How to be a Blogging Mom Who Finds Inspiration

In the past month alone, I have read several posts where the blogger said they haven’t been posting because they don’t know what to write about. I understand. Finding inspiration can be hard, especially when life keeps you busy.

I’m not new to blogging, but am new to the way I am blogging this time around. I have tons of ideas in my head and written in my planner. There will come a time, though, when I’ll be scratching my head, too, but I have a plan for that.

Inspiration is everywhere, if we care to look and simply write.

Don’t Get Stuck Not Writing

Sometimes we get stuck when we haven’t written for awhile. Getting back into the rhythm can be hard. I know. It’s why I took an unintentional almost 3 year break. Yeah, don’t be me. Get back on that proverbial horse.

Back in college, I studied abroad. At the beginning of the semester, a friend and I emailed back and forth regularly. Then we stopped. Life got busy for both of us. I sent a postcard. Weeks later, he finally checked his mail and found it, which prompted him to email and say hi, and he said he hadn’t responded earlier because he felt bad about disappearing.

Don’t be my friend. Don’t be afraid of coming back no matter how long it’s been. Chances are, your followers will have either stopped themselves, not noticed because they follow so many blogs, or (hopefully) be glad you’re back. So don’t let this hold you back from starting back up.

But I Have Nothing to Write About!

And into niches we go!

It seems that every blog has to be in a niche to stand out or get views. Sure, that’s probably true. But I don’t have a true niche and I love it. I write about being a mom, books, writing, food, my cat, and (it would seem) blogging. And don’t forget my mostly 5 days a week questions that can get a little weird. I have no social media followers since I do not link any social media to my blog. And yet I have a respectable following, plenty of views and likes, and wonderful engagement from all kinds of lovely bloggers.

If the above paragraph sounds braggy, I assure you it isn’t. I am as astonished as you about it. I write it to share that a niche is helpful, but not necessary. Not having one, but instead having a general focus or type of writing, can be quite freeing.

The first time I blogged, The Lily Cafe was a writing blog. But then I became a mom and motherhood started creeping in. I got a little frustrated and a lot busy. So I stopped. This time, I’ve opened up my focus. I write about everything I love and enjoy and it’s pushed me to try more things in my life and with my kids. I thought I would run out of recipes to post. But so many bloggers post recipes I want to try so I do and will review. I also found I’m enjoying coming up with my own recipes. Sometimes it fails and I’ll eventually blog about my failures, but sometimes it’s also delicious and I’ll make it over and over.

My point is, be you. Focus on your interests. Focus on what you do every day. So you vacuum every day? Do you have a song you sing while you vacuum? Do you play a game with your kids while you vacuum? Do you have a funny story from when you vacuumed up a Brain Flake and freaked out when you heard a funny sucking sound and your toddler thought it was the funniest thing ever (true story)? Write it! Write the mundane. Publish it if you like it. After all, many blogs I read are usually about day to day life and what can be learned from it (like, check the vacuum for small toys). Entertaining is as useful as a how to guide. I enjoy reading silly mom posts about the crazy thing their kid did today.

You never know when something you write will inspire someone. Or make them giggle. Or,  best of all, think.

So, Where Do I Find Inspiration?

I can’t tell you exactly where to look. But I can tell you to focus on you.

What do you enjoy?

What do you do every day, or some days of the week?

What’s your passion?

What are your interests, even if you’re not good at it?

Maybe you think you lead a boring, humdrum life. You know what? So do I. I do the same freaking thing day in and day out. But I have my ways of entertaining my kids, disciplining them, getting them to take a bath, cajoling them into eating, and places to take them. Other parents do the same, but we all have our own unique flair because every child is different.

Okay, not every idea is great. But you don’t have to post every day! Post once or twice a week. Build up ideas in-between. Go out and do something or watch something or try a product or read a book or try a new recipe and write about it. Or look at your Google search, see what you look up a lot, compile some information, and write a post about it. If you’re Googling it, someone else probably is, too.

I thought of giving you a list of where you can find inspiration. But I’m not. No, I’m not being mean. It’s because I can’t tell you where to go looking. I don’t know you (not really). I don’t know what your days look like. I don’t know what you enjoy. Instead, I’ll give you a guide:

1. Find your interests. Don’t be afraid of shifting your blog’s direction. Just be sure you’re writing something you like writing about. Passion can die down and flair up. Having one thing may burn you out. But having one thing may also give you the focus you need.
2. Use your interests to determine how often you blog. Do you want time to do something you can then blog about? Then blogging every day about it probably isn’t for you. Do you want to write about 7 different things? Assign one thing one day a week and you’ll only have to come up with at most 52 things a year! Don’t overdo it. Don’t start blogging with 10 ideas in your head and then publish all 10 in one week. You probably haven’t given yourself time to come up with new ideas or do something you can blog about. If you post twice a week, those 10 ideas will hold you over for 5 weeks!
3. Read blogs. Sometimes you’ll be inspired by someone. Sometimes you’ll get upset and write your side. Sometimes you’ll make a comment that goes overboard. In that case, go write your own post and thank the original for the inspiration.
4. Go live your interests. I love to bake, so I bake. I love to read, so I read. I raise growing children every day, children who are constantly changing and who need different things all the time. I learn as they grow, so it’s kind of like a never-ending list of ideas.
5. Feel free with your blog. It’s your platform, your home. Don’t back yourself into a corner. Leave yourself open to explore and express yourself as you grow as a person. Let the community help you grow. Be in tune with how they respond to you. But don’t be afraid of saying “I don’t really like doing that” and instead discover what you do enjoy. The like-minded and interested bloggers and readers will find you.

Don’t Be Me

Finally, don’t be like me. Don’t blog and then stop because everything changes. Keep going. I wish I had evolved my blog as my life changed. Sure, I probably would have lost followers, but a whole new world would have opened up to me.

It’s easy to just stop. It’s not always easy to jump back in. Take breaks if you need them, but keep going. You’ll lose your footing, but you’ll also find your head and heart.

Life is constantly changing. Change with it. There will always be plenty to write about. Just open your ears, eyes, mind, and heart and listen to what your life and world are saying.

Now Take the Plunge

You know what you enjoy. Don’t be afraid of writing something that means something to you. Not everyone will respond to what you have to say. Maybe no one will see it. Maybe no one will care.

But keep going. The person who needs it might not have found you yet. You never know when someone needs what you write.

Be you. Write the mundane, write the interesting. Blogging is hard. Blogging is work. But your words can touch someone else. You’ll write really bad posts, but you’ll also write really good posts.

The point is, you just have to write. In writing, you practice. In practice, you gain your footing and confidence.

So, take the plunge. Be inspired by life, your life. The one you want to live. Not the one you think others want you to live. Be realistic. Be you. Have fun. No matter your niche, it’s still a part of you.

I hope to be reading you soon, the good and the bad, the interesting and uninteresting!