And now for a guest post with a difference from Cartoonist Mark Anderson from Andertoons.com who created this comic to illustrate the writing techniques he uses to create his cartoons, and how they can help bloggers push through writer’s block.
My name is Darren Rowse and I’m a full time Blogger making a living from this new and dynamic medium from blogs like Digital Photography School and TwiTip - Twitter Tips.
Back in 2002 I stumbled upon an article about ‘Blogging’. I didn’t know it at the time but that moment changed my life. Since then I've become a full time blogger and have blogged on over 20 blogs and co-founded the b5media blog network.
You can connect with me via social media sites at Facebook - LinkedIn - Twitter (also ProBlogger.com on Twitter) and Google Buzz.
87 Responses to “Blog Like a Cartoonist – Six Stunning Secrets to Help You Break Through Bloggers Block” - Add Yours
Guillermo
February 10th, 2010 6:29 am
I loved it! Awesome, really awesome!
Trace Mayer
February 10th, 2010 6:29 am
Good tips which I have done this quite a bit. However, be careful with exaggerating too much as some people take it too literally. It is difficult to convey the sarcasm through text and probably works better via sound or video.
Debra Sinick
February 10th, 2010 6:30 am
Well done in a funny, creative way. I’ll have to think about these some more.
Heather
February 10th, 2010 6:30 am
Wow. I’m almost at a loss here… that was amusing and interesting AND useful. Kudos ;)
Daniel Johnston
February 10th, 2010 6:37 am
Wow, that’s really an amazing comic! Definitely it will be beneficial to use. What program was used to create those cartoons, or was it done by hand?
Nick's Traffic Tricks
February 10th, 2010 6:40 am
That’s awesome! If only I could draw more than stick figures.
(I retweeted this.)
David Boston
February 10th, 2010 6:40 am
This was pretty amusing and really helpfuly. Since I just started my own blog!
Sudeep
February 10th, 2010 6:41 am
Pretty awesome to be frank ..
Akash Sharma
February 10th, 2010 6:43 am
This is an awesome way to share some really important insights on blogging, In every bit, the post has the Wow factor.
Thanks for sharing…..
AIEEE 2010
February 10th, 2010 6:48 am
lol nic
Patrenia
February 10th, 2010 6:58 am
I L.O.V.E. this!!! I have just visited your site and will be peeking around. Thanks Darren for giving Mark a voice on your blog.
Tomas Stonkus
February 10th, 2010 7:01 am
That was awesome!
I am a visual person and I love looking at pictures. They stay in my head longer and I tend to remember them easier. Even when I study, I draw graphs and then try to visualize things.
If I try to recall text, then it does not work out so well :)
Best,
Tomas
JackNguyen.com
February 10th, 2010 7:01 am
Reading a post in this format is so refreshing! Lol. Thanks for sharing!
Jake
February 10th, 2010 7:09 am
This is really cool. I’m not much of a drawer but I love doing it lol I’m gonna try this out. Good way to get the creativity flowing.
Elizabeth
February 10th, 2010 7:13 am
Very refreshing theme on a serious topic, thumbs up from me.
MJ
Pat
February 10th, 2010 7:29 am
Yes, the drawings are awesome, and a great way to present an idea, but don’t forget about the message Mark is trying to send us. The 6 stunning secrets are perfect, and I hope people see that too along with the wonderful illustrations. Well done!
Dave Rowley
February 10th, 2010 7:30 am
This is the most fun guest post I’ve read in a while. Very clever too. I illustrate my blog with cartoons and drawings, but never made the great connections between cartooning and blogging that you made here.
Harsh Athalye
February 10th, 2010 7:53 am
Darren,
this was really inspiring as well as funny post. Comic strip from Marc was totally cool and meaningful.
Thanks for sharing.
Tom | Build That List
February 10th, 2010 7:56 am
That was awesome! I really liked the point about making something extreme. If you make something a lot bigger than you really think, it becomes comical instead of scary.
Technology Slice
February 10th, 2010 8:04 am
The expose one is funny.
