Your Go-To Writing Strategy To Never Run Out of Ideas

Every aspiring writer, and even most established writers, all have the same problem at some point. They sit down, eager to write, but nothing happens. They simply don't know what to write about.

Sure, you might have dreams of leaving your 9 to 5 behind and writing full time. I remember when I first started, I decided to write about technology. It's a popular niche, I have experience in the field, and I love all the technical details.

I sat down my first day and had zero clue where to start. I had no ideas and yet too many ideas at the same time. I never stopped to figure out what areas to cover or how to pick the right topic at the right time. Between lack of ideas and some major personal issues in my life, I had to put Vocal on the backburner for months, even though I really wanted to complete my personal Vocal Media challenge. But, life happens sometimes.

Of course, sometimes, you've written on a topic for so long that you run out of anything else to say. You've drained your brain and the well's run dry.

No matter what the situation, what if I told you there are ways to ensure you always had ideas at the ready? Can't think of something? No problem. Use these tips to grab a topic idea in seconds and get back to doing what you love - writing.

Keep an Ideas List

I write on a variety of topics, especially as a ghostwriter. Luckily, with ghostwriting, the topics are typically provided, at least a general topic. But, what happens when topics aren't provided?

I have a spreadsheet with a tab for each niche and client I write for. I then keep a list of ideas (divided into sub-categories) on each tab. For example, I might write an article for a local jewelry store about how to best clean sterling silver jewelry. While writing it, I might think of several other topics for future articles, such as "X Ways to Make Your Sterling Silver Jewelry Last for Generations" or "Sterling Silver or Gold - Which Is The Better Jewelry Metal."

You'll randomly come up with ideas. Instead of hoping you'll remember them later, jot them down on your spreadsheet or in a notebook. I prefer the spreadsheet method so I don't lose anything. You can use Google Sheets and use the Google Sheets app to jot down ideas on the go.

Break Down Past Content

I always keep copies of everything I've ever written, even for my ghostwriting clients. Why? If I'm struggling to come up with a topic, I can look back on things I've previously written and get new ideas.

For instance, I used to write for a web development company. I wrote a post about securing WordPress websites. A cybersecurity client later requested some topic ideas. I saw the WordPress security post and pitched a series about WordPress security, using each of my talking points as a separate post. So, I took a single post and turned it into 14 separate posts for another client.

Just let me be clear here - NEVER just copy what you've already done, especially if it's content you've sold to someone else. Nothing about the post I turned into a series was the same outside of turning my sub-heads from the original post into unique titles for the individual posts.

Follow Websites/Blogs In Your Niche

Once again, I want to point out, NEVER copy someone else's content. That's rude and a great way to quickly end your career as a writer.

However, there are not really that many "new" ideas out there. Pretty much every story theme has been done, but it's how you write that drastically changes it and makes it unique.

I like to use Feedly to gather content from numerous websites into a single place. When I'm struggling to find topics, I jump onto Feedly and start browsing. Not only do I learn more about the niche I'm writing in, I also find an endless supply of ideas.

I might get inspired by a headline or take a long-form post and turn important sections into completely unique articles. The idea is to find inspiration without every copying someone else's hard work.

A great example is Vocal itself. I've created a long list of ideas just by reading other content on here. I'd never try to take someone else's idea. However, if I can expand on an idea, write the topic from a different angle, or just trigger my mind to come up with related ideas, that's the point.

Embrace Writing Prompts

If you're not sure what you want to write and don't have any real niche in mind, stretch those creative muscles with writing prompts.

I recently discovered Paul Pence, a fellow writer on Vocal Media. He has a collection of poetry prompts covering an entire year.

Of course, there are always new Vocal Media Challenges to try. You don't even need to be a Vocal+ member to use the topic. Sure, you're not going to be able to complete unless you're a Vocal+ member. That doesn't mean you can't nail the prompt and share it with other readers on the platform or anywhere else online.

Personally, I'm considering writing a piece for every Vocal Challenge so far. Since you can see past challenges, why not have fun for a while? It's a nice change from what I usually write and it's probably different from what you write too.

What are your favorite idea generation strategies? Share them with us and together we'll make sure none of us ever run out of new things to write about.

P.S. - Feel free to take any of my sub-heads and turn them into your own posts with a fresh take. Consider them free writing prompts.