Today’s guest post is from John, who writes at The Adventures of Daddy Runs A Lot. I can’t remember how I found his blog, but I suspect I followed him after reading one of his thoughtful comments on someone else’s blog or one of his funny tweets. All I know is once I started reading, I was hooked.
Enjoy!
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The thing about writing for an audience that is, essentially, just like you (what, you’re not all tall, bald, musician, marathon-running bloggers with twisted, possibly-heretical senses of humor who can’t sing?) is that it’s easy to run out of ideas. We’ve all been there . . . it’s not that life is bad, it’s just that, well, current events just aren’t blogworthy. It’s not that we don’t want to write for our blogs — it’s just that we’re not feeling it.
In short, blogstipation strikes.
- The first rule of advice for when blogstipation strikes is the same advice that any doctor worth his salt1 will tell you — don’t force things. Forced writing can lead to really, really bad things . . . most notably, a loss of the enjoyment of writing. I’m just as guilty as the next guy2 about forcing a smile. And, of course, I’ve forced writing before — and, every time I’ve done it, I’ve taken an unexpected break from everything, in the hopes that my love of
dick jokesthe written word would come back to me. So far, it always has . . . but, more & more, when I find that I just don’t want to sit down and write, I don’t. A day or two later, I’ll be back with a vengeance. - Every little bit helps. If you took a peek through my drafts, you’d likely be afraid, because my thought process is awkward, and I have a plethora of quasi-completed posts that really only barely make sense. But, sitting down and getting something out, provided that you’re not forcing, and lead to a great deal of relief.
- Next, as long as I can, I read what others have written. Just like picturing a river flowing might help one overcome a shy bladder, reading what others are writing can help get the words flowing. It might be a turn of phrase that someone uses reminds you of your 3rd grade teacher, which reminds you that cursive is a completely useless skill, like being able to tell when squirrels are afraid, which was Janitor’s sixth sense in Scrubs, and then you find yourself writing a list of your favorite sitcom characters of all time . . . which is always a great post because people can stop by and commiserate that they just don’t make television like they used to3 and those young whippersnappers need to get off of my lawn.
- The blogging world may be the one place where people actually want to look at your vacation pictures — use this. Use this well.
- Dick jokes are loved the world over . . . as are boobs. Write about them, and people will come. Who cares if they’re disappointed when they get there? Heck, some of the funniest, and easiest blog posts are those about the wacky search terms that lead people to their blogs4.
I wonder…
About the Writer:
Like most everyone he knows, John is both a conundrum and a work in progress. He holds out hope of writing a novel, and a musical, and a symphony, and learning to ballroom dance while both meditating to a state of higher awareness and sculpting a great masterpiece. He’ll never give up those hopes.
He holds a BS in computer engineering and works as a web developer, but when he talks about his profession and education, he’ll talk a whole lot more about his classic-rock cover band and that minor in music he picked up along the way.
If you’re not careful, he’ll actually talk your ear off talking about his kids (two, a boy & a girl, seven months apart). There is no greater thrill to him than playing in the pit of a community theater production. He’s deliriously proud of his juvenile sense of humor. He laments the rampant misuse of the word “enormity.”
Despite suffering from a serial lack of sleep, you’ll find him waking at 4 in the morning to train for his next marathon, or triathlon, or whatever the heck else he decided to put his body through. John lives with his wife, two kids, two dogs, and a cat in central Pennsylvania, and his blatherings can be found at Daddy Runs a Lot. You can also follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Lapsed homemaker. Looking to hire a full-time housekeeper who will work for the sheer joy of a job well done and free coffee. Interested parties, DM please. 
Thank you, so much, for the opportunity to ramble on over here 🙂
Thank you for rambling here! I’ve had a little blogstipation now and then (understatement of the year… or the week, at least). Next time I’m just going to title a random post ‘Boobs!’ and see what happens.
You’ve written a lot of good things, John. But this?
“Dick jokes are loved the world over . . . as are boobs. Write about them, and people will come.”
The subtle innuendo. Perfect.
And you’re right about not forcing stuff out there. At the same time, if you wait too long, you’re going to have to work that massive turd out of there.
Couldn’t agree more with each of these tips. Except for dick jokes – I mean, they’re fine, but I’ve never actually told one on my blog. Maybe I should try that. I have done a wacky search term post, though – it was fun, easy, and well-received – and I once posted a picture of my nursing cleavage, which everyone seemed to love (and why wouldn’t they – it was glorious).
