I never run out of ideas. I tend to have more ideas than I have time to write the articles that go with them. And I have been writing for nearly five years with 2,000 plus posts across multiple platforms. Today, I am going to show you how to create endless writing topics.
I don’t say that to brag. I share it with you to show you that it is possible. You can have so many ideas that you will never run out. So many writers worry that they will run out of ideas to write about.
I believe writers have unlimited ideas.
I think you have more ideas than you think. But, you might be letting your ideas slip by unnoticed. That is how you end up ‘running out’ of ideas. You don’t capture them. So, in today’s post, I will share how to capture your ideas so you never run out.
The Idea Harvesting System
I grew up on a farm, and I know about crops. For example, one kernel of wheat can produce 20 to 100 seeds by the time you harvest it. I believe ideas are like wheat seeds. They have the ability to multiple 100-fold.
When I started writing, I had one idea for a blog post. I would write it and then try to think up another idea. I would repeat this system over and over again.
I struggled to publish one post a week for my first year of writing. Yet, five years later, if I had the time, I could probably publish 15 to 20 posts a week and never run out of ideas. I do it with my Idea Harvesting System. Here is how the system works:
- Write down one broad idea.
- Then write down 10 to 15 subideas.
- After that step, write down three subideas to the previous 10 to 15.
Suddenly, you will have 30 to 45 ideas based on one idea. The other thing that happens is you start to get other broad ideas. Then you can take those general ideas and break them down into more subideas. Let’s break this down a little more.
№1 — Write down one broad idea.
To find this broad idea, think of things you are good at in life. Or something that you love to talk about. This is the most accessible place to start when beginning the Idea Harvest System.
A few other ways you can come up with a broad idea is to look at categories, hashtags, or the latest news, for that matter. These general ideas are all over the place in your life. You need to look for them.
Now, write down that broad idea on top of a page or in your Notes app.
№2 — Write down 10 to 15 subideas.
Guess what? You will likely be able to find a lot more subideas. That is great. Write down as many as you can think of. However, I always shoot for 10 to 15 when starting.
These 10 to 15 subideas will be your different article or post topics. See that you have many ideas to keep you going for a while. However, this isn’t the stopping point.
Write down your 10 to 15 subideas on that one page or the Notes page.
№3 — Write down three subideas to your subideas.
These deeper subideas will be your main points within your 10 to 15 ideas. However, if you write more short-form articles, these could be stand-alone posts.
Often, you can take these three ideas or main points and then write another three based on the exact opposite opinion you might have about them, kind of like ‘devil’s advocate’ points/ideas.
Write down your three subideas for each subidea.
An Example of Creating Endless Writing Topics with the Idea Harvesting System
Now, it’s easy to lay it out like this for you. But, I find that having a practical example might be super helpful for you. So, below you will find an example with one broad idea, five subideas, and three subideas to the subideas.
Broad Idea: Gardening
a. Planter Boxes
i. size
ii. positioning in your yard
iii. how to fill themb. Soil
i. types of soil
ii. the best soil
iii. where to find the best soilc. Planting Seasons
i. geographically
ii. season-specific crops
iii. rainfall specific cropsd. Harvesting
i. When to harvest
ii. What to expect
iii. What you can replante. Composting
i. how to compost
ii. what materials work best
iii. how long does it take
With this example, you have 16 different posts potentially. If you are starting a gardening blog or want to dig deep into gardening, you now have many ideas to do it.
Final Thoughts on Endless Writing Topics
You need to have an excellent place to store your ideas.
I don’t think writing them down on paper is excellent, but I have three daughters who color on every piece of paper in the house. So, I use my Apple Notes to capture my ideas.
I have my broad idea note in my ideas folder in Apple Notes. Then I have my 10 to 15 subideas within that note. After that, I outline the subideas. Then, when I write a post, I take that outline into a draft post and start at it.
The key is creating and capturing ideas so you will never run out of ideas.
How do you come up with ideas? Where do you capture them? Share in the responses below!
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J.R. Heimbigner is a #1 Bestselling Author on Amazon who loves helping people grow in their faith, find productivity success, learn about investing, and help writers become authors. You can connect with him on Medium, his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Ko-fi!
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