The end of the year is a good time to reflect over the past 12 months and think about where you want to go in the coming year.

I’m still mulling over my goals for 2012 and how to achieve them, but in the meantime, here’s a look at my 11 most interesting (in my opinion and also judged by the number of comments) blog posts from 2011.

30 Writing Quotes to Kick Off 2011
Blogger readers seem to love quotes, whether funny, inspirational, or both. I get a lot of retweets when I tweet quotes, but I recently saw a tweet that discouraged this practice, because “I want to know what you think, not what Ghandi or JFK thought.” I can see that point of view, but I also think quotes have their place … in moderation, of course.
The Ultimate Money Guide for Freelance Writers
Money (or the lack thereof) is a frequent source of stress for freelancers and other indie professionals, so I compiled a list of resources on paying taxes, setting fees, and managing irregular cash flow.
5 Lame Excuses from Late-Paying Clients–And How to Respond
Few things rile freelancers more than late-paying clients. This post includes some of the sarcastic retorts I’ve been tempted to say, along with more mild-mannered responses.
Looking for Freelance Gigs? 5 Groups to Tap Into
This year I tested the waters of video blogging and this video about where to find decent-paying freelance clients was one of my early attempts.
How Do You Know if a Website Pays?
It’s a valid question, especially when you’re looking at websites or other publications that use a lot of user-generated content. This post offers strategies to ensure that you aren’t wasting your time on non-paying markets.
No Writing Clips? Here’s How to Land an Assignment Without Them
Newbie writers offer agonize over their lack of clips, but it’s not as much of a road block as many of them think. In this post, I revealed some workarounds for this problem.
The Freelance Writer’s Interview Checklist
Whether you’re interviewing professors or “real people” sources, this checklist should help you remember to ask key questions like the spelling of the source’s name and whether it’s OK to record the interview.
The Pros and Cons of Freelance Copywriting
For readers curious about the freelance copywriting world, this post covers the highs (no more query letters!) and the lows (can you say scope creep?).
In Defense of Passive Verbs
English teachers hate passive verbs, but in this contrarian post, I explain why they have their place in many types of writing.
12 Places to Find Freelance Writing Gigs
For those who are still trying to build their freelance networks and their portfolio, this post lists several websites offering freelance writing opportunities (and notice there’s not a content mill to be found!).
8 Ways Freelancers Can Show Gratitude
Although this post was written in anticipation of Thanksgiving, it has relevance to other times of the year, too. After all, gratitude should be an ongoing (not a once year) thing, as one sage commenter points out.

Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Guest Post: 3 Ways to Get Out of a Blogging Slump

By Maria Rainier

As with any career or hobby, there are going to be times as a blogger that you hit a wall and just can’t seem to come up with something new to write about. Creative slumps happen to the best of us. One of the most difficult aspects of blogging is coming up with something new, interesting, and creative to write about each day.

Creativity can be a very difficult thing to cultivate from thin air (particularly when it is our job to do so). While creative slumps are a common occurrence among bloggers, it is nonetheless a hindrance to our blogging success. There are many tricks and tips of the trade that can help bloggers find new motivation and enthusiasm for their writing. Rather than sitting and staring at a blank word document on your computer screen, hoping that inspiration will strike, try these three tips to get out of that writing slump.

Revisit Old Topics

One of the best ways to discover something new to write about for your blog is by revisiting your old posts. Sift through your blog and find a few entries that were particularly popular among your readers or held particular interest for you and re-read them. By revisiting these old posts a new spark may ignite for something along the same topic. If you are not immediately inspired by reading over your old posts, you can consider doing a revisit post. If your views on the topic have changed, you can write on that same topic from your new point of view. This is a great way to get your readers more involved with your blog. If you pick an old post that got a lot of attention initially, you can invite those same readers to discuss your new point of view on the subject this time around.

Take a Break

Everyone needs a break every now and then. If you find yourself in a serious creative slump, it may be that you are just a little burnt out. Try taking a break. Take a few hours to go do something new. Go for a walk, a bike ride, a short day trip to a new place, or even write for something new other than your blog. All of these things can help rejuvenate your interest in your own writing and lead you to new and exciting ideas. Obviously, one of the best ways to find new inspiration is by going and doing or seeing something completely new. Take a yoga class at your local gym or go for a hike in the mountains. Something new may be just the thing you need to find that energy for your blogging again.

Check Out Your Competition

Keeping up with your competition is essential for any type of business. When you find yourself in an inspiration slump, go to your competitor’s blogs. Find out what the latest trend is in your blogging niche and see if it is something that you would wish to contribute to. Of course, you don’t want to directly take your competitors’ ideas, but referencing their articles and then adding your own voice to the conversation is a great way to attract new readers. You can attract the readers of your competitor’s blog to your site just by discussing the competitor’s blog post. Getting ideas and inspiration from your competition is usually very successful. However, even if nothing exciting comes to you after glancing through other blogs on the web, staying in tune with your niche is very important in general.
Author Bio:

Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where she writes about education, online colleges, online degrees etc. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

Interested in contributing a guest blog post of your own? Check out the guest blogger guidelines.