Day 2: Choosing what to write
Cohort Day
2
Hey there,
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sending an email series of writing tips.
These tips will help you become a better writer. However, you don’t need them to get started.
The most important part of the cohort is taking action and publishing!
The Publishing Process is a simple framework to separate the writing process into four steps.
The four steps of The Publishing Process are Topic, Bullet Draft, Substance Draft, and Clarity Draft.
This tip covers "Topic" or choosing what to write.
🔮 Topic
The Topic Selection step sets in motion the remainder of the process. The name speaks for itself. During this step, choose a topic for your post.
Here are some prompts to help you generate an idea for a new post.
1. What have you learned from a recent personal experience?
- First-hand experience earns you insights that others don't have. Reflect on this experience and share what you've learned.
Why you should use this prompt:
- No one in the world has had this exact experience — this will lead to a completely original post.
2. Explain your rationale behind a major decision.
- In line with the spirit of “building in public,” share the thought process behind what you’re doing/plan to do.
Why you should use this prompt:
- Clear writing is clear thinking. Improve your decision-making by writing about it.
- Also, people are interested in people. Give them a reason to root for you by sharing the thinking behind your decision.
3. You have an idea that’s been circling your mind recently. Can you expand on it?
- What’s an idea, a thought, or a concept that you repeatedly think about?
- Put “pen to paper” and expand on the idea with writing.
Why you should use this prompt:
- This is the vaguest prompt, but it often leads to the best writing. Why? Writing requires passion. If an idea has been circling your mind, you care deeply about it. Build upon it with writing.
4. What’s a topic you could talk about for 20 minutes with no preparation?
- What’s a low-hanging fruit topic that you feel confident writing about?
Why you should use this prompt:
- Naval Ravikant says, “Read what you love until you love to read.” The same idea applies to writing.
- If you’re just starting to write, don’t be afraid to write about topics that aren’t completely aligned with your broader goals.
- Once you become more confident, you can take bigger risks with your writing.
- In addition, when you write about topics that you love, you will inevitably attract like-minded people.
5. What are your reflections on a piece of content you consumed?
- What did you learn from something you recently consumed?
- Go further than a summary—how does this relate to a personal experience you have or other content you’ve consumed?
Why you should use this prompt:
- Not only will you share your knowledge with others, but you will also help to solidify your learning on the topic
Go Deeper:
- Struggling to decide what to write? Write about what you love until you love to write
- Check out “Copy of Writing Tips Email Sequence” for a copy of every email in this series
- Check out Cohort Resources for all resources
- Explore the Notion Home for cohort-specific information, like the Leaderboard