25 more ways to blog every day

Blogging every day isn’t as tough as it sounds. You just need a plan.

In Part 1 if this two-part series, I shared 25 ideas for generating blog posts on a daily basis.

I’m sharing ideas for blog posts in preparation for the 2011 WordCount Blogathon that starts on May 1, where bloggers pledge to post every day of the month.

But you don’t have to be in a blogathon to benefit from bringing more discipline to your blogging efforts.

Here’s Part 2 of the series, with another 25 ideas for blog posts:

Write When You’re On

26. Pre-write posts. Pick a time during the week when you can pound out most or all of your posts for that week.

27. Write from a different location. Take your laptop, netbook or smartphone to Starbucks and write from there. A different location could lead to a different perspective.

28. Write first thing in the morning. Get blogging out of the way early so you don’t spend the rest of the day worrying about it.

29. Write last thing at night – for the next day. Pound out a post before you log off.

30. Jot ideas for posts down as you get them. Carry a notepad with you so you’re prepared when inspiration strikes. Better yet, carry an iPad or smartphone and use WordPress’ QuickPress feature or Mobile Pack plug in to capture your thoughts directly into a post draft.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

31. Re-read old posts and write them better. You probably know more now than you did then.

32. Write about other bloggers’ posts. Instead of leaving a comment, respond in your own post – then let the other blogger know about it.

33. Write about your other work. If you write, point readers to recent stories. If you do something else, share what you’ve been up to.

34. Adopt a secret identity or alter ego. One of the most intriguing bloggers in last year’s blogathon was a woman known only as Thinking Too Hard, a pen name she uses to share intimate musings on relationships, sex and love.

35. Give yourself a deadline. Use an old writer’s trick – set a timer for 30 minutes and make yourself finish a post before it rings.

36. Study your blog’s traffic stats. Analyze which posts draw the most traffic and write more like them.

37. Look at what topics other bloggers are writing about and post accordingly. If all the other parenting bloggers are all weighing in on the chocolate milk controversy, shouldn’t you too?

38. Write about a well-known person. Tag the post with their name and the name of their company, website, movie, book, etc. You never know what could happen. After I blogged about Gen Y workforce expert Penelope Trunk she commented on my blog. Since then I’ve interviewed her several times for paid assignments.

39. Follow up. If a post gets so many comments you find yourself adding information in your replies, bundle up all that new material and write a follow up post.

40. Run “Point” and “Counterpoint” posts. Two of the most popular WordCount posts ever debated the pros and cons of writing for content farms.

Wrap It Up

41. Write a year-end wrap up. Look through the year’s posts and pick out trends you can encapsulate in a list. Link back to your older posts to support your points.

42. Write a New Year’s forecast. Go through the same process as No. 41, only instead of looking backward, project what those trends could hold in coming months. Link to your older posts or similar forecasts from other bloggers.

43. Teach beginners what you know. Share advice or tips from your area of expertise.

44. Thank somebody. Lisa Carter, a Spanish translator who signed up for the blogathon and blogs at Intralingo, runs a weekly post called Thankful Thursdays. Who could you thank – mentors, colleagues, friends, family support system?

Be Creative

45. Share a favorite. It could be a recipe, new iPhone app, song, TV show, movie, lunch spot, travel destination, inspirational saying – don’t forget to include a photo.

46. Write a book review. Include the author’s head shot and image of the book jacket.

47. Write a poem. By the third week of last year’s blogathon people were getting burned out. So I proposed a simple post – writing haiku, the popular three-line Japanese poem form. It turned out to be one of the most popular theme days of the event.

48. Decipher a technical journal article or medical study. Scholarly journals are packed with material that’s crying out for someone to translate what it means into plain English. Bonus points: get proficient enough at doing this and you could parlay it into assignments writing about health care, science, academia or similar fields for consumer or business publications.

49. Live blog a meeting. Use Twitter, Ustream or Live stream to cover a meeting, conference or seminar in real time. Set up feeds so they appear on your blog. Bonus points: same as above.

50. Share some link love. Fridays are popular days for sharing lists of links to posts you happened upon during that week that were especially interesting, outstanding or profound.