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“But I Don’t Have Anything to Say” · The Daily Writer

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hey my friend, welcome to The Daily Writer, where we help writers become authors of their own lives.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: I was talking with a fellow writer a little while back, and she really wanted to write more consistently, and she was thinking about writing her first book, but she wasn't convinced that she had anything worthwhile to say.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Now, when she said that, it really got my attention.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: Why?
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Because I think everybody has something to say.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: I really truly do.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: And that applies to you as well.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: I think you have something really important to say.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: So if you have felt this way before, if you have wondered what you should write about, or if you have anything worthwhile to say, I thought I would take today's episode and give you a quick list of 12 ways that you can pull material out of your mind.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: And each of these items are clues, if you will, as to what you should probably be writing about, or at least they will open up some possibilities.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: So let's dive in.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: Each of these is framed as a question.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll explain a little bit about each one as I go.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, what topics do you love talking about?
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: And when I say that, I mean things that you love talking about, even to the point where your family wishes you would stop talking about them.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: That can be a major clue.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, what topics do you most watch or listen to when it comes to YouTube videos or podcasts?
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: If you watch a lot of stuff around a certain topic, that can be a good clue to what you're really interested in.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, what do you do for work?
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Whatever you do for work, you're probably really good at it, and that might be a good potential topic for you to write about.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Number four, what do you enjoy reading?
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: Number four, what do you enjoy reading?
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: That's an indicator of the kind of topics and stories that you enjoy.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Number five, what annoys you?
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Now I know that's kind of a weird question, but when you think about the things that get on your nerves, that's an indication about how you see the world and what your preferred reality looks like.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: So share that perspective and other people probably will relate to it.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: Number six, when you look at the marketplace related to the topics that you care about, what's missing?
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever you identify the missing perspectives in the marketplace or missing products or services by the same token, that's your opportunity to say something or create something unique.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Number seven, who are the authors, podcasters, creators, or influencers who annoy the heck out of you?
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: Well, when you think about those people, there's a reason that you can't stand them, and it's because they represent the exact opposite of how you do things or how you see things.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: So use that to your advantage and go the opposite way that they're going.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: Number eight, what is a contrarian perspective that you have on a popular topic?
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: If you have a perspective that's really different, other people probably share the same point of view.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: Number nine, what items are on your bookshelves, desk, or nightstand?
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: So if you take a look at the collectibles or memorabilia or knickknacks, those are usually a clue to the themes or topics or ideas that are closest to your heart.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: In other words, the things that you really care about.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: Number 10, what kinds of posters or artwork are on your walls, or what logos or branding do you wear on your hats or clothing?
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: The brands, the themes, the artists or ideas that cover your walls and your body are a major clue to what you actually care about.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: Number 11, what are your favorite movies or TV shows?
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Wish to grab a piece of paper and list your top five or ten and think about the themes or the stories that link all of them together.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: And you love those because you identify with the themes or the characters, which is once again a major clue.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: And finally, number 12, what have people thanked you for?
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever people express gratitude to you, it's an indication that you have impacted them and added value to them in a specific way.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: And that can be a clue to how you naturally show up for people and therefore something that you could talk about or write about.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: Well, here's the fact of the matter.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: You are an expert in a few different things.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: We all are.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: We all have a handful of things that we're really good at and that we're experts in.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: You have a wealth of knowledge in certain areas that you love talking about.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe the problem is not that you don't have things to write about or that you don't have anything to say.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's that you actually do have a lot to say, but nobody has really given you permission to write about those things.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Well, my friend, I want you to consider this podcast episode your quote, permission granted, unquote, if you have ever felt that way about yourself, because you have a unique perspective on the topics that you care most about, and the world needs to hear what you have to say.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: So you can use the 12 points I've listed here in this episode to give you a boost and help you extract that knowledge and get you to finally writing about them.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope this is helpful.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: Keep writing and keep showing up, and I'll see you tomorrow.