabet Soup game and the option to pick the Monday Movie Meme topic for an upcoming day on my blog.

Congratulations to Corinne!

Here are the answers to last week’s Alphabet Soup:

1. LoeaotLhdtsnf - Land of the Lost.
2. etoLosgnothNi - Nothing to Lose.
3. inneLhlTBeiu -Thin Blue Line.
4. hTeaLmaorpustseLferot - Treasure of the Lost Lamp.
5. edoLfsBoyi - Body of Lies.
6. ffmoienaIitLtio - Imitation of Life.
7. izroyaeLutSdCvp - Crazy Stupid Love.
8. e8tya2rsDaL - 28 Days Later.


I'd also like to send a special shout out to Sheila Siler at Sheila Scribbles, who not only played the Alphabet Soup game, but also correctly unscrambled No. 2 and No. 8 on the list. Kudos to you!

Sign up for the Monday Movie Meme, a weekly group blogging series that inspires discussion about entertainment in a whole new light and provides recommendations for your DVD, on-demand or theater fix. New topics are posted every Monday at The Madlab Post!
.
NICOLE
@MadlabPost on Twitter

Beat that Bloggers' Block!

This post is brought to you by AZ co-host Damyanti, from Amlokiblogs.
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April is long gone, and we've all moved on to new challenges.

One of the challenges I find on many A-Z participant blogs is bloggers' block--- after the burn-out of A-Z, many bloggers have found it difficult to get up and go again.

Here are a few ways to beat this:

1. Go blog-browsing: The more blogs you visit, whether via the Post A-Z Road Trip or otherwise, the more issues, problems, points of-view you'll come across. Some of them will trigger a response in you, and that could become your next blog post. Bonus: You'll have return-visits from the blogs you visited once your post is ready and published.

2. Dig up your old posts: That archive is good for something. You can re-post some of the posts you made long ago, which got you a good number of hits. Or, you could use them as an inspiration-- maybe you've learned more on the topic in the intervening period, or your point-of-view has changed. Bonus: When you link back to your own old posts, it helps search engines find you, giving you more hits.

3. Go wordless: A picture/ video really is worth a thousand words. You can also use them to jot down a few lines. 
Bonus: If you add titles and links to your pictures, this too would get picked up in a search-engine crawl.

4.  Avoid Whining: Sure, if you have a regular audience that loves you, you'll get a lot of mollycoddling when you make the occasional rant or whine. But tackling your block by repeatedly moaning about it would only turn off potential readers.
Bonus: When you avoid negatives, you make space for positives--- before you know it, you'll find your blogging vim back again.

5. Create Drafts: To quote yet another hackneyed proverb, prevention is better than cure. If you see an interesting picture, idea, issue--anything, in short, that could be of interest to your blog, copy it down in a blog draft. That way, when the lean times hit, you have a ready resource at hand to tide you over.
Bonus: When you have that many drafts sitting around, you might even be tempted to schedule posts in advance.

These are only a few tips to fight the dreaded block. I'm hoping the super-bloggers amongst you would add more advice in the comments. Now go beat that bloggers' block-- and get yourself a trigger finger instead!