QUESTION EVERYTHING

You Looked Far and Wide for Topics to Write About. But You Forgot to Look in the Mirror

I just finished “The Perpetual Search for Topics to Write About,” Nadine Hoffman’s brave dive into writing more and worrying less. Like a tightrope walker with no net, she pledged to write her way into a topic, all through a learning-by-doing writing exercise.

I liked Nadine’s writing results from her first-day challenge, by the way.

Eight lines long. Quite creative. She performed admirably.

What topics could I find just looking at Nadine’s vignette?

1. How I Get Up in the Morning. (Telling what does, or does NOT, work for you.)

2. Coffee and writing (Nadine could tell how much coffee is enough, and how she learned what her body and imagination needed.) Any side effects? After two mugs of coffee, I start craving doughnuts.

3. Seeing (writing) spots. (Can you write anywhere in your home? Tell what has, and has not, worked trying to imagine and create in different locations. Compare either different rooms, or different addresses, such as a library or coffee shop.

Note that I did not think about writing a thesis, report or analysis of the subjects.

I DID think in headlines. A possible headline should be a seed thought you can help sprout.

This took me five minutes.

I like writing personal-experience essays. In the year I’ve written on Medium, I get lots of reader comments. “That was just like my childhood.” Or, “my experience was totally opposite.” Then, instead of simply writing “Good job” or “Funny,” I’m learning from these readers. I’m getting writing ideas from them.

I think readers have had their fill of bland articles like “The History of So-and-So” from 13 years of schooling. Plus there are oodles of non-fiction looks at how gadgets and devices work.

One reason these types of articles make me cringe? Readers should not get swamped with common knowledge. I do not read writers who “Wikipedia-ize” their articles. Just because a few words get changed in a paragraph, that’s not writing. It’s microwaving leftovers that were hidden in the back of the fridge. In both cases, I lose interest. Or maybe my appetite.

Don’t brand an idea as dull or monotonous before it’s on your screen. Give it a chance.

I think if Dorothy Gale was writing for Medium.com, the ending to Wizard of Oz would have been different. Dorothy would awaken, saying “There’s no place like home for good writing ideas. Excuse me. I need a pencil and paper.”

Auntie Em and Uncle Henry would be left alone standing by the girl’s bed. They’d smile and shrug at each other, then laugh.

(CUE MUSIC. The End)

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