Kosmo @ The Casual Observer
February 10th, 2010 8:10 am
Write twice as much on Sundays, in full color?
Oddly, I’m writing a comics-oriented post soon. Perhaps tomorrow.
Bill
February 10th, 2010 8:22 am
Excellent 6 secrets
How about a number 7 – “Reorganize” Reorganize a funeral into a celebration, like they are celebrating in New Orleans right now.
Ben Norman
February 10th, 2010 8:43 am
Some great points behind the cartoons, very informative. Fortunately for me I’ve yet to struggle for ideas and inspiration but this post certainly makes me feel inadequate as an artist! I’d love to be able to draw cartoons like these, they look fantastic.
Michael
February 10th, 2010 8:46 am
This illustrates the only thing missing from your site, Darren: more cartoons!
Awesome.
ZK @ Web Marketing Blog
February 10th, 2010 9:12 am
Amazing posts. Keep forcing me to roll down.
Really like the way he is explaining. Now I am going to his blog to see more of his work.
Darren Rowse
February 10th, 2010 9:49 am
glad people enjoyed this one – it made me giggle (and think) too :-)
Darren Rowse
February 10th, 2010 9:49 am
would love to share most posts like this – but am personally artistically challenged :-)
Heather
February 10th, 2010 9:52 am
@Darren You know if you wanted I could draw them for you? All I’d need would be either a script, or an idea of what you wanted to convey… something along those lines. :)
Davor Gasparevic @ Internet marketing ebooks
February 10th, 2010 10:38 am
Hmmm, this just might work for me, at least sometimes. I get these minor blocks where I know what to write about, but for no obvious reason I just stop at one sentence and “don’t know” how to continue.
The problem is that my artistic skills suck big time.
Gerry Faehrmann - YourLawnAndGarden
February 10th, 2010 10:44 am
Pictures paint a thousand words! A bit of humour always helps to get a message across.
pj
February 10th, 2010 11:40 am
Love it! Great advice — with pictures.
Jhay
February 10th, 2010 11:45 am
This would look great on t-shirts! A perfect giveaway this Valentine’s day perhaps?
Randy @ Just Point and Shoot
February 10th, 2010 11:52 am
I like this post. It actually made me think about breaking out the old tablet and doing some comics/drawings to add to my posts.
Andertoons
February 10th, 2010 12:05 pm
Darren – glad you liked it! Maybe I’ll cook up some more.
Thanks for posting it!
Flo
February 10th, 2010 12:33 pm
100% brilliant. Clever, artistic, ingenious and fun. Loved it.
Kevin (strongandfit.net)
February 10th, 2010 1:41 pm
This has to be the most unique and entertaining post I’ve ever read here–and the ideas are great.
Ching Ya
February 10th, 2010 1:49 pm
That’s the power of visual effects. I’m surprised that not many are commenting on this post but truly, it deserves the credit for making the point clear cut and not tiring to the eyes. :-) Well done, Mark.
I love #3, #4; while learning at the same time how to be #5, #6. The beauty of blogging is that it shows personality while sharing valuable info, introducing ideas that we may have taken for granted over the years. Mark just taught us a method – via cartoons – to lighten our blogger block while showing his side of brilliance with insightful tips.
@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
Claudio Vila
February 10th, 2010 2:22 pm
I am starting to take my feet on affiliate programs too, so this article is excellent starting point! :) Shared it on Stumbleupon and submitted on Digg :)
Elisa Dainels
February 10th, 2010 2:26 pm
Great tips you have on your site. I am a new blogger and learning to write effective contents. I had started to jot down notes so the idea will not slip out when I sit in front of the com.
Dmytro
February 10th, 2010 2:42 pm
Genius post! Loved the comic medium and the actual ideas presented through them.
Raffy
February 10th, 2010 2:45 pm
Its cool. Nice Post!
Gamers Plaza
February 10th, 2010 3:07 pm
cool….great idea
Amber
February 10th, 2010 3:08 pm
Thoroughly captivating and insightful. These are some great approaches to take when looking at how to present post content.
