Titles and Taglines

Have you ever experienced a ‘brainstorm block’? Never heard of it? Not surprised! I’ve just invented the phrase. Brainstorm block has just got to be the most frustrating nightmare of any creative writer/blogger.

I’m behind with my exercises for the Blogging 101 course. I’m trying not to feel overwhelmed and anxious about the fact that it is Day 5 and I’ve only done one exercise. One! Talk about being a slow coach!

Ok, so I can’t quite shake off this perfectionist thing and my personality (or is it pride?) won’t allow me to just put something out there (anything as long as I hand something in). Nope, it’s got to be my best, which means as near perfect (in my estimation) as I can make it. But at this rate, week 3 (the end of this course) will come and go and the week 1 exercises will only just have been completed.

But what to do? My brain had seized up. Brainstorm block had taken over my mind with a vengeance draining it of all capacity to think, or conjure up even a mediocre idea.

Exercise 2 requires me to come up with a tagline. I have two blogs, therefore I need two taglines. But hard as I tried, not a single idea sprang to mind! How can this be so? Prior to this, ideas for a number of potential posts had inundated the little grey cells (as Hercules Poirot would say). But now, when all I want is a teeny weeny phrase to use as a tagline on each of my blogs there is nothing! Not even a naff idea!

For the uninitiated, a tagline is a short phrase that sits within the heading section of your blog. Together, the title and tagline provide visitors with clues as to the blog’s purpose and message.

Now, when I set up and launched my blog, I had absolutely no idea what a tagline was, or what it was supposed to do. So, when prompted to add one, I ignored the direction. After all, I have the name of my site and that’s the most important part – right?

I wasn’t convinced that my blogs needed this extra element but since I’ve enrolled on this course in order to learn, I felt the least I can do is seriously consider the suggestion and give the exercise a shot. So I read and re-read the exercise script and supporting articles. Light dawned. Yet still I found myself in not-a-shred-of-an-idea valley. This worrying condition lasted about 3-4 days. Had my brain cells shut down for the winter? Perhaps I should skip this and move on to the next exercise. Then all of a sudden – bingo! Ideas came for both of my blogs.

After adding the taglines, I could see how just that simple addition not only clarified my stance and purpose for both blogs, but also aesthetically improved the look of each site. I hadn’t appreciated that the title on its own looked naked, bereft. Now, it looks finished, complete. A win-win situation!

With exercise 2 completed, I can now happily move on. Let me guess… you’re curious to know what my little grey cells came up with aren’t you? Well, a glance upwards to the top of this page should reveal: Pursuing my destiny – Maximizing my potential and the Women of Warfare site states: – Victim or Victor – You can choose!

And so, to all adult learners and apprentice dream-achievers – the moral of my experience is: be humble, be open-minded, be teachable.  As the good book says:

 A wise man will hear and increase learning,

And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel (Proverbs 1:5).