6 things to write about

when you have writer’s block

BY DYLAN TAYLOR

Writer’s Block? Yeah. We’ve all been there. That blank sheet of paper (or the more likely

Word document) has often made the most prolific of bloggers and writers squeal in horror.

Short of having a full blown panic attack, what can you do to get over it? Here are a few topics that may help your creative thought process flowing again.

1. What about what you did last night

Talk about what you did last night. Sensationalize it, you know? Talk about how hot the bartender was, your feelings about the game you watched, how you couldn’t get to sleep because of all the coffee you drank, how stupid you and your friends are, something like that. Talk about that and just give a comedic twist. Boom. Instant winner.

2. Fictionalize your neighbor’s life

I don’t know about you, but I have some weird neighbors. And they’re all best friends with my grandma, too. That’s kinda odd. Anyway, the people around you are always good pitches. Sit at your kitchen window long enough with a notepad and soon you’ll have their schedules down-pat and, once that’s done, you’ll start wondering about the irregularities in those schedules. Whose car is that? Why’s she out so late? Are they having an affair?

Damn, you could write a whole novel from your imagination about them. But, for the sake of everyone’s privacy and avoiding some really awkward encounters, make sure none of your neighbors know about your blog before you do this.

3. Take a trip to Walmart

There’s nothing more odd than a trip to Walmart. Everyone there is just weird, and if they’re not weird then they still are weird because they’re at a place where weird people go. So everyone there is weird. You don’t even need to buy anything, man, just go there and sit in the lobby and look at the old lady who greets people or the fat one walking in or the teenagers darting out with stolen good under their clothes.

Oh, and p.s.; weird is a euphemism for trashy. That’s why it’s always so funny to see a man in his business suit in Walmart.

4. Write a movie review

What’s the latest flick you saw? Write a personalized, opinionated review about it. There’s plenty of room for humor and criticism and creativity just in that alone. Plus, make it a popular movie and you’ll instantly get more traffic on your site. Winning.

5. Be a journalist for a day

Current events are always a good choice because, well, there’re always new current events. Choose one that’s interesting or controversial or just whatever caught your eye and inject some opinion, some partisan, and some passion. That, too, gets you traffic, and maybe even some respect, too, for stating your perspective so boldly.

6. If all else fails, diss a celeb

Aha, such a typical blogger pastime; picking on a famous person. Choose, I don’t know, Snooki, and just hail down the criticism. Why? Everybody knows a celebrity’s name (thus the celebrity status) and everybody makes fun of the person (also part of celebrity status).