Sammy
February 10th, 2010 4:00 pm
Humor can be the best inspirational medicine!
Rinaldi Syahran
February 10th, 2010 5:39 pm
how interesting and some new information for me. i think i will try do your advice.
Adib
February 10th, 2010 6:41 pm
I’ll be honest. I didn’t find the comic strips that funny, but it did make me think for some time and carry on till the end of the post. Maybe its because I’m slow. Hehe. Thanks, Darren!
Komar
February 10th, 2010 7:47 pm
Yes,Pictures paint a thousand words! Love these pics. good story
Hetal
February 10th, 2010 8:19 pm
I love this innovative idea of sharing tips trough cartoons. Tips were funny but effective.
I enjoyed it. Thank you.
Darren Rowse
February 10th, 2010 8:32 pm
Andertoons – please let me know if you do
Warren Whitlock
February 10th, 2010 8:56 pm
This is the most stunning blog post I’ve seen in a while. I’m printing it out and taping it up by my desk for inspiration
Sebastian Schertel
February 10th, 2010 9:08 pm
Is it okay if my only comment is LOL?! ;)
That’s exactly what that cartoons made me: laugh.
But then i realized that a blog, only made of cartoons like this… *starting to think*
Wayne Vassell
February 10th, 2010 9:20 pm
Well, I really love the originality of this post. Hats off to you Darren.
Siosi
February 10th, 2010 9:59 pm
What a creative way of teaching something! I must say, as a practicing animator, I’ve always thought about doing something similar to this – just never knew how to do so successfully!
Thank you so very much for this inspirational piece.
Justin @ Monetize Zone!
February 10th, 2010 10:15 pm
That is definitely a fresh look at writing blog articles! I will most likely try my hand at some of them!
Thank you sir!
sudharsan @ technoskillonline
February 10th, 2010 11:26 pm
its very humorous and intresting
Charlie
February 10th, 2010 11:29 pm
Between the content and the artistry, this is an incredible post. I would love to see an expanded explanation of these principles if there is one!
Dr Hebbar
February 10th, 2010 11:49 pm
Awesome and refreshing. Thanks. :)
Magnus
February 11th, 2010 12:31 am
I read this article. And immediately came up with a winning comic for my site. AWESOME! Thanks so much! Love your site!
KelseyVic
February 11th, 2010 12:49 am
Unique, innovative and unexpected – I love it!
As a newby blogger, I’ve been exploring graphic options for my posts and cartoons NEVER would have occurred to me. Thanks for opening my mind to the possibilities. Next stop – Andertoons.com
Sylvia
February 11th, 2010 12:50 am
I Must say this was entertainment at its best this early in the morning!
thank you!
Sarah
February 11th, 2010 1:48 am
I LOVED this post. I’m a very visual person and it was such a great way to receive those tips! I’m printing this out for myself and now I’m gonna go share it everywhere online as well!
Dan Neto
February 11th, 2010 1:55 am
Hiya, good day! Your work is extremely uplifting. I never considered that it was probable to do something like that until after I read your page. You definitely offered a great understanding on how this whole process functions. I will always return for more tips. Thanks!
Carol White Llewellyn
February 11th, 2010 2:10 am
This was great advice, which adds one additional blogging point: Take ‘em by surprise! (sorry, you’ll just have to visualize the cartoon to go with this comment).
Jeshmal4u
February 11th, 2010 2:22 am
oh its great.. but we can’t alwayz be as cartoonist……….
Lisa Marie Mary
February 11th, 2010 2:43 am
This was totally awesome! I absolutely love it, I might even print it out and hang it on the wall! Thanks so much, Mark and Darren! :)
Agent Deepak
February 11th, 2010 2:55 am
It was nice. Loved it.
Joseph Doud
February 11th, 2010 3:13 am
This advice is absolutely brilliant. My personal devotional, http://www.thebibledaily.org, a daily prayer, video, bible chapter and verse. It might help to think about ways to creatively write. People respond well to interesting perspectives.
