Trying to write? Stuck? Stressed? Feeling blank? [268 ideas inside]

Published: Fri, 08/18/17

Looking for something to write about? Feel like you've got absolutely nothing interesting to say? Staring mournfully at a blank computer screen? Drawing a blank? The clock's ticking and—gulp—you're supposed to publish a fresh blog post, or send out a newsletter, or submit your personal statement for your grad school application like... tomorrow? 

I've got a few ideas, questions, and writing prompts that might get your wheels turning. 

Starting with...

Photo by Jolie.


Oh hey! Here are 12 more questions / topics that you could write about. 

If one of these questions piques your curiosity, run with it! Turn your response into a blog post, newsletter, podcast, video, advice column, essay, or whatever you want to create.

1. What are the parts that nobody sees?

- What are the parts of your life—and workday—that never get posted on Instagram?

- What are the tedious, repetitive parts? The challenging parts? The unphotogenic parts? The private fears and insecurities? The behind-the-scenes moments? The parts that most people never know about?

2. What are your current obsessions?

- Astrology? Super-fancy avocado toast? Jennifer Lopez's latest music video? Traveling on a budget? A particular podcast, author, artist, or political cause? What's lighting you up and giving you tons of optimism, joy, and energy—and why?

3. If you could start over, what would you change?

- If you could wipe the slate clean—nothing on your calendar, no website, none of your current projects, nothing at all—what would you change about your life? 

- Or maybe there's not much you'd want to change?

4. How do you wrangle your inbox?

- Does your inbox feel like a happy place—or a scary place?

- How do you manage the incoming stream? How do you keep things sane?

- Any tips, processes, or strategies that might help someone else?

5. How did you develop your personal style?

- Did you always have "great style" or did you cultivate it over time?

- What are some of your signature outfits and / or daily uniforms?

- Any advice for someone who feels "blah" about their style? 

6. What do you do when a customer asks for a refund? 

- Yikes! It's every business owner's worst nightmare. 

- Do you have any tips on how to prevent this from happening?

- But what if it does happen? Suggestions? Advice on how to proceed?

- If you don't run a business, you could write about something similar—like what to do if your boss is unhappy with you, or if you make a mistake at work, or miss a deadline. Eek. Then what?!

7. When's the last time you took a chanceand what happened?

- When's the last time you did something risky, gutsy, maybe even slightly irresponsible?

- How did it feel? What was running through your mind? 

- What happened next? And what did you learn? 

8. What's the kindest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

- Who was it? Where did it happen? What did they do for you? 

- How did that experience touch your life? What did you learn from it?

9. When's the last time you felt a strong "gut instinct" and followed it?

- What happened, and what did you learn from that experience?

10. How do you "turn around" a crummy, difficult day?

- When you're feeling overwhelmed (or stressed, unfocused, afraid, etc.) what do you do?

- What are your go-to, feel-better moves? What helps to shift things for you?

11. What's a word, phrase, or idea that you've learned from another culture that really inspires you? 

- Maybe it's the Japanese idea of kaizen (continual improvement).

- Or the Hawaiian concept of pono (doing things "right," with integrity).

- Or the Danish concept of hygge (creating a cozy, nurturing, serene home environment).

- Or how the Italians often take a passeggiata (a leisurely stroll through the town center to wander, smile, wave at neighbors, and savor life). 

- How has this idea influenced your life? What does it mean for you, personally?

12. What's something you'll never, ever do again?

- Maybe, once, you stood silently while a relative made a racist comment. Instead of saying, "That's not an acceptable thing to say," you held your tongue, or felt too stunned to act. But, never again.

- Or maybe, once, you pushed yourself to train for a marathon because you wanted to "impress" other people, even though you weren't actually that excited about it. Never again.

- Or something else?

Photo by Danielle.


Why bother writing? Why bother making art? Why bother sharing your stories online, offline, amongst friends, or in front of an audience? Why bother with any of this stuff? 

Because it's exciting to create things, just for the sheer joy of saying, "I made this." 

Because it feels good to be a lighthouse and beam love, positivity, inspiration, and helpful advice into the world.

Because you never know what a difference your words and actions could make. Sometimes your words can change—or even save—a life.

Because why not. Because you can. Because you are not boring and your ideas are actually quite helpful, even if you secretly doubt this at times. And because now you've got 268 ideas to get you started. No excuses. And no regrets.

-Alex

PS. This chilled out music playlist is beautiful. Perfect for when you need to unclench your brain, uncurl those knots in your neck, and just breathe.

PPS. This last week has been full of terror, in so many forms. I don't need to recount all the atrocities. You already know. If you feel rattled, horrified, exhausted, like you can't handle one more piece of "bad news," you are not alone. I feel it. We're all feeling it.

I believe that every human being has a choice: to "add" to the love in the world or "subtract." Unfortunately, some people decide to subtract. Teeny-tiny subtractions, like a snarky blog comment. Massive subtractions, like an act of violence. But you can choose to add. I suspect you already do this every day. So thank you—and please continue.

There are a million different ways to add more love to the world. You can do it with a podcast, with a blog post, with a protest song, with a donation to a worthy cause, with a gesture of compassion, with your actions at work and at home, with the way you conduct yourself online, and everywhere else. Keep adding. You might think your additions don't matter that much, but they do.