At the end of September, I made a commitment to myself. A promise, really. I decided that in order to get back to my writing on a regular basis that I would commit to writing 90 articles over 90 days, consecutively.
As I am approaching Day #23, I decided to share my declaration with my community, as I wanted to ask for their input.
I approached my audience and asked them what topics they thought I should write on. One member within my community responded: “Why not write on 5 ‘Ways to Find Something to Write About’?”
Now, while I know he said this a bit in jest, and for a laugh, I immediately loved the idea … so, here I am.
I mean because let’s be real. Trying to come up with a different topic every day can be daunting, if not overwhelming. Not to mention, we all experience writer’s block from time-to-time.
So, then how do you figure out what to write about anyway?
For me, there really are five things that work. So, I thought I would share my Writer’s Tool kit, adn five strategies with you …
Strategy #1: Generate a list of random ideas
I keep a running list of ideas that pop up throughout the day. In fact, I actually have two places I do this. One, on my notes app on my Macbook Air, and the other, in a journal I carry with me everywhere.
I never know when a conversation or something I encounter will spark an idea. So, I make sure I always can capture a moment when inspiration drops in. In could be from a casual conversation with a friend, a Zoom call with a colleague, or something I happen to see when scrolling on socials.
Either way, I find there is a lot of inspiration everywhere.
And, often, one idea leads to another. When I start playing around with ideas, and titles, I find another one always seems to pop up, as well.
So, I usually can scribble a good 5–10 ideas down at any given time when inspiration hits.
Strategy #2: Leverage AI
I find AI tools rather interesting. I love to play around with ChatGPT and ask it questions just to see what kind of things it comes up with.
I love creating lists of topics and titles on anything and everything that grabs my interest. From there, I find I get new inspirations or frames to work with that maybe I wouldn’t have thought of before.
The trick is to find my own way to language for that thought. Because, while something like ChatGPT can be a good prompt started, it’s up to me to make the content my very own.
Strategy #3: Tap into your community
As I mentioned above, this article was prompted from the question I posed to my communities. I wanted to know what topics came to mind for them.
Across multiple platforms and social channels, I ended up receiving a pretty healthy list of ideas. Some, I have to say, I am pretty excited to explore further and see where that might lead me.
Not only that, but it gives me a way to further engage with my audience.
People like to play off others’ ideas, and they love to share their opinions. So, when I post one of the suggestions someone made, I then tag the person who offered up the idea and create even more engagement.
It’s a great way to follow-up and let them feel seen and heard, making them usually want to engage further.
Strategy #4: Read a book
Nothing inspires me more than reading the work of another writer. To glean a new perspective or, perhaps, challenge my own. I feel like I am having a conversation, and sometimes a debate, with that author.
I love to share insights and ahas I gathered from all the books I read. I also love to extract different frameworks and deconstruct them for my readers.
And, as an avid reader (I typically read around 50 books or so a year), I am always do research and gathering new information. I particularly love comparing and contrasting different sources, or referencing multiple pieces of work in a particular perspective I might be leaning into.
Even reading as little as ten pages can provide an additional spark of inspiration, where I usually then end up wiritng a few pieces from.
Strategy #5: Repurpose a previous piece
I have been a writer for a long time, and as such, I have an arsenal of content. Some of my inspiration comes from repurposing an old piece.
I love to re-read something I wrote years ago to see how it applies to the current energy, my more mature perspective, and how I choose to lead.
When I can bring a former writing into a fresh perspective, I find that my writing, often times, gets richer and deeper, as a result.
As if I need to read something again, after some time has passed, to bring a new slant and a new layer of wisdom and insight to that topic.
It actually creates a new experience for me, thus making the art of repurposing something that feels quite expansive.
So, which one of these strategies should you deploy?
Whatever way inspires you most is the best way to write. Menaing, whichever strategy speaks to you … that is your strategy.
I find, for me, using a combination of all five works best. I move in and out of the various strategies. No two days are the same.
Sometimes I even wake up in the early morning already knowing what I want and need to write about. When that happens, I knock those pieces out quickly first thing in the morning.
Other days, like today, I just allow myself to flow with the day, and see where it wants to lead me.
Then, when I feel inspired to write (this has become more of a natural practice for me now that I made the commitment to myself … because I have declared it as a non-negotiable. I will write every day, as to when … I give myself space and grace to decide. I’ll discuss that more in an upcoming post), I sit down and play with some of these strategies, teasing out what wants to be expressed.
Today, it was this piece.
So, have fun. Play with the different strategies. And, if nothing else works … just start freeflowing and write. Let the jibberish come through. I have found this can be extremely powerful in letting the words guide you.
The more you practice the art of writing, the more you strengthen your muscle. It doesn’t have to be difficult, and it shouldn’t feel like work. Let it be light, and do it for you. Let go of any attachments to the outcome.
Trust me, the words will take you where you need to go.