Stuck for Ideas, Book Bloggers? Not Anymore!

Every blogger - especially every book blogger - has experienced the terror of getting astronomically stuck for ideas. Even the brilliant ones, like me! (No, really. Being trapped in an inspiration desert is utterly horrifying for all of us.)

If that's you, there's no need to be embarrassed. There's little need even to be worried, because I am here with a myriad of them, just for book bloggers (because if I read another generic ideas post that suggests "thinking outside the box and reviewing something relevant to your niche, I think I'm going to scream. It'd be sound advice if reviewing books was anything but expected . . .)

Anyway, I'm rambling. Enjoy your nice new shiny ideas.

1. Steal a tag (like the ninja you are).

(If you aren't sure what a tag is, just click on the link below for some examples. They should be pretty self-explanatory.)

There's a reason that the rule you have to be tagged to . . . um . . . tag is unwritten: it's not actually a rule. You can sneak through the book-blogger-net, leaving as much trace as you like, and participate in all the ones that inspire you, and not feel ashamed. Tags are not only made to grow, but the easiest type of post to write both quickly and well (as you are hopefully unable to tell, I'm an expert in last minute blogging, so trust me on this).

Here are a couple of tags you might want to try, if you can't find any. You could also participate in a meme, like Cait and Skye's Beautiful People for writers, then use the link up to share the love and visit some other blogs you might not have seen before.

2. Find a different way to review a book.

Not entirely relevant, but never mind.

The prospect of writing a classic, dare-I-even say boring review might be filling you with dread right now, but - trust me - it's so much more fun to write when you can pull the whole concept of the review apart, throw out the stuff you hate about it and piece back together the rest, along with a bit of your own unique sparkle. Try writing the review as a log of you reading the book (with spoilers removed, naturally), or as a diary entry from one of the characters. You could even present it as a letter to the author, or - if you're really up for a challenge - review that lovely book in as few words as is humanly possible.

For example (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone): Wizards in mind-numbingly detailed uniqueness. Read or you are dead to me.

3. Have a nice rant.

What about books / the book community / YA / Adult Fiction / [insert other book-related (or not) thing here] annoys you most? Love triangles? Inaccurate representations? Sequels that take too long to come out?

Come on, you know there's something. What makes you grit your teeth? If you can feel your hackles rising in complaint as you even think about it, chances are you're inspired enough to write a post. The best news is that - because your audience will know that anger is clouding your judgement a little - it doesn't even have to make much sense. You can use CAPITAL LETTERS and italics and basically have a lot of fun getting that annoyance off your chest.

4. Show your audience a part of you they've never seen before.

Do you have a hidden talent? An obscure and brilliant knowledge of something? A secret ninja identity?

Now is the time to reveal all, folks! Chances are that your audience will really enjoy the post because - being all about you - it's unique. Personal. They won't have seen something exactly like that out there before because there is no blogger out there that is exactly like you. So don't be afraid of stepping outside your niche a little so that you can write a kick-ass post - and make your blog individual.

Also, talking about yourself is pretty easy. I'm pretty sure I know more about myself than anything else.

5. Tell us about your TBR!

TBR posts are my favourite to write when I'm on a reading slump; you don't need to talk about books you've already read (which, presuming it's a proper slump, won't really exist at the moment) if you can chat about books you want to read instead. Talk about what you've heard and how it's convinced you to read. Rant about how unrealistically far away the release date is.

All the good stuff.

6. To re-read or not to re-read?

That, my friend, as the question. If you don't have an opinion, debate something else. Books or eBooks? Libraries or bookshops? The possibilities are ENDLESS and (after presenting both sides at least slightly rationally) you can have a good time inflicting your opinion on everyone.

Just remember that - should you choose something contentious - the comments section could turn into a screaming match. It probably won't, but the chance is there. Fun, right?

7. What books do you think are about to exist? Which do you wish were about to exist?

(No, I don't watch Supernatural. I'M A FRAUD who steals their GIFs. *backs away into a corner expecting hatred*)

This post is especially fun to write at the beginning of the year, when you can go all Mystic Meg and use what you already know about the books planned for release to predict trends for the next 365 days. Does it look particularly fantasy-y? Are there lots of of contemporary books on the horizon? Share your thoughts as to why.

Alternatively, you could tell your readers about the book you've always wanted to read but unfortunately doesn't exist. A type of character you haven't seen enough of. A country or culture you want to see more books set in. Maybe even a traditional story that you think would make a good retelling?

If you share the ideas - who knows - someone might be brilliantly awesome and write them for you.

8. Talk about your plans for your blog. What's up next? Do you want to change anything?

I find that writing about what's happening next on da blog is, nine times out of ten, almost impossible because I can't see as far as the end of my own sentence. That said, when I do manage to scrape together some foresight, I love to waffle on about it in a post so that other people can marvel at the fact I got organised for once.

Besides, your audience are reading your blog because they're interested in it, right? And that means they'd also be interested in finding out where that blog is going. (You'll get a bunch of encouragement from commenters, too, and that's always nice.) Where's the downside?

9. Write an ideas post. 

You should do this because I JUST DID ONE. And clearly copying everything I do is a solid plan, because as an overlord I believe imitation is the highest form of flattery.

If you flatter me you might not get your head chopped off.

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In the comments: Which of these ideas have inspired you most? Do you have any more you fancy sharing? Oh, and if you end up writing a post based on one of these, tell me! I wanna see!

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Labels: Tips & Tricks