Home
>
Writing
>
Blank Mind, Blank Screen: Need Ideas!

Blank Mind, Blank Screen: Need Ideas!

Q. I'm staring at a blank screen with an equally blank mind. I need an idea for tomorrow's newsletter. Help!

A. Most of us have too many ideas or too few. I've never met anyone with just the right number. Here's the secret: Once you start writing prolifically, you'll get ideas. Each idea will seem better than the one before. In fact, some ideas will be so good that you may be tempted to stop your current project and start over with the new idea!

Instead, keep a folder on your virtual or actual desktop or write ideas in a notebook. Some ideas age gracefully while others earn a decent burial.

But now let's say you're staring at a blank screen, desperate for an article for tomorrow's newsletter. What can you do? Here are five tips to get started.

1. Begin with your website's keywords. Let's say your site features "time management for stay-at-home-moms." You want to attract visitors who are searching on "parenting," "home" and "mothers." Write your keywords on top of a sheet of paper and free-associate. Busy. Homes. Housework. Hmmmaybe you can write about housework and time management?

2. Look around the room where you are working and choose an interesting object. For example, I see two sleeping cats and, through the window, a plant holder with the remains of my last gardening efforts.

My sad little plant could be a metaphor for some aspect of writing, such as ideas that die unless they're watered, fertilized and loved. Or it could be a reminder to focus on your strengths. Laziness often signals a lack of interest or skill. Let's face it, I'll never grow a nice pot of geraniums like the one my neighbors have.

Sleeping cats? Well, some images work better than others, and I've written a lot about my cats and my dog. Overuse of an image...hmm, there's an idea!

3. Call up a friend and describe what you're offering. Ask your friend, "What seems most unusual, puzzling or surprising about what I just said?"

Let's say you're an office organizer. Your friend says, "I didn't realize that people who cleared clutter often found their sales increasing. Can you convince me?" Given the state of my own office, I'd like to be convinced, too! You've got a winner here.

Heidi Challenger of Boise, Idaho, promises a year's guarantee for each home she sells. See http://www.movinglady.com/relolinks.html to find her site. Now there's a great idea for an article -- or several! What is a home guarantee? And why should we ask for one? Does Heidi have unique assets that allow her to offer a guarantee when other realtors can't? All these questions arise from her online advertisement -- and all could be developed into articles.

4. This one's my favorite. Ask your subscribers to contribute questions. You'll be sure your articles fit their interests. Last week's article on permission marketing came directly from a reader request and this week's article combines two queries. WL Ezine subscribers, take note!

5. Look at your calendar. What's the season? If you're writing for your own ezine, choose the current season or, if you're right on the border, next season. If you're writing for print media, ask the editors for a calendar. You may need to submit in June for a Christmas issue. You can go deeper, choosing month and even holiday within the month. You can get whimsical, writing about the astrological sign that governs this month.

About The Author

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career/business consultant, helping midlife professionals take their First step to a Second Career. http://www.cathygoodwin.com.

"Ten secrets of mastering a major life change" http://www.cathygoodwin.com

Contact: http://www.cathygoodwin.com 505-534-4294

recurring cleaning service Mundelein ..

In The News:

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.

New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.

FDA approves first human trial for Paradromics' brain-computer interface that could restore speech for paralyzed patients through neural technology.

New phishing platform QRR targets Microsoft 365 users across 1,000 domains in 90 countries. Learn how to spot fake login pages and protect your accounts.

OpenTable now uses AI to track your dining habits and share insights with restaurants. Learn what data they collect and how to protect your privacy.

Google's discontinued Nest thermostats still secretly upload home data to company servers despite losing smart features, raising serious privacy concerns.

New Android malware NGate steals NFC payment codes in real-time, allowing criminals to withdraw cash from ATMs without your card. Learn protection tips.

DoorDash confirms data breach exposing customer names, emails, addresses after social engineering attack. Learn how to protect yourself from scams.

Blank Mind, Blank Screen: Need Ideas!

Writing