How I Figured Out What To Write
An exercise you can try right now
Figure out what topics you would enjoy writing
When looking through some of the writing prompts in Medium’s creator hub, I came across one that spoke to me at this moment. The prompt asks What Would You Wish You Could Write?
I’ve had quite a bit of writer’s block lately where I’ve been unable to come up with article or podcast ideas that I resonate with. I think that is because I don’t know what it is I want to write.
I started this journey in writing with the mindset that I would write whatever came to my mind until I found something and niched down on it. It feels as though I’ve run out of juice. I hope that going through this exercise figuring out what I would like to write will help with where I want to go.
If any of you reading are in the same boat, I’d encourage you to come on this journey with me!
Where I Stand
To start, let’s take a look at where I am right now.
Take a look at your Medium bio, the topics you’ve written so far, and any common strands that run through them.
My bio says that I’m a “University student studying philosophy & neuroscience. I also have a podcast called Philosophy Over Tea.” A solid start. I have two areas I’m interested in: philosophy and neuroscience.
I already write a fair bit of philosophy and it is probably my most written about the topic. And it’s honestly quite fun to write, getting to challenge the conventional ways people think about the world and building arguments up against those perspectives. One of my favorite things I’ve written was this article on why having children is morally wrong.
I haven’t written as much for neuroscience, but perhaps that’s because I tried to look for writing topics in that field, as science-heavy and inaccessible as it is.
Another area I enjoy writing in is productivity and habits, probably because it’s the content I primarily consume and use regularly. I like to take things in like a sponge, absorbing all the “life-hacks,” tips, routines, and everything else and experiment with them in my schedule. Once I do that, I like to report my findings in an article detailing my experiences (if you’re paying attention, you might realize this story is one of those too).
A fun one I did in terms of habits was this piece written after I read Atomic Habits and used its rule of changing just 1% per day.
So that’s where we are. I write about philosophy and productivity, challenging the world and changing the way people think about it, while also trying to improve the world through research and experience-backed methods.
Now for the next step.
Where I Want To Be
Find the articles that you haven’t enjoyed writing, and find what’s missing. This can be something as simple as a new style you enjoy, or something as abstract as bringing certain values into your work.
Looking at what I write, I notice that the majority of it doesn’t exactly intersect with my values that well. I’ve somehow managed to separate my person from my writing, which isn’t wise at all.
And looking at my favorite or proudest pieces, they are all those that have worked with my values.
Take this story, for example, which is my most viewed one to date.
This article was a perfect blend of philosophy — through concepts of stoicism — neuroscience, productivity, and my values of helping others and writing what gives value to those who read it.
It was also the piece I enjoyed writing the most; it was written in pretty much less than an hour — it took longer to find the right publication to submit it to.
So I think I’ve come to the realization now that, whatever field I write in, be it neuroscience, philosophy, or productivity, I need it to work with my goal of adding value to the lives of my readers.
Brainstorming Actionable Niches
If I’m going to be meshing these values and fields, it would be valuable to come up with a couple of ideas now for the various niches I could write in.
Come up with niches that combine where you already are with what you’re missing. That way, you don’t drastically change and have to relearn everything, but still can grow from where you are.
Using my neuroscience knowledge, I could write articles that recommend research-backed study and work methods and combine that with productivity to discuss how goal setting and focus work neurobiologically.
With regards to philosophy, I want to continue writing pieces that challenge the regularly held beliefs of society, because I think that’s what philosophy should do. But I also want to explore stoicism more, using its principles and turning them into actionable plans that people can use in their daily routines.
Well, this has been my main exploratory journey into figuring out what I want to write. If you’re struggling to write, I’d recommend just typing out something like this brainlessly. Writing whatever comes to your mind and seeing where this exercise takes you!
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