Writing Handbook: How to source writing ideas

Metadata

• Author: julian.com
• Full Title: Writing Handbook: How to source writing ideas
• URL: https://julian.com/guide/write/ideas

Highlights

Writing is the act of thinking clearly with the help of paper. Writing slows down your thinking so you can play with your ideas. (View Highlight) Writing to Think

People read nonfiction to learn and to feel. My framework for ensuring a blog post accomplishes both is to start with a first draft that focuses on “novel” ideas. A novel idea is one that’s not just new to the reader, but also significant and not easily intuited. Think of it as new and worthwhile. (View Highlight)

Julian mentions there are five novelty categories:

• Counter-intuitive — “Oh, I never realized the world worked that way.”
• Counter-narrative — “Wow, that’s not how I was told the world worked!”
• Shock and awe — “That’s crazy. I would have never believed it.”
• Elegant articulations — “Beautiful. I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
• Make someone feel seen — “Yes! That’s exactly how I feel!” Five Novelty Categories

Novelty is what gives readers dopamine hits. You find novel ideas by pursuing your curiosity and noting what interests and surprises you along the way. If it intrigues you, it’ll likely intrigue your readers too. (View Highlight)

In drafts two and beyond, I then rewrite these novel ideas to make them resonate. Resonance is when ideas take root in readers’ minds. It’s the art of capturing their imaginations and relating to their life experiences so that they feel. (View Highlight)

Ideas resonate when they’re wrapped in:

• Stories
• Analogies
• Examples
• Authentic voice

Writing Quality = Novelty x Resonance (View Highlight)

Step one is choosing an objective for your post, such as:

1. Open people’s eyes by proving the status quo wrong. Example.
2. Share a solution to a tough problem. Example.
3. Distill an overwhelming topic into something approachable. Example.
4. Tell a suspenseful and emotional story that imparts a lesson. Example.
5. Articulate something everyone’s thinking about but no one is saying. Cut through the noise.
6. Identify key trends on a topic. Then use them to predict the future.
7. Contribute original insights to a field through your research and experimentation.# Writing Handbook: How to Source Writing Ideas

Your objective clarifies what you’re trying to accomplish, and your motivation ensures you actually see it through. That’s all that’s needed to write with conviction: pair an objective with a motivation. When writers lack one of these, they tend to not finish their articles. If the right objective and motivation combo isn’t coming right away, that’s okay. Start writing like you would in a diary to uncover what’s in the back of your head. As you write, a clear objective will eventually emerge. At that time, do a full rewrite with your clear objective as your guiding light.

We write to clear our minds, reflect on our experiences, force ourselves to dive deeper, satisfy our curiosities, teach others, build reputation, and hone our craft. (View Highlight) Reasons to Write