HOW YOU CAN FIND IDEAS ON WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT
Or how I do, anyway
Whether you’re a professional writer who needs to crank out an article by the end of tomorrow or a passionate scribbler who wants to build a freelancing business, finding what to write about can be tricky.
I currently upload articles three times a week on Medium. It covers a diverse array of topics — this week alone I published an article about the toxic culture of Silicon Valley and another article about alternatives to waking up to an alarm clock. Talk about two completely different tones.
Friends and family have come up to me and asked, “How do you think about ideas on what your articles should be about?”
Here are my tips:
1. I Write What I Want To Learn About
I like to look things up. If I come across an article or YouTube video that interests me, I may go down a rabbit hole and want to learn more. They also come from general life events that I stop and think about. Why is it so freaking hard to wake up after you slept for “ten extra minutes?” Is my alarm clock not the best way of waking up?
Writing articles is also not me declaring that I know everything about the thing I’m writing. It stems from a curiosity for the topic in the first place. I may have had a basic understanding of the topic, but I want to delve deeper into it.
There’s a lot of research out there to support that teaching is great for learning something. Do I want to learn something? Let me write about it.
2. I Have An Idea List
If asking questions is a great way to begin writing an article, then I’m going to have a dozen ideas a day. “What would be a great productivity routine — hey, article idea!”
Lists are also a great way to shake yourself up to write when the assignment is to just write something. What I love about writing for myself is that I really do get to write whatever I want. That said, there is no prompt — I have to generate the idea myself. Luckily, I have my list.
3. I Don’t Stop Writing
I’m not going to generate ideas about what to write if I stop writing. If writing is not part of my daily or weekly routine, I’m not going to think about it.
Every day I find time to get in front of my computer and tap out a few words somehow. Once I get going, I don’t stop. Look at my Medium article where I give out tips on how to create a writing routine if you’re not writing as often as you’d like. I mention one of my favorite quotes by author Margaret L’Engle: “Inspiration usually comes during work, rather than before it.” This quote is posted on my vision board, and it’s so effective. You need to do something to think about something.
I love writing on this platform and I’m so thankful that I get an audience who reads whatever I choose to say. The list I provided is not exhaustive by any means, and everyone is going to have their own method.
If these tips help you with your own method, great! If you don’t have a method but are inspired by these ideas, fantastic. I want to help you write and say what you’re meant to tell the world.
Now get writing.
