Stuck for Content Ideas? Here’s How to Get (Nearly) Instant Relief

By Thomas Clifford | Published: September 1, 2010

Have you ever struggled to write something? Man, I sure have.

Maybe you’ve got a few ideas brewing for your editorial calendar.

Maybe you’re even noodling on some ideas gathered from your web analytics.

But for whatever reasons, coming up with content ideas is dreadfully painful.

Hey, it happens.

That’s exactly what happened to me.
I was stuck with a topic for this article.
Then I was stuck with how to start it.

I battled idea after idea.
Try this. Nope.
Try that. Nope.

I was stuck in a virtual idea loop.

How did I get out of the loop?
I picked up a deck of cards. Then I picked one card at random. That one card gave me the, um, swift kick in the pants I needed to write this introduction, and, um, this article.

Sound crazy? I bet it does.

But that’s the power of the Creative Whack Pack.

The Creative Whack Pack? What’s that?
The Creative Whack Pack is a creativity tool and mind-jogger. The pack is especially helpful when you’re stuck coming up with new ideas or trying to solve a problem.

Sometimes, we get stuck in a routine when trying to find a solution to a problem.

Let’s just say we hit a dead end.
We need help seeing things in new ways.

The Creative Whack Pack breaks our normal ways of thinking and helps us find new ways to look at things.

What’s inside the pack?
The pack is a deck of 64 cards with four categories: Explorer, Artist, Judge and Warrior. These four categories represent the main ways we think creatively.

The Explorer finds places for new information
The Artist turns these resources into new ideas
The Judge decides what to do next
The Warrior takes our idea and puts it into action

And putting ideas into action is what writers will love about the pack.
As a matter of fact, it’s a pretty cool deal for about $11– there’s no end to how many ways the pack can be used. How you use the pack is only limited by your imagination.

How can you use the pack?
You can use the pack any way you want, really. You can start off by using the suggestions that come with the deck. Or just make up your own rules and games. Use it alone or with others.

Have an idea but need help executing it? Separate the Warrior cards, shuffle them and pick a card at random. What does it say? “Slay a Dragon?” “Set a Deadline?” “Be Persistent?” Take these mind-joggers and see how you can use them with your idea.

At first glance, it may be tempting to quickly dismiss the card you pick.
“This has nothing to do with my situation.” But wait. Don’t move on to another card hoping for something better. Ponder the card for a bit. If a solution doesn’t come to you right away, put it aside and come back to it later.

The card is stretching your brain to think and see in new ways. Seeing in new ways is exactly what you need now. The answer is there: you just don’t see it yet.

Where can you use the Creative Whack Pack?
Because the pack is a deck of cards, you can take it with you wherever you go. If you keep it with you, you’ll always have a quick solution to a problem or come up with an idea, no matter where you are. Your pack will come to your rescue.

C’mon. Can a bunch of cards really rescue your problem?
Sometimes, solving a problem can take a predictable path: do this, do that, then presto! Problem solved.

On the other hand, sometimes solving problems requires you to bust out of your routine ways of thinking. That’s where the power of the cards comes in.

The cards help you to see the problem from a different point of view.
Don’t believe me?

This article is an example of the pack in action.
I used the cards for two areas in this article:

The topic.
The opening.

I knew I needed a topic to write about but was totally stumped on what to write about.
I grabbed the Creative Whack Pack and randomly picked a card.

I picked card #54, a Warrior card, and it said, “Get Support”
Bingo – I’ll write an article about how the Whack Pack can be a resource for writers and content marketers who need support when they feel stuck in their writing assignments or just need help generating new ideas.

Then I struggled with how to start the article.
What was going to be my hook? Again, I was stuck. I wrote several beginnings but they failed. It was time for some support.

I randomly picked Artist card #31. It read, “Don’t Force It.”
Ah, ha. Now I had a beginning. Now, you might think the beginning ain’t Shakespeare but, hey, I have a start. I’m better off now than where I was earlier; I can always come back later to fine-tune it, too.

The Creative Whack Pack is: