Blog Content Generation: Snagging Inspiration While on the Go


How often does the thought of blogging strike you during an exciting event? You might be caught up in the moment, thinking that this experience would make an excellent feature piece on your website. Or you might have questions about a particular event, which could lead into some compelling, investigative journalism opportunities. However, once you get home, you’re too worn out to jot down these details. You go to bed, and that moment of inspiration has passed. We lose out on so many writing opportunities this way.

Think Like a Journalist

Media professionals can be some of the best role models for bloggers. Even if you’re not jumping into the fray to cover the latest news development, the listening and note-taking skills cultivated by journalists can vastly improve the quality of your own work. Erik German, a reporter for Newsday, tells students at The City University of New York to write down descriptions of people’s gestures while they talk. This great note taking technique can give you an idea of how detail can add flavor and life to your next blog post. Just think about it – gestures can help your readers better understand the mood and context of a scenario.

A notebook is indispensible for bloggers who plan to take quotes during an interview or just snag a few bits of commentary. Audio recorders are the best, since they can give you an unbiased, recap of someone’s words. Note taking and recording can help prevent quote errors, which can lead to more serious libel issues after a blog post is published. You want to avoid inaccurate quotes at all costs, so make sure to carry the appropriate reporting tools when taking an assignment.

Use Note Taking Apps

Many people have a romanticized idea of note taking and blogging. Your friends and family might see you as a reclusive writer who is always jotting their thoughts into a private journal. Let’s dust off these silly expectations and set the record straight – pens and papers are not the only tools at our disposal. Cloud note taking apps such as Evernote, Dropbox, and Google Drive are ideal for the remote blogger, since you can jot down a few notes within a document, and it is saved instantly online. When you get home, your blog notes will be accessible from your computer, ready for you to hammer out a full article. Note taking apps with cloud syncing can dramatically reduce the hassle of transferring your text between your phone, tablets, and computers manually.

Writers who have a difficult time getting into the right blogging headspace while they’re on the go should look at apps such as Ommwriter and Notegraphy. These software solutions provide users with minimalistic spaces, custom moody backgrounds, and special ambient sound effects that can relax you, and bring out your inner writer – even when you’re on the go!

Leverage Multimedia

Some bloggers just feel uncomfortable jotting down notes while they’re commuting or involved with an event. However, we can use photos and video recordings as visual notes, which can jar our memories later, when we sit down to write a new blog post. For example, the next time you work on fashion feature or documenting your pursuit of the perfect prom dress, make sure to load up Instagram and Pinterest and snap photos of interesting outfits you see on your daily jaunt. These graphics can serve as compelling inspiration later, as you come up with new blog topics and content ideas.

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Thord

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