There are various ways to approach content creation and each person tends to take a different approach for example, organizing "go-to" topics to cycle through or, having several backup posts written when not feeling like writing that particular day, and some have scheduled posts that are semi-automated based on the type - may do use hybrid strategies too. For me, I just sit down at the keyboard each day and wing-it, hoping that something will come to me.
This is easier said than done, but with practice (I have a little experience under my belt now) it can be a lot of fun, as it means being able to be reflective and reactive at the same time, as in the moment, we tend to present our current experience. This is an availability bias, which is also why some people struggle to create content, as they have nothing available that they recognize as potential content. Creative people rarely have this problem though, as they are able to make something from near nothing.
However, since I had a stroke a few months back, I have struggled more than I used to when it comes to writing, with something that was akin to breathing earlier, now more like having an asthma attack at times, where my creative lungs don't fill with enough oxygen. A large part of this is caused by my brain's current inability (possibly permanent) to automate the development of mental imagery, meaning that thoughts no longer just "come to me" attached to visual scene.
This is hard to imagine for most people I have tried to explain it to, as this is like breathing, as it is an automatic reaction to stimulus, but unlike breathing, it is very hard to hold our mental breath. This means that most people have never considered how their brain processes their experience. I have spent a fair amount of time thinking about these things in the past, and I still didn't fully appreciate the intelligence in the design of it, until I lost the ability almost altogether. Even then, it took me a week or so to identify what was missing.
Because of my own challenges and a conversation I was having on content creation last night (we reflect on and present our experiences), an old tool I developed to use with clients came to mind. I used it primarily as a vocabulary builder with lower-grade students, but it has other uses, including content creation, as it is able to focus on a topic and quickly associate ideas, which can be leveraged in a "pizza menu" fashion to direct the development of an article. There are other uses too.
I have written about this before and you can get some more uses here, but I will cut, paste and edit the basic directions from that post, to save me typing them out again. It is just a word association exercise, except it branches from one stem word (the primary) where related words are added (the secondary) and then associations are made on the associations again (the tertiary). I call it PST for short.
Primary, Secondary, Tertiary.
Primary - Core word / idea / image / problem
Secondary - 5-10 associations made off the primary
Tertiary - 3-5 associations made off the Secondary
The process will take about 5 minutes max, and will create ~50 words or so that are all somewhat related to the central stem topic. These can be used in several ways to either get the mind working, order thoughts, combine for new thoughts, or create a logical presentation flow. Starting with one or two of these before writing can make the entire process much more efficient. I have students that use this daily for their presentations and will make one for each core section of their presentation. Multiples can also be tacked on top of each other for much larger projects.
Easy as, eh?
When it comes to content creation on Hive for example, I believe a lot of people make it very hard on themselves as they think they have to have some "amazing" topic to write about. However, anything can be interesting if it is well-presented and there is some thought put into leading the reader. The trouble is, that many don't really want to do a lot of thinking, so something like this might help them get the mental juices flowing and provide a structure to build upon.
While in the past I could write a post in my head in a minute and then spend the next hour or two fleshing it out on the page, with the inability to visualize, it now means very conscious effort to cerate the images, so writing a post takes me almost twice as long as it did. For those that think what I do is easy for me, you are sorely mistaken and it has become a magnitude or two harder in recent months.
But it is funny, I actually have techniques such as this one that I know work and could help me, but they just haven't come to mind or, I haven't utilized. One of the reasons is that in my head, I am still able to do what I have always been able to, even though my body says, "no" most of the time. I have lots of little games like this that can help, that I should probably employ more now that I am mentally incapacitated. They should also help me focus, but I am not ready for the crutch quite yet, but it is nice to have them in the back pocket and for those who may be struggling, building processes of creation will go long way to developing habits of creativity.
While I am sure there are some genetic elements of creativity where people are "born with it", this doesn't mean that it is impossible to learn how to improve our creative thinking. However, since most of us don't spend much time thinking about thinking, let alone reflecting on our personal processes and working out how we can improve them, a lot of our potential is lost. While luck plays a part, much of our success is dictated by the process use for luck to play a role. As @themarkymark said in a comment this morning, it is all about timing, but I would add that being ready at the right time is about preparation, so that when that time comes, our resources are aligned with the opportunity and then, we can pull the trigger.
I will end with a different way to use PST that could be useful if wanting to reflect on something personal. Put the topic in the Primary position and honestly start adding the Secondary word associations. In the Tertiary ring, add your feelings. Then do it again and associate your ideals in the Secondary then in the Tertiary ring, add what you are going to do about it. What do you get if you put - Hive, Content, Engagement, Personal Finance, Crypto, Friends or Family in the Primary position?
What happens if you put "My relationships" there?
As I have said many times before - writing is a cathartic process for me, meaning that it gives me the space to think and reflect on my experiences, as well as process my feelings without having to have them be reactive physically. Having tools to manage our own world not only helps us align ourselves with where we want to be, but also can help us find the space and the energy to support us taking the steps to get there.
I know that most people will not even attempt this simple exercise. But like most things in life, that is why most people struggle to generate value for themselves. There are plenty of tools we can use to improve ourselves and our outcomes, but nothing comes for free - we have to invest ourselves at the very least.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]