How I Never Run Out of Ideas to Write
It’s quite simple in principle
A few people have asked me this question when they’ve reached out to let me know that they face writer’s block.
To be honest, writer’s block is just your mind playing tricks on you.
The reason your mind is blocked (not the writer in you) is that you’re too attached to your ideas and don’t want to let them go. Confused? Let me explain.
Why do so many of us hold back when it comes to creating content? Because we worry about three things specifically.
- How it will be received
2. How it won’t necessarily be our best work
3. How it may sink in the vast ocean of online space without a trace
As a creative writer, these are the things you must conclusively release from your set of fears.
In other words, write anyway.
I make no secret of the fact that I am a writer. In fact, a chat with a very good friend and author made me conclusively assert this to the world via my bio here on Medium and elsewhere.
This is how this blogger-turned-author landed her first book deal.
After interviewing her, I found the confidence to state this for the record:
I am a writer.
This is how I write and trust me, this method works every single time. I call it the ‘3 R’ approach to writing.
The 3 R approach refers to Regularity, Repurposing and Reading
Regularity
As boring and pedestrian as it may sound, do it everyday. Writing is a muscle for the mind, much like exercise is the workout for the body.
The only way it gets stronger is if you choose to exercise it everyday. As you continue, it gets more confident. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or painstaking. It must be written though.
In other words, build a system of writing daily and let it give you the rush of satisfaction that an end goal won’t necessarily provide.
James Clear explains this so well in his book Atomic Habits.
“Goals are good for planning your progress and systems are good for actually making progress.”- James Clear
Repurposing
The next thing I do is a lot of recycling of ideas.
No, I am not referring to copying someone else and their hard work. I go through my ideas folder (I keep one handy on Google Keep) or my list of older blog posts, my newsletters, social media posts and determine which content resonated the most.
Then, that original content is rewritten for a different platform, for instance, Medium.
Wait, doesn’t that mean your audience has already seen the content?
Possibly. But you know the good thing? Most content can do with reminders, especially considering how so many of us are skimming content instead of reading deeply. And the more you emphasise an idea you favour, the stronger your conviction comes through in the writing.
Reading
I’ve always been a reader. Somewhere though, the internet swooped in and interfered with that habit to my detriment.
Ever since July 2020 however, my reading mojo is back and I couldn’t be happier. I now read everyday and focus on following people whose thoughts align with my own.
From reading relevant articles on Medium to an ever-growing reading list on Pocket (a delightful bookmarking app) and a series of non-fiction books, my mind is tuned into this vast repository of ideas.
The more you read (in your chosen niche), the more you find yourself drawn to the idea of creation.
In a nutshell, follow the 3 R principle and watch as your writing output grows consistently.
