If you are a freelance writer, you have to find ways to generate a continuing flow of topics to write about. More importantly, these must be topics for which there will be readers. If you write about obscure topics no one cares about, you might find it difficult to generate money from your writing.
So how do you ensure that you will never run out of worthwhile topics to write about?
Read Your Special Interest Articles
The Internet is a vast resource with articles, blogs and other kinds of writing on every topic under the sun. Select authentic and interesting sources of information on topics that interest you. Read the articles at these sources.
As you read, ideas will begin to appear. You might find another angle worth exploring as you read an article. Research that angle and develop and article of your own from the new viewpoint.
This one source of ideas can help you ensure a continuing flow of ideas. Let us now look at some others that can supplement this source.
Look at What People Search
There are keyword suggestion tools such as those provided by Google AdWords and WordTracker that tells you what people are searching for on a particular topic. You enter the topic and the tools come up with the searches related to that topic, usually along with the number of times each search phrase was used
Looking at these, you can see what people are interested in. Select a few specific search queries and find answers to them through research. Develop your findings into an article.
Listen to People around You
What are people currently talking about? What do they look up on the Web? What do they ask you about?
Identify the most popular current topic during these interactions, and check which of them can be turned into an article that people read. This filtering step is important because ordinary conversation is more a contact exercise than an information search. People can talk casually about this and that but would not be seriously interested in reading about all these things.
Read Your Old Articles
You have already researched and written about something earlier. Look at these. Is there any scope for adding or changing any points discussed there? Probably you know much more now about the topic and have changed your point of view.
Select those articles which have been read most, and develop a new article (or articles, if you can write a thousand words or more).
What are the Hot Topics Now?
So many things are happening all over the world. People everywhere are looking up the topic to learn more. This is another source that can keep ideas flowing.
The world is never short of events – disasters, interesting developments, curious tidbits, tragic human interest stories and much more. Research and write your bit, preferably a bit that utilizes your special knowledge.
You can also look at what you had searched for recently. Does it offer scope for an article? If so, do more research and assemble materials for one. And write.