And Christa Miller is great but what has she done to her face? Girlfriend needs to lay off the Botox. Also, I included a Janitor reference in a post this week, too – so that’s twice in one week now that I’ve thought about The Janitor from Scrubs. Weird.
Always love the wacky search term posts, but haven’t yet done one myself. I will remember this the next time I am blocked up, so to speak!
And they don’t make television like they used to and those whippersnappers should stop riding their bikes on my lawn.
Are there really more than three dick jokes, really? Think about it.
And now I am going to be consumed with my list of top ten sitcom characters.
Before I staretd serializing fiction and writing my novel, finding material to post 4 or 5 times a wek was tough.
But, it’s your life and your blog. Tell me what YOU are about. If that’s your baby’s potty habits, fine. If that’s your love of accordion punk polka music, great. But just write. Even if it sucks, I’d admire the dedication.
I’d follow John anywhere on the innertwitterwebz. So glad I foudn this blog too.
Hi
I kind of sort of refuse to write when I’m not feeling it (which is why I post only once a week) and USUALLY within a week’s period of time, I get some kind of inspiration.
Every once in a while though, four or five days go by and I’ve got nothing. And I even sometimes start to panic if the “week” is coming to a close and there’s been no inspiration.
But then I remind myself that I don’t HAVE to write.
I don’t HAVE to post anything.
And then.
The angels sing.
(So to speak.)
I’m a tiny bit afraid of the day that there’s only silence in my brain. I don’t do silence.
(At least not well.)
But you are the anti-silence, John.
I love it.
And this post.
And Missy.
Well done.
Shy bladder help? OMG, I love me some Daddy. Please keep stringing together completely random thoughts and making me pee my pants.
As for my blogstipation relief, I get my fiber from Twitter. There are always tons of inspiration to be found by looking at hashtags, doing a search for my favorite words and then see who is talking about them (BOOBS for the WIN!), or just reading what Daddy is talking about.
Alternatively, I step away from the laptop and turn on the radio, teach my daughter to say things like “poop” or get some exercise. All of those things that take my eyes away from the little screen help inspire my creativity.
Or there is Pinterest.
Love to see John here!!!
One of my favorites in the blogosphere for sure…always quick with wit, a fab picture or sage running advice.
🙂
All I have to say is:
Vagina.
I bet that Missy is going to get tons of creepers on her blog now…hee hee hee.
You are hilarious.
Seriously.
What do I do when I have blogstipation…I take a blog-ative. Beware of the women’s gentle blog-ative…there is nothing gentle about it. It can cause explosive diarrhea of the words. Very uncomfortable
um I have been blogstipated for some time now. Off to base a post on a cartoon my mother emailed to me with one of those “fwd: fwd: fwd:” subject lines and a hundred thousand cc’s. I thanked my lucky starts for it nonetheless.
AH HA! There is a word for it… blogstipation! Thank you. Now, I will use it all the time.
When it happens… I just don’t write. It’s just easier.
Expert advice – and the term blogstipation is pure genius. I love this intro to you, here at the bottom of the post – so well done! I learned some cool things about you. Now you need to do an actual interview, so we can get allll the deets! Also: YOU ARE ON PINTEREST?? I’m stalking you NOW.
When I’m writestipated, (my Align tablets surprisingly don’t help, even when I double up. God help my bowels.), I read, read, read. I read authors and poets I love who make words sparkle like Captain Jack’s Sparrows jewels. Either that, or I think about Johnny Depp’s jewels.
See what I did there? I made kind of a dick joke. Give me a break, I’m a girl, it’s the best I can do.
See, THIS is what my blog is missing! Clearly I need to tell more cock jokes.
Thanks John! 😛
Good to see you here! I think my big(gest) problem is that sometimes even if I have a subject I’m not in the MOOD to write. Do you have that? I’ve had it for a couple of weeks now!
So um, you plan posts and write drafts? I am doing it all wrong…
Dude I get blogstipation often, it’s crazy. Mayhaps I should try the draft thing. But something tells me I’ll never be able to do that. I have most of my posts in my head. Wait, maybe that’s why I have blogstipation in the first place. Humm…
Hey, I tagged you in the 11 Random Things meme! Come by my site and check it out. It’s fun. I never know who likes to participate in tags or not, so if you don’t prefer to do it, that’s ok!
It’s so easy to get stumped. Life gets in the way and it’s almost your way of shutting down, at least it is mine. Talking to blog friends is definitely a motivator. Making drafts of ideas whenever they come up, even if you don’t plan to blog them right away definitely helps. But above all, don’t force it. Just wait and it’ll come when it comes. Unless you’ve got a major paying gig, the world won’t end because you aren’t writing.