A Ph.D. Student’s Guide to Finding Inspiration
When you’re stumped about what to write next.
As a Ph.D. student, I often feel a lot of pressure to constantly come up with novel ideas and, of course, publish. With the looming threat of “publish or perish,” I often find myself racking my brain for an idea that could be transformed into a shiny, new, and promising project.
However, coming up with a new writing idea is a feat in itself. Over the years, I have realized my own subconscious process that I have developed from being a long-term student and researcher within academia. Hopefully, outlining my creative writing process will not only help me become a more self-aware writer but can help others develop their own process for creating new writing ideas.
1. Constantly Consume Information
Find Your Platforms
That’s right, become a hungry hungry hippo for knowledge. Luckily, we live during a time where there is a truly never-ending chasm of content to consume, particularly via the internet. I consume information through various platforms that make sense for my interests, learning style, and general lifestyle. As a student, I consume everything from peer-reviewed scientific articles to YouTube videos and Twitter thread rants. Here is a general list of ideas to consider:
- Social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.)
- News sources (CNN, BBC News, NY Times, etc.)
- Podcasts
- YouTube videos
- Books and magazines (including audiobooks)
- Scientific & peer-reviewed work (if you have access, such as through a university)
- Physically go outside and engage with the topics you are interested in (volunteer, participate in an event, interview people, etc.)
Consuming information about topics you enjoy through diverse platforms can give you different perspectives, as well as different avenues for engagement and learning (a mix of visual, writing/reading, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles).
As a researcher interested in sexuality and gender, I will regularly read esoteric peer-reviewed journal articles for class discussions and formal writing assignments. But, I will also casually listen to an audiobook of Julia Serano’s Whipping Girl on the subway to the grocery store and will watch a silly Youtube episode of Hey Qween in my pajamas before bed.
I don’t do all these things for the sole purpose of producing my own original writing; I consume this content because I genuinely enjoy it. My writing is an extension of myself, even when I write in a tempered academic voice, and the content that I immerse myself in ultimately influences what questions I ask and how I shape my writing.
Passive and Active Engagement With Content
In general, there are two ways that I engage with these various content — through passive and active engagement.
Passive engagement may just involve listening to my favorite podcast, like Dan Savage’s Savage Lovecast, in the background while I do my laundry or wash dishes. I may not be paying attention to everything Dan is saying (sorry Dan), but I will stop to tune in closer if I sense he is making a salient point that I hadn’t considered before.
Active engagement, especially as a doctoral student, usually involves incorporating readings into a presentation, paper, or research project. However, for me, I get the most joy out of active engagement when it involves discussions with friends and colleagues. I have had surprisingly deep conversations with friends about topics, such as colorism, all because we were discussing last night’s episode of Rupaul’s Drag Race.
At the end of the day, once you find what interests you it’s important to figure out a way to engage with the content. Engagement, whether through passive or active methods, will over time make you familiar with the subject(s) you enjoy and better prime you for unique writing ideas.
2. Follow Your Gut
Mind the Gap
So, you’ve done the work. You have listened to podcasts and audiobooks, and read articles and Twitter hot-takes about your favorite topic(s). As you become more and more familiar with your interests and engage with the content, you will begin to notice patterns and themes. Your goal now is to notice when something you read, hear, or see, just doesn’t feel right. It’s alright if you don’t immediately know why it doesn’t feel right, you just know it doesn’t sit right with you.
The inspiration for my article “What You Need to Know About the Infamous #MedBikini Study,” originally was inspired by the trending #MedBikini hashtags that were attached to photos of physicians in bikinis Twitter. I wondered to myself — “Why bikini selfies? Are bikini photos the best ‘solution’ to the problem of medical professionalism?”
The question “why bikini selfies?” haunted me throughout my day, and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Later that day, I texted my friends in medicine and asked them what they thought about the hashtag. They too were unsettled by the hashtag, but couldn’t exactly articulate why it bothered them.
