Blog Like a Cartoonist – Six Stunning Secrets to Help You Break Through Bloggers Block

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.

blog-like-a-cartoonist1.jpg

About Darren Rowse

Darren Rowse is the founder and editor of ProBlogger Blog Tips and Digital Photography School. Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter at , Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.

Problogger.net runs on the Genesis Framework

Genesis Framework

The Genesis Framework empowers you to quickly and easily build incredible websites with WordPress. Genesis provides the secure and search-engine-optimized foundation that takes WordPress to places you never thought it could go.

Check out the incredible features and the selection of designs. It's that simple - start using Genesis now!

Comments

  1. Guillermo says:

    I loved it! Awesome, really awesome!

  2. Trace Mayer says:

    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.

  3. Debra Sinick says:

    Well done in a funny, creative way. I’ll have to think about these some more.

  4. Heather says:

    Wow. I’m almost at a loss here… that was amusing and interesting AND useful. Kudos ;)

  5. 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?

  6. That’s awesome! If only I could draw more than stick figures.

    (I retweeted this.)

  7. David Boston says:

    This was pretty amusing and really helpfuly. Since I just started my own blog!

  8. Sudeep says:

    Pretty awesome to be frank ..

  9. Akash Sharma says:

    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…..

  10. AIEEE 2010 says:

    lol nic

  11. Patrenia says:

    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.

  12. 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

  13. Reading a post in this format is so refreshing! Lol. Thanks for sharing!

  14. Jake says:

    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.

  15. Elizabeth says:

    Very refreshing theme on a serious topic, thumbs up from me.

    MJ

  16. Pat says:

    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!

  17. Dave Rowley says:

    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.

  18. Darren,
    this was really inspiring as well as funny post. Comic strip from Marc was totally cool and meaningful.

    Thanks for sharing.

  19. 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.

  20. The expose one is funny.

  21. Write twice as much on Sundays, in full color?

    Oddly, I’m writing a comics-oriented post soon. Perhaps tomorrow.

  22. Bill says:

    Excellent 6 secrets

    How about a number 7 – “Reorganize” Reorganize a funeral into a celebration, like they are celebrating in New Orleans right now.

  23. Ben Norman says:

    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.

  24. Michael says:

    This illustrates the only thing missing from your site, Darren: more cartoons!

    Awesome.

  25. 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.

  26. Heather says:

    @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. :)

  27. 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.

  28. Pictures paint a thousand words! A bit of humour always helps to get a message across.

  29. pj says:

    Love it! Great advice — with pictures.

  30. Jhay says:

    This would look great on t-shirts! A perfect giveaway this Valentine’s day perhaps?

  31. 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.

  32. Andertoons says:

    Darren – glad you liked it! Maybe I’ll cook up some more.

    Thanks for posting it!

  33. Flo says:

    100% brilliant. Clever, artistic, ingenious and fun. Loved it.

  34. This has to be the most unique and entertaining post I’ve ever read here–and the ideas are great.

  35. Ching Ya says:

    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

  36. Claudio Vila says:

    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 :)

  37. 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.

  38. Dmytro says:

    Genius post! Loved the comic medium and the actual ideas presented through them.

  39. Raffy says:

    Its cool. Nice Post!

  40. Gamers Plaza says:

    cool….great idea

  41. Amber says:

    Thoroughly captivating and insightful. These are some great approaches to take when looking at how to present post content.

  42. Sammy says:

    Humor can be the best inspirational medicine!

  43. how interesting and some new information for me. i think i will try do your advice.

  44. Adib says:

    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!

  45. Komar says:

    Yes,Pictures paint a thousand words! Love these pics. good story

  46. Hetal says:

    I love this innovative idea of sharing tips trough cartoons. Tips were funny but effective.
    I enjoyed it. Thank you.

  47. 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

  48. 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*

  49. Well, I really love the originality of this post. Hats off to you Darren.

  50. Siosi says:

    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.