Jill
February 11th, 2010 3:24 am
Quite clever, really! I laughed, I cried (from the laughter), I thought.
Thanks for the inspiration, Mark and Darren!
BloggerDaily
February 11th, 2010 4:38 am
I love the sixth one – modernize! Seems the most relevant thing for me =p
Char (PSI Tutor:Mentor)
February 11th, 2010 8:05 am
Fantastic! I started learning Flash two days ago and have even sent out a call on Facebook to find a cartoonist tutor. How serendipic.
Rezdwan Hamid
February 11th, 2010 12:30 pm
I’m a visual type of guy and this simple six comic strip gives me a simple overview of how to get around bloggers block.
Very nicely done and I appreciate the lessons this blog post has taught me. Is this considered a blog post? :)
Michael Stagg | My II Sense
February 11th, 2010 3:35 pm
Awesomely insightful! Great post!
Aqif
February 11th, 2010 4:32 pm
Interesting image. This could save a lot of time than brainstorming your ideas into writing.
Perhaps what he asked us to do now is:
Ideas = Cartoons = Superb!
David K. Enders, D.C.
February 11th, 2010 5:12 pm
Loved it, very unique and original, and makes some great points. After reading these cartoons, people will better remember the content provided in them.
Joi
February 12th, 2010 12:36 am
Wow – such talent! I always wanted to be a cartoonist, right up until I realized I couldn’t draw. At all. Great advice and done in a very unique, unexpected and refreshing way. You’ve given a great workshop on blogging by example.
Thanks!
Simon Bunker
February 12th, 2010 9:04 am
Great post and very inspiring!!
Grace Mauzy
February 13th, 2010 3:52 am
Great- Made me laugh-
Will use these ideas for sure!
Paul Cunningham
February 14th, 2010 10:16 pm
That is definitely the most original blog post I have ever seen. Nice job.
Tamikka
February 15th, 2010 11:24 am
Makes me want to pull out my paper and pencil to start sketching. Awesome post. Would love to see more thoughts in images.
Steve St. Clair
February 20th, 2010 2:59 pm
This is one of the cooler posts I’ve seen on Content Writing guys. Extremely fun to read and only took a few minutes out of an otherwise hectic day.
I imagine everyone checking out your blog is all about content writing, but how many of us actually get time to enjoy so many really great postings? The cartoons did the trick.
The main lesson I take away from this article is that inventiveness is the key. Thanks for a great post.
Albertina Pomales
February 22nd, 2010 3:20 am
Did I already tell you that I love every topics on your site ?
Sarah Arrow
March 7th, 2010 11:50 pm
I was expecting something different, but when I saw your cartoons, they really made me smile. Now about that coffee one, could we make it a can of Pepsi Max instead… ;-)
Yolando Bullion
March 27th, 2010 4:58 pm
You are 100% on the money! Most people I see view things in the short run and try to take every opportunity to promote or hype themselves instead of building credibility by helping others achieve their goals.
nj website design
March 29th, 2010 11:44 am
The other day a friend was here and forwarded the URL to me to check out In the older posts there are is some very interesting posts if some of you have not checked it out yet.
Tyson
April 1st, 2010 11:59 pm
Seriously if you want to learn how to build something from nothing, from the guys who have done it over and over this is the book. Darren Rowse, and Chris Garrett are leaders in the blogging industry and they are giving away all the “secrets”. If you are a business looking to advance your online marketing, if you are a new, hopeful, ambitious, Blogger, If you are looking for internet marketing strategies, you need this book!
Golda Providence
April 23rd, 2010 7:05 am
I always enjoy reading intelligent articles by an individual who is obviously knowledgeable on their chosen subject. I’ll be following this thread with great interest. Keep up the good work, I will be back
Computer Repair Rochdale
April 24th, 2010 8:03 am
It was a beneficial workout for me to go through your webpage. It definitely stretches the limits with the mind when you go through very good info and make an effort to interpret it properly. I am going to glance up this web site usually on my PC. Thanks for sharing
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