Sometimes it seems nearly impossible to come up with fresh ideas. Everything you can possibly think to write about has already been covered by someone – and sometimes by several thousand someones. If you’re sitting on a stack of tired ideas, don’t throw them in the trash. Take a page from the budget-minded interior decorator’s book and upcycle your ideas into something new and wonderful. There are many ways to reinvent your ideas, and we will start with some of the easiest and most effective techniques.
Evolving Your Ideas
Sometimes the best way forward is sideways. That is, if you have a bland, done-to-death idea like “How to Write an Ebook,” you’ll be better off to take that idea and evolve it into something else. You can stick with the ebook theme, but look for other aspects of ebook writing rather than a simple how-to. For example, you could write about editing an ebook. Is it worthwhile to pay for an editing service? Are there writer groups that offer trade-and-grade style editing?
But what if those ideas are still too common for your tastes? You’ll need to keep on evolving. Write a cost analysis of book writers for hire – will they save you time and money? What about a comparison of ebooks versus blogs as a marketing tool?
Mix and Match!
If you have several similar ideas, the best thing to do is toss them together and see what happens! “What is the Mediterranean Diet?” is a topic that has been published thousands of times, and there are far more “5 Benefits of the Paleo Diet” articles than there ought to be. Instead of repeating what everyone else has said, dig up some reputable studies and write an article that compares the heart health benefits of each diet.
Zeroing In
Another great way to upcycle an idea is to zero in on a specific facet of that idea. “How to Save on Homeowner’s Insurance” will make your audience roll their eyes because they’ve already read several similar posts. One idea is to write about something like how storm frequency and severity drives up premiums. However, most homeowners are already aware of this, too, so you’re likely to only raise a few eyebrows.
Dig a little deeper yet and find a topic like “How Underfunded Fire Departments Jack Up Insurance Premiums.” Chances are, your audience has never even heard of fire protection classes, and if they have, they are unaware that things like safety training and firefighter response times have an impact on those classes, and thus, their insurance premiums.
No matter how many old ideas you have sitting around, there’s always a way to transform them into a new and exciting topic. The trick is to learn how to look at your ideas from a fresh perspective. Much like upcycling old furniture, give your ideas a new purpose and a fresh coat of paint to create something no one else can offer!
Amber K loves to write about upcycling in all of its forms. She’s happy to repurpose your ideas or write articles about repurposing your old furniture!
