Even the most practiced writers get the dreaded block at (many) points in their career. Whatever the level you’re at,  the fact is there are times when we all need a bit of nudge. I cannot count the times I have gone blank – no words, just noises – when two minutes before I was probably waxing lyrical about an AMAZING story I just HAD to get down on the page.

The point is, there is nothing wrong in seeking out writing support. With that in mind, I’ve  put together some ideas which could help you bring your blogs to life.

Our categories give you seven key areas in which you can blog. Within that, you can say your piece – clearly no swearing, religion or politics – other than that go for it.

Remember, your words could make a real difference to someone, whether that’s to let them know they aren’t alone in their thoughts or making them laugh out loud.

Posing a question

Ask the reader a question, which you answer in the main body of the blog. This could be on any topic, from how you overcome boredom to what you did to get mental health support, whether you found an interesting hobby to see you through tough times or how came up against a challenge in your life and overcame it

Top takeaway: Why is posing a question good? Because it’s a simple but powerful way to grab the reader’s attention (okay, I am a smarty pants)

Lists

Humans love listicles, they soothe our minds. Structure helps us make sense of the world, are easy to read and can cover pretty much any topic. You could have; your top 5 favourite reads, 9 things which annoy you (and how you’ve sorted them), 7 steps to get you to (a particular goal). Why am I using odd numbers? Because humans love odd numbers

Top takeaway: Think of a subject area you love and go for it. 9 is probably the top number to have in your list, if you have more, make a part 2 blog and post that

How to guides

You may not believe it, but you have loads of information people want to hear about. I bet you’ve got a talent lurking somewhere.  Why not share your newly acquired skill,  just stumbled over knowledge, and extraordinary expertise with everyone. Show them or guide them how to achieve it. Take them through the steps. It doesn’t have to be rocket science, it could be how you have finally managed to solve a rubix cube, juggle, cook pizza dough or unicycle. The point is people need your knowledge in their life

Top takeaway: This style of blog can also be applied to more serious issues, like wellbeing and mental health – supporting people with your personal experience is powerful

Tips

I don’t know a single person who hasn’t needed the occasional tip to get them over the line. In fact, this whole article is a series of tips (see what I did there?). Choose a subject area you are passionate about and give people your insider advice. You could find that our community responds in kind, and before you know it, we’re all experts

Top takeaway: You could group tips by theme for example, top tips for saving money, surviving college or how to change direction

Anchoring your story around a current event, news story or statistic 

It is plain wrong if you believe your opinion doesn’t count. It does. When a big event happens, it affects us all, albeit in different ways. What do you believe young adult’s roles should be? Does it make you crazy when certain media categorise all young people as the same? Do you think the belief  social media is bad is way too generalist, and if so why? What about climate change, education, training, jobs? You see what I mean?

Top takeaway: Anchor points give weight to your opinion. Just make sure you check your sources and are careful who/what you reference

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