One simple tip to remove the anxiety of writers block

Executive Summary

Sometimes I struggle to come up new topics for content. One strategy to resolve this is to simply lurk on social media and then join a conversation. It jump-starts my thoughts and leads me to original angles on things I'm interested in. Today I'll talk about my own insights and strategies to create or repurpose content.

I want to write more, but I don't know what to write about.

Been there, still there (sometimes).

Writer's block is real. When the creative well runs dry I usually start lurking on forums, on Twitter threads, or even on LinkedIn. In short time I usually find something that sparks an insight or opinion. It also gives me a good barometer as to what the current threads of thought are out there.

Researching my own past

Go back to the beginning of this blog and you will see that I have "upcycled" replies from Quota, Reddit, and Hacker News into longer-form posts. The conversations or questions out in the wild helped me understand what I actually think and what I actually know.

Turn a good comment/reply into a blog post

Make a contribution to the conversation valuable, but don't give everything

It usually starts like this:

1. I find something that I want to reply to
2. It starts a witty one or two-liner, but then I get going. Before long there are three paragraphs and more to come.
3. Hit the brakes! – I cut-paste that comment into my blog here and finish the thought up to 500 words.
4. Write a quick synopsis (tldr;) on the thought
5. Post the synopsis into the comment section. Mention that I've got a more complete thought and the link to it.

Is this spammy or shilling?

Some might criticize this as spammy behavior, but I disagree. The question or original thread was inspiration for a follow-on thought. I don't think the comment threads are really meant for replies longer than the original piece. In fact it dove-tails nicely into a future conversation.