Questions for you to get back to your blog

Over at Successful Blog last week, Liz shared her thoughts about unblanking the blank screen for bloggers. In her post, she mentions about using these questions to spur inspiration for blog posts.

1. What something have I learned or learned about lately?
2. What news have I heard that I’d enjoy adding my point of view to?
3. What have I read that I might want to recommend?
4. What pithy comment was left on my blog this week? How might I respond?
5. What pattern, behavior, trend have I noticed?
6. What question do I have that I want answered?
7. What skill or a technique might I teach?
8. What argument might I give the pro/con to?
9. What lesson have I learned this week? What funny story can I share?
10. What pet peeve or problem have I got a solution to?

The Questions Approach

I think it is a wonderful idea, taking this questions approach. Very often we look outside us for interesting content to write about. We read other’s blogs, news articles, get Google Alerts etc… but I think really, nothing is more authentic and personal than what you already have in your head.

Having attended the Certified Professional Trainers course, one of the key concepts shared during the course was that “Questions are the bedrock of a training debrief”.

I think questions can do wonders. In the Asian culture, unfortunately, many of us have been bought up in environments where nobody dared to ask questions to clarify our doubts. As a result, we have been programmed that “asking questions will only show how dumb you are”.

That conservative culture has changed a lot, fortunately, and the new perceptions are more open. Questions are no longer frowned upon, but welcomed.

I’m glad.

Have you embraced questions in your daily life? Go ahead and give it a go. You will explore a lot more ground. Don’t worry about “stupid questions” or feeling dumb.

Ask, and you shall be given – and that’s true for thinking up blog posts as well. Use these 10 questions (plus the ones added on in the comments), and you will find yourself writing non-stop.

Maybe Liz will have to write another post soon on “cooling the overheated screen” when people cannot get their minds to stop churning blog posts.

Tags: blogger-burnout, certified-professional-trainer, cpt, finding-good-content, liz-strauss, writing-block