Do most of your best blog ideas come when you’re away from your computer? Do you often find that they have slid out of your mind just in the short time it takes you to open your web browser and log on?

If so, you can take momentary heart in the fact that many other scribes of all shapes and sizes also suffer from the phenomenon of “writer’s block.” But if you want your readers to keep tuning in, you can’t afford to stay blocked. Your blog needs to be refreshed regularly with new material.

“Writer’s block” often results from two fears - fear of taking risks and fear of criticism - including our own.

When we’re not willing to accept the possibility of failure, we try very hard to get it right the first time. This often includes playing it safe, namely, sticking to methods and opinions that are “tried and true” – even though they’re no longer seen as “original” or “intriguing.” And we also inhibit ourselves with thin skins. It’s hard to ignore snarky criticism - especially when it comes from those who are considered “authorities.” And all we have to do to face our worst critics is to look in a mirror at our own reflections.

As a blogger, you especially need to be able to move past writer’s block and write. Forget about being perfect, correct, or eloquent - you just need to be timely. Your blog is only as attention-getting and earth-shifting as its most recent post. Respond to a comment, write about the funny thing that happened to you while switching on your computer, or type as you think - the important thing is to get something down. You are not going to be reviewed by Dorothy Parker or Roger Ebert.

And don’t try to be your own editor. It’s hard to be objective about your own writing. Wait until you finish a first draft before you go back and start looking for those red zigzags under misspelled words, incorrect punctuation, weird spacing gaps, and capital letters. Save fact-checking and rephrasing until you have those errors corrected.

But whatever you do, don’t wait. Get going and write. The only person whose permission you need is you.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 7th, 2009 at 4:19 pm and is filed under Editing Blogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.