Coming Up with Fresh Content

One of the largest problems freelance writers might have is creating something new and exciting to generate interest. The Internet makes it easy to find all sorts of information within minutes with just the click of a mouse. The many angles of a topic or subject might already be covered by someone else. Been there, done that.

There is a unique twist to everything, and part of the challenge and fun is finding that something special for your material. Stay away from the writing about the same-old that you find anywhere – it’s safe, sure, but why do you want to be the same as everyone else? What will make your material more likely to be picked out, if it isn’t unique? To stand out from the crowd, you have to go that extra mile to find something different and interesting.

How? Good question. Stepping away from the computer is one – many writers click and browse their way to ideas, but when you’re looking on a topic that has been widely covered already, you might find your hope for ideas squashed the more you read about what has been done, and your creativity takes a hit.

Get away from the computer. Take a pen and paper, find a comfy spot to sit, and jot down ideas on all the angles you can think of about your subject matter to narrow them down. Here’s an example. You have to write about the care of cats. Well, basic care of cats is pretty common, so you decide to narrow your subject down. Illnesses, grooming, feeding, toys, breeds, and behavior are common subjects too.

Narrow the subjects down even further. Grooming has many areas, such as brushing, washing, ear cleaning, and nail clipping. Now you’re getting into a niche, which is good. Think smarter, now, not harder. Who owns cats? Families with kids usually have pets, and kids love to try and do things themselves – what about writing on how to clip a cat’s claws when your toddler wants to help? Seniors own cats, too, and older people often have arthritis – what about writing on grooming tools for arthritic hands?

Alright, those examples may be pretty far-fetched, but you get the picture. Narrowing ideas down slowly, whittling away at the common angles, and then expanding into other related areas to find common threads and new ideas is possible. Stay away from being overwhelmed by the information you can find, and use your creativity to delve deeper into subjects to find something fresh, different, and interesting.