The Best Bloggers to Read While Sitting on the Toilet

Guaranteed red marks on your thighs every time.

Let’s be honest folks. You check your phone while you’re on the toilet. And if you’re anything like me, you use that time to catch up on some cool Medium stories. The better the stories, the redder the elbow marks on your thighs. You know it’s true, don’t lie. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the red marks. They’re a sign of a good author. These red marks should be embraced. There are two bloggers out there that’ll consistently pass the red-thigh test. And if you’re a newbie to Medium or blogging in general, the more you read these two, the better a writer you will become.

Seany K

Great writer, awful nickname. My bad. I’m referring to Sean Kernan. For a newbie that doesn’t want to get stuck in the trap of repackaging other writer’s content, this guy is a great resource. For one, he’s got a really conversational tone and a funny way of putting things, which make for highly enjoyable reads. On top of that, instead of generic self-help vagueries, he gives specific, actionable advice on a lot of topics, content ideation included, that you as a newbie blogger on can start implementing today.

As a newbie myself, I get a lot of value from his content. One article that left my thighs particularly red was called “How I Repeatedly Come Up With Viral Content Ideas That Work.” In it, Seany K dropped multiple value bombs. Whether you’re an amateur or a seasoned blogger, at one point or another you’re gonna ask yourself Shit, what should I write about? Have no fear, the Kernanator is here. In this article, he provides seven unorthodox approaches to content creation that really get the wheels turning. Here’s an example of one I found high-key interesting.

2. Put On a Podcast and Ignore It ($$)

This really weird thing happens when I’m listening to podcasts.

I’ll start daydreaming and by virtue of hearing other people talk, content ideas fall into my lap.

Even weirder, the ideas are completely unrelated to what I’m listening to. It’s the bizarre but common origin of my $1K+ earning articles.

Listen with the mindset of brainstorming. Their exchange of thoughts will create a mental waterfall.write as if you intend to fnish today and then don’t.

I tried it out and yeah, it actually works. For me, the perfect time to do this is when working out, because you know ~self-betterment~ and all. But really, the next time you workout, throw a podcast on while you go about your routine. I give myself permission to tune out or count reps, and then I kind of hear what they’re saying but then I don’t. And then I’ll catch the tail end of something they say and BAM an idea smacks me in the face. And don’t think I’m just saying this in an effort to suck up to Seany K. I’m straight truthin’ right now. If you want to generate more ideas to write about, give it a try.

Mackdaddy Tim

Next, we’ve got Tim Denning. Let’s be real here, if you’re on Medium, you’ve read an article by Tim. Plain and simple. The dude is like the Morgan Freeman of the blogging world. Soothing, yet oozing with credibility, anything he writes just sounds better. He could insult you and you’d be like You know what, thanks man. I’ll do better. If it's value you seek, it’s value you’ll get from Tim with regard to, well…a lot. Here are three examples of stories of his I’ve saved. Notice the variation in topics.

Let’s see, life lessons from a quirky genius? Check. Tips on how to better your writing on the business side? Check. Keanu Reeves? Check, of course. But there’s one commonality all his articles share, and that’s that they’re steeped in humility. He’s the biggest blogger on Medium and yet he doesn’t act like it. Pretty Keanu of you him, isn’t it? He does really well at telling you what works whether he’s talking about stocks or writing or life, minus the preachiness. That’s hard to do. In fact, here’s an excerpt from that second article above where he addresses the importance of that.

Your audience grows when it’s not all about you and your hashtag awesome life. The smart writers I know all have one personality trait in common: they’re humble AF.

Content written by humble writers goes further. The rest looks like self-promotion, which gets zero traction.

Just like Sean, Tim also gives actionable items for better writing, too. For example, in that same article, he talks about the importance of repurposing content and some ways you can go about that.

Some platforms allow you to publish duplicate content like LinkedIn. Do it. Nobody will remember what you wrote six months ago. If it was good six months ago, then it can be published again.

Or you can take a popular short post on Twitter and repurpose it into the headline of a long-form blog post.

You can repurpose other people’s content too. Love a viral tweet? Why not use it as your headline and give the original writer credit?

The Takeaway

The Kernanator (much better than Seany K, right?) and Mackdaddy Tim practice what they preach and they aren’t dicks about it. They write with authority in a way that is conversational. They tell you tips and tricks that have worked for them. They give way more than they take. So if you’re interested in becoming a better writer, and gaining more of a following in the process, anything these guys put out is required reading.