Using Google Alerts To Generate Ideas - Breaking Writer's Block
I've said in the past that there's no such thing as writer's block. I still maintain this position. Rather, my feeling is that many writers suffer from a condition where they have so many ideas that they don't know where to begin.
I know that I suffer from this condition weekly. It's frustrating to have to be disciplined and structured, when writing usually feels like such a creative, unstructured activity. Structure works for me when I'm doing technical or business writing. It doesn't work for the majority of my blogs. Not even when I'm writing about, say, gadgets.
So what do I do to spark the old mental engine? I use a service such as Google Alerts. It sends updates to your email box either on a daily, weekly or "as-it-happens" basis. (I could be wrong, but I don't think that they have an RSS/Atom web feed.)
I get mine sent on a daily basis. Then, each morning (or sometimes before I go to bed), I review the alerts, opening only those items that might be suitable to the topic I'm interested in. I usually use a browser that allows multiple tabs to be open simultaneously. I then open several tabs, each with their own Alert item, read each article that I've selected, and see if there's any commonality between 2 or more articles.
If there is some commonality, I try to write a single summary for those articles (including links), then add my own take on what's being said. Without my take, I'm not adding any value. Not that this stops some bloggers. But for me, what's the point of blogging if I don't open my big mouth and give my opinion, or sometimes the benefit of my experience?
This method works very well for me for several blogs, as far as writing goes, and when I actually employ it. But it's a new method for me, and the blogs I use it on are new, so I don't have conclusive evidence of its effectiveness. But I am tracking the domains in Google Analytics to see not only how many visitors I'm getting, but whether they are coming back. I'll be doing that and reporting on it here in the future.
(c) Copyright: 2006-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://blogspinner.countwordula.com/
Technorati Tags: blogspinner, writing, blogging, pro blogger, multi blogs
I know that I suffer from this condition weekly. It's frustrating to have to be disciplined and structured, when writing usually feels like such a creative, unstructured activity. Structure works for me when I'm doing technical or business writing. It doesn't work for the majority of my blogs. Not even when I'm writing about, say, gadgets.
So what do I do to spark the old mental engine? I use a service such as Google Alerts. It sends updates to your email box either on a daily, weekly or "as-it-happens" basis. (I could be wrong, but I don't think that they have an RSS/Atom web feed.)
I get mine sent on a daily basis. Then, each morning (or sometimes before I go to bed), I review the alerts, opening only those items that might be suitable to the topic I'm interested in. I usually use a browser that allows multiple tabs to be open simultaneously. I then open several tabs, each with their own Alert item, read each article that I've selected, and see if there's any commonality between 2 or more articles.
If there is some commonality, I try to write a single summary for those articles (including links), then add my own take on what's being said. Without my take, I'm not adding any value. Not that this stops some bloggers. But for me, what's the point of blogging if I don't open my big mouth and give my opinion, or sometimes the benefit of my experience?
This method works very well for me for several blogs, as far as writing goes, and when I actually employ it. But it's a new method for me, and the blogs I use it on are new, so I don't have conclusive evidence of its effectiveness. But I am tracking the domains in Google Analytics to see not only how many visitors I'm getting, but whether they are coming back. I'll be doing that and reporting on it here in the future.
(c) Copyright: 2006-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://blogspinner.countwordula.com/
Technorati Tags: blogspinner, writing, blogging, pro blogger, multi blogs
