The Daily Writer’s Blueprint

6 Unexpected Tips to Spark Ideas, Grow Your Audience and Write Daily

Innovative Tips for Sustained Creativity

This article is inspired by a question from one of my readers Vanshika Bansal.

I’m choosing to respond here because her question sparked an idea and gave me fodder (clue: on how to find new ideas) to write a new article.

Also, it will benefit several people simultaneously rather than one.

In the past, I too have struggled with these very questions.

Finding an audience and new ideas to write about is something that most people find challenging.

So, without further ado, I want to jump straight into the 6 points that’ll help you overcome the problem of not being able to write every day.

1. Ideas Don’t Come

You don’t lack ideas. You lack systems.

Go back to an instance when you didn’t want to do something.

For example, you know morning workouts are great. Yet, for some reason, your mind can come up with creative excuses to avoid going to the gym in the mornings.

Every time you want to avoid something the mind gets super creative. We can all win medals for making excuses.

A year ago, I too questioned my ability to come up with ideas.

Why?

Because my mind was too entangled about the negative aspects of ideas not showing up.

I was paying attention and focusing on the wrong things.

My mind worried about the lack of ideas and even when I had them, it worried about the quality of those ideas.

If you pay attention, it’s a loop. A deadly loop. At least for me, it was.

In the writing community, there’s a popular saying that goes like this — “The more you write, the more ideas you get.”

In my experience, I’ve found this to be true. The more I’ve written the more my creativity has sparked.

It has taken me a while but my mind has begun to find ideas in the most mundane things.

What was a lot of effort in the beginning is now a little less effort thanks to all the practice.

So it is like the chicken and egg problem. If you wait for ideas to spark and inspire your writing, it will mostly never happen. Whereas, if you write, the ideas will flow.

Here are a few ways to find new ideas:

1. Get out of the negative mindset. Believe that you can find new ideas.
2. Permit yourself to fail and publish work you might not be happy with in the beginning. Check out this video for inspiration.
3. Be happy with 80% output. Otherwise, perfectionism will cripple you.
4. I’d recommend reading the following 2 books to help you find new ideas. Choose Yourself by James Altucher and Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon.

2. Bias Towards Thinking

The majority of the people have a bias towards thinking.

Had you thought about all the things that you wrote to me, I would never have had the opportunity to connect with you and write this response.

A simple act at your end has inspired me to write a full-blown article.

For the mind, it is easy to stay in its comfort zone.

Our minds can be a breeding ground for negative thoughts and self-doubt. The only way to come out of this state is by acting.

You mentioned writing and designing is tough. It is the primary reason your peers won’t be doing it.

It should provide you with enough motivation to do what others won’t.

It is a sure-shot way of differentiating yourself and making yourself visible to the world.

So, align yourself and act.

Act, especially when you don’t want to.

3. Good Things Take Time

Imagine you plant a mango sapling today. Can you expect it to produce mangoes in a year?

There’s a process — it needs time, attention, care, nutrition and nurturing.

Another way to look at it is to land your dream job, you have to spend 3–4 years in college.

If learning some topics can take that long how can writing be any different?

With writing you have to develop your voice, build trust, learn nuances that enhance your writing, master your thinking, master persuasion to get people to read by writing good headlines, etc.

So dedicate time just like you are dedicating time to enhance your design skills.

Most people leave when things get hard. Don’t be like most people. Use this knowledge to your advantage.

Everyone has good and bad days, it’s how you respond to the bad days that set you apart.

Be ready to give it a few years of your life if you want to succeed.

4. Be Present

Personally, for me, this has been crucial.

In the past, the moment I sat down to write I’d either be transported to my past when…

• I didn’t put in enough effort.
• I didn’t fulfil my promises.
• I failed to show up.

OR

I’d imagine a future with millions of followers and an annual revenue of six figures.

When I thought about the past, I doubted my capabilities. And when I thought about the future, I remained dissatisfied.

In either case, I couldn’t show up for myself.

I broke this cycle by accepting my mistakes, forgiving myself for past behaviours and dialling down my expectations.

Staying in the present is hard.

Even though I’ve written every day for the past 12.5 months, I’d struggle again if someone were to ask me to write every day for another 12 months.

So, don’t think too far ahead or don’t get bogged down by your past.

Reminds me of the quote from Kung Fu Panda,

“The past is history, the future is a mystery, but the present is a gift — that’s why it’s called the present.”

If things get tough, remind yourself you only need to write about one more idea.

Tell your mind to get over the day today. Worry about tomorrow, later.

This has helped me leaps and bounds.

5. Repetition Is Your Friend

Don’t be afraid to repeat. Repetition is your friend.

Pay attention to all the mammals on this planet. They all learn by imitation.

However, to reach any sort of mastery, they repeat the same action over and over.

This is true for Orangutans and different species of monkeys. Our distant cousins.

Among humans…

• A boxer repeats the same punch.
• A painter repeats the same stroke.
• A basketball player takes the same shot.

If others can do it, why can’t writers?

Just repeat the same idea you’ve written about — but take a different angle to further enhance your ability to think and communicate about your idea.

6. Write For Self

If you write for others you put yourself under pressure. Instead, write for yourself.

Write about things you want to learn. Write about things you wish you knew when you were younger.

These things have helped me in my writing journey. These are also the things that help me come up with new ideas repeatedly.

Over the past 12 months, my journey from 20 to 3,500+ followers hasn’t been easy.

I’ve questioned myself, doubted my abilities and even cursed myself for taking this crazy task.

But if you’d ask me if I’d exchange this for anything else, I’d simply deny it.

You are unique and so is your journey.

Just get down to it. You have all the creativity you need.

It starts with your internal world. If you think you can, you will. If you think you can’t, you won’t.

You don’t have to complicate things.

I hope this article can give you 1 thing you can take with you.