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When the ‘Block’ is Finding a Topic

What’s new in technology that would interest a broad audience?

I ask myself that question the first weekend of each month when I sit down to write “Virtual Valley,” a column for Direct Magazine (formerly Visalia Direct magazine), a publication of DMI Agency that is a newspaper insert and direct mailing. After writing the column for more than a decade, I encounter the worst writer’s block when trying to pick a topic.

When you have written more than 140 columns on a narrow topic — whether you write about baking, gardening, travel, or another “hobby” topic — coming up with new ideas or new angles on recurring idea isn’t easy.

Current events and politics provide their own topics daily. It’s a little harder when the topic changes slowly and the interests repeat in a predictable cycle.

Baking columns have to address the major holidays, for examples. Gardening is seasonal, and the topics repeat, too.

People imagine technology to be fast changing with exciting daily news, but the computer revolution has ended and today’s technology is incrementally evolving. Computers get faster. Smartphones get smarter, with better everything. But rarely is there something that makes a general audience pause and say, “Wow!”

Developing ideas is a challenge faced by all freelance writers. My approach isn’t the only or even the best approach to solving the idea problem. With that caveat, my process for idea generation follows:

1) Ask friends what seems new and interesting to them. I ask on social media and in person, asking what they wish they knew a bit more about regarding technology.

2) Read lots of online news and reviews. Most of my ideas come from noticing a topic is appearing on several websites. Generally, these are “scare” stories in technology. Stories that increase or reinforce fear are too common, so I write about why something isn’t so scary as it sounds.

3) Go shopping (physically) to see what attracts attention. If people are trying to decide between two or three technology brands or types of technology then there is a good column to write. Android vs. iOS, for example. Tablet vs. laptop vs. two-in-one. When people have questions, the answers make for a good column.

4) Reflect on change. When I cannot come up with a new idea, I revisit the past. Look at how much cell phones have changed. I wrote about how my iPhone has replaced a Palm Pilot, a camera, a phone, a game system, and sometimes my computer.

5) Participate in online and “real world” groups with similar interests. The serious hobbyists are a great resource for everything listed above and new ideas. They will tell you what is wrong with past columns and offer ideas for new ones.

When I do stumble upon good ideas, I keep a list because I know I’ll need those ideas later.

And when all else fails, write about not having any good ideas.