Boost Your Blogging By Borrowing Six Inspiring Ideas

Explore the Underside
If what you think you know about a subject is ALL you know about it, think again. What if you took the position of "devil's advocate", or asked a question that you think you know the answer to, but take up the opposing point of view?

Learn from the BEST
Hunter S. Thompson used an old typewriter to type out some of the literary classics... He reportedly used a typewriter to copy the books The Great Gatsby, (F. Scott Fitzgerald), and A Farewell to Arms, (Ernest Hemingway), so that he could learn how to write as great writer's did, having the experience of using the writing style, the use of language, and, of course, the feeling of using of an old typewriter to compose a great work. Although he was frequently fired from many of his early jobs as a journalist, he went on to create quite a name for himself as a freelance writer, a non-conforming journalist, and one of the more controversial authors of our time.

Listen, and Eavesdrop
Popular culture is not just about what you hear on the radio, watch on TV, or see in the movies... Pop-culture is also the made clear by listening to the conversations you find yourself privy to. You can learn a lot about what's happening in your local and national culture by listening to the everyday conversations that take place in the real-world social scene. Not everyone who's hip is linked in on Facebook or Twitter, although it may seem that's the mainstream, many more of the socially publicized biggies are not found on the net. So head out to your local coffee shop, bar, or social hot-spot, and listen in. Listen, eavesdrop, and let it permeate your mind... Soak up the conversation around you, and you'd be surprised what you'll find yourself writing about next.

Raise the Bar...
Darren Rowse (of ProBlogger), set out to become a successful blogger. He mentioned on his blog that his wife gave a time-frame in which he was to generate an adequate income, or get a part time job. According to his story, the agreement was that if he didn't succeed, he would go back to working a traditional job. His determination left him with one goal: To blog like his life depended on it. For him, it did.

Switch Your Writing Platform
This may sound silly in theory, but in reality, inspiration can often be sparked by using a different writing platform. For example, if you typically write using your blogging software, try Notepad, MS Word, or even grab a note book. Yes, even something as simple as a blank piece of paper can provide an alternative perspective, and even send a jolt of inspiration coursing through your veins... Just start writing, you can transfer it once you're finished with your work, but by simply choosing a different "canvas" on which to create your work of art, you may suddenly find yourself inspired.

Switch Your Daily Media
If you start off each day listening to the local talk radio station, or reading internet news such as MSN or AOL, switch it up... Instead, read a newspaper, watch the morning BBC news broadcast, or find another venue that is new to your life. You may find it inspiring, frustrating, benign, mundane, or you may experience a whole new set of emotions. The point is to jar something new inside your mind... something you may have forgotten, or perhaps never even thought about.