How I Generate Content Ideas
By: Sidda Lee
Tags: Education, Creative Writing, Content Creation, Writing, Writing Tips

Read, Read, Read, and Listen

I absorb an absurd amount of books, articles, and podcasts. The majority of my time that is not spent writing is spent dedicated to this. I rarely watch TV and couldn’t tell you what the hottest television shows are right now as a result.

Reading increases your exposure to different types of writing styles. It can increase your vocabulary. Expand your thoughts and cultivate ideas of your own. The same is true for podcasts, too.

I don’t mean you have to read volume E of The Norton Anthology’s American Literature books either. Technical writing books have their place- in universities and academic settings, but in my opinion, nowhere else.

Take in books and material that is interesting to you. That’s the only way to tap into your creative mind enough to ensure you absorb the different styles or hear/read a story that elicits curiosity.

Dedicate Time to Creation

There’s probably a self-help book out there somewhere that says you shouldn’t check your phone when you first wake up but instead spend that first-hour journaling or something.

I don’t think you have to do this to generate content ideas but it is important to have dedicated time to quieting out the noise of the world and of life. A long bath, a cup of coffee, whatever. Dedicate some time a few times a week (or however many times you need) to sitting down with your notebook (no cellphone!) and jotting down your ideas.

As much as dedicated writing space is important, dedicated creation time is important too. I prefer this playlist from my fellow Appalachianer and author Silas House on Spotify. It’s chill, sort of Americana sort of not and it works perfectly for me. Some lit candles and of course the calming sound of my dog Katie snoring in the chair next to me and it’s *chef’s kiss*.

Figure out what works best for you.

If you are one of the lucky ones like me with a continually running creative brain, I cannot stress enough how imperative it is to keep a notebook with you at all times. I date each one of my written down ideas with a bulleted list of points. If you do this, you’ll always have content at your fingertips.

Know When to Walk Away

Again, this is purely based on my creative-brain-centered writing process.

Nothing is happening if I am sitting in front of my computer and frustrated. I have an idea, all the points I want to make, and a 3K word document that I have cut, copied, pasted, deleted, and then rewritten half a dozen times open. In short, I know what I want to say but am struggling to really hammer it out.

Walk away.

Seriously. Get up. Walk away, go do something else. Come back to it later.

Sometimes this means completely starting a piece over. Don’t get discouraged by this. It’s part of the process.

Writing Prompts

I’ll say it again here, I am a creative writer at heart. Punching out tutorials and technical pieces are not my jam. I can do it but it chips away at my soul a little every time. I find writing prompts and write until basically, I don’t want to write anymore.

Some of my best pieces have come from doing this. Plus, it feeds my creative soul, lets me write the way I love, accomplishes my habit-forming goal of 4K words/day, and gives me content ideas for later. It’s a low hanging fruit win-win. A simple Google or Pinterest search will yield thousands of writing prompt ideas.

Tik-Tok

I hope you laughed because I laughed when I started doing it. No, I don’t watch TV and I am the farthest thing from hip or cool in real life but my other love besides writing is Sociology. I am fascinated by culture and human behavior plus how the two intertwine.

This works in generating content creation because it’s a window into trends, pop culture, and in general, some pretty interesting stuff. Plus, it’s entertaining, informative, and comical most of the time.