This knowledge gap mixed with discontent about the current status quo made me realize that I had the very beginnings of a promising writing idea.
Sit With the Discomfort
Pursuing a novel path with your original writing may involve sitting with some feelings of discomfort. I have spent hours, if not days, thinking about how to conceptually reconfigure the current narratives around a topic of interest. It may take some time to translate your initial gut feelings into a more clear and logical argument.
Again, I personally like to talk these things out with a friend, colleague, or even my parent’s cat if she will listen. You just need a way to hash out your newly developing thoughts.
3. Research the Specific Topic
Once you have an idea of how you want to pursue your writing, it’s time to start getting down to the nitty-gritty of thoroughly researching the topic you would like to write about.
Use References That Make Sense for Your Topic
Depending on your topic, you may want to use different types of references. For my more casual writing pieces on Medium, I will use sources like Twitter, CNN, or other easily accessible online resources that focus on my topic of interest. If you are writing something based in science and medicine, you may want to use empirically based and peer-reviewed references. Unfortunately, peer-reviewed work may have a pay-wall, but you can always use publicly available references such as the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) website.
Please, please, please stay away from references that peddle conspiracy theories, snake oil, or hate. Don’t trust everything you read on the internet, and critically think through even peer-reviewed and evidence-based sources. Some sources are more generally trustworthy than others, but it is up to you to critically review what you are consuming.
Research May Reboot Your Process — Don’t Panic
Once you start to narrow your research focus and dig up what people are already saying, this may reboot your original idea. Maybe someone already came to your conclusion, or additional information has now made you rethink your idea altogether. This is normal and bound to happen. Come to terms with starting over or tweaking your original concept — be flexible with change.
4. Get Feedback From People You Trust
Conceptual Edits
As you may have probably begun to notice, verbal and written feedback helps me throughout my writing process. If this is not something you normally do, I highly suggest at some point talking to someone you trust to see what they think of your ideas conceptually.
I think that, by far, how your writing is conceptually structured is the most important aspect of your writing process. Are you basing your writing off of a specific theory or a philosophical point of view? Are you considering how whiteness affects your topic? Have you considered a queer lens to your topic? Do not assume that your point of view is universal, and be open to different ways of thinking as well as constructive feedback.
Give Space for Disagreement
Try talking to people from diverse perspectives. I know, *scary*, but it’s the smart thing to do. Talking to people who will just agree with you, likely will result in an echo chamber effect. Of course, it’s good to have people on your side to give you an ego boost and cheer you on, but if you are interested in growth you will need to get constructive feedback.
Give people space to disagree with you, and to have a different perspective. No one will want to say anything to you if they fear a prickly and defensive reaction. Straight up ask people if you have neglected to address something in your writing process. You want to know what you have missed, let people know you appreciate their constructive feedback.
5. Start Your Writing Process!
All of this and we haven’t even started writing yet?? Well yes, and no. This process isn’t as linear as I make it out to be, but this is the general flow to the start of my writing process.
It is a cliché that the very first sentence is the hardest to write, but I think the same sentiment is true here. The process of establishing a good idea is complicated and takes work. It is not manna that miraculously falls out of the sky.
Once you have a solid foothold in what you want to write about, then you can start on your writing process — whatever that may be.
Final Conclusions
Writing out this initial creative process, in itself, has been helpful for me to understand as a developing writer and I hope it can be helpful for you too. However, there is one last point I want to make before you go, and that is the pressure to be productive.
Many of us feel the pressure from our capitalist society, to crank out content and to do labor. We do this in order to prove to the world that we are worthy of the spaces that we occupy. We are told that if we are not engaging in the cycle of consumption and production, that we are less than useless — we are unproductive.
In reality, you don’t need to capitalize every waking moment, every fleeting idea, into monetized content for consumption. You don’t need to be the Kim Kardashian of writing articles if you don’t want to be.
This is my process for inspiring writing concepts and ideas, but I’m sure over time it will change. From one writer to another, I hope you find the best process that works for you.
