First of all, thanks for hanging in there with me during National Poetry Month while I scratched my poetry itch. Second of all, there are no boring topics, just boring writers. How many times have you started an article, blog post, or school assignment only to feel like you can’t possibly offer any new insights on a topic that’s been done to death? Both of today’s exercises appear in Bruce Ballenger’s book The Curious Researcher. The first will loosen your writing muscles; the second will exercise your talents. Each can be done alone, but lend themselves to a group setting.
The Myth of the Boring Topic
When done with others, each group should receive a different common object, such as a pair of socks, spoon, can of cat food, pencil, candle, Q-tips, etc. If you’re on your own, grab the first thing you see on your desk. Remember that as a writer it is your responsibility to find interest in the ordinary. Of all people, writers most need to keep the innate ability to wonder alive.
- Brainstorm a list of obvious and not so obvious questions that can be asked about your common object. Some are bound to be silly, but try steer your questions toward its history, uses, impact, or how its made. Do this for at least 20 minutes.
- If you’re in a group setting, you would then switch objects and lists with another group and spend five more minutes adding new questions to their list.
- Return to your list. Choose the question that is both researchable and interesting. Does it open your mind up to wonderment?
Finding the Questions
Too often, writers fall back on insisting their readers just aren’t “getting it” when a certain aspect of an article or story doesn’t seem to be coming across. In reality, no piece of writing is complete until another person has read it. Just because something is clear in the writer’s mind, doesn’t necessarily mean that point is getting across to some or all of their readers.
When I critique a manuscript, my goal is to relentlessly question the writer to pinpoint issues with clarity. A good writer should always anticipate questions their readers might have. If a reader senses too many gaps, the writer should revise as needed. I use this exercise often to explore questions that may arise as I write both fiction and nonfiction. This exercise is well-suited to a large group activity, especially when large pieces of newsprint are taped to the wall and used to generate the brainstorm questions.
- Put your tentative topic or story idea at the top of your page.
- Briefly describe why you picked that idea. What’s the appeal?
- List what you already know: Who, what, when, where, why, and how.
- Brainstorm questions about your topic that you can answer through research.
- If in a group, look around at the variety of topics and questions on the wall. Now go around the room and add one new question and also put a star by the one question that you find most interesting.
Hopefully, you have at least one other soul with whom you share your brainstorms and roughest ideas. Critique partners can serve as sounding boards for what is and isn’t working in a draft. The writing process is so often inward when we could easily look outward to help each other generate ideas as well as gain inspirations from the ideas of others.
Beyond sharing with a critique partner, consider joining a writer’s workshop. It can be intimidating at first, but your writing will improve by leaps and bounds. Patience must come into play when belonging to a larger group as a longer time will pass before your draft is up for evaluation. However, remember learning how to give feedback to others also improves your ability to judge the merit of your own work.
What techniques have you used to explore potential writing topics? Who do you seek feedback from before hitting that publish button?
Permission must be granted by JeriWB to use the library image in this post.
Thinking Monkey image appears courtesy of Petr Kratochvil
Article by Jeri Walker-Bickett aka JeriWB
Another great post with tips that everyone can benefit from. I really like these posts. It’s almost like when you take time to look at a subject through the lens of a child, it gives you a whole new perspective.
Cheryl, the exercises from Ballenger work to re-awaken a writer’s curiosity. Kids are so curious about the world in general. As adults, we tend to gravitate away from that stance.
Great post, Jeri – while reading, i was nicely surprised that your bullet points (starting with putting the topic on top and briefly describing where i got the idea from, what to include, etc.) is exactly how my writing process goes.
A “red flag” came to mind – we should be careful not to exhaust everything there is to say about a topic (if that’s possible!) so that we leave some room for discussion with the reader. I have come across superbly well researched and written articles which have said absolutely everything there is to say and although the content is good, the engagement is poor because the readers don;t really have anything to add as a comment.
Great post – sorry for saying this but i am so glad Poetry month is over 😀
Diana, I totally agree about not completely exhausting a topic. When adding to scholarship, it’s always necessary to concede to what has come before and what path research may take after. In fiction, I am often amazed at how many gaps appear in writers’ work in terms of plot, character, and setting. It’s easy to overlook connecting the dots when you’re the one writing a fictional world. A second and third set of eyes can help catch such gaps before a story reaches a wider audience.
No boring topics! All too often I find great topics, or topics with obvious potential, let down by the writers.
I’m going to try the exercise using the half empty glue stick on my desk. That will be my challenge this morning. It’s the least story-inspiring item on the desk and yet it has a curious characteristic — the pink color when you use it disappears when it dries, so there is something mysterious about it. Umm…
Candy, only you could make the mystery of the pink glue that turns clear upon drying worthy of a reader’s attention. I mean that in the best of ways, of course 🙂
I have found several excellent beta-readers whom I trust with my baby drafts, which I make as perfect as possible, knowing full well I’ve missed some things. Some readers serve special purposes, like the guy who reminds me how actual guys think and act. Then there’s the friend who urges me to slow down and set the scene. I have two great editing pals. It took awhile to find all these folks. For years I wrote alone but sharing with trusted “first readers” is key for me now.
Cindy, it’s so great the you have a set of go-to readers for specific types of feedback. I’m slowly getting to that point. It’s so helpful to be able to know who can give particular types of feedback best.
Hi Jeri. I fully agree that there are no boring topics, only tired treatments of them. If the subject is a tangible object I try to consider how things were different before it existed or would have been different if it had never existed. Even though these questions are not usually articulated in the writing they always inform the perspective. For something more abstract or conceptual I try to view it as it might be seen in another place or time. This helps distinguish the essence from the perspective. For a post or short article I don’t seek feedback. For something more substantial I would consider which of my friends have the most divergent outlooks and select the three least likely to agree.
Paul, you are a model of what a writer should be looking for in terms of feedback. The way you approach the multi-faceted issues on your blog posts shows such a great ability to turn a topic round and round to get at its full implications. But that’s just me being a fan of your writing style 🙂
Usually the first question I ask myself about a topic is “Can it expand within itself?” If I feel that I need to put it in a certain setting, I’m more likely to leave it alone and move on. This is just for writing articles/posts though because I have a tendency to go off the path and onto tangents.
Glynis, even tangents can be okay if they eventually circle back to the main topic. What is frustrating is when they don’t. Montaigne’s essays are full of side stories, but then he eventually reins it all in and gets back to his main point after essaying his way toward unveiling some greater truth.
Wonderful tips! There really is nothing new under the sun, as they say…but I have always believed that there are multiple viewpoints of the same issue and some issues that continue to evolve. Very cool tips!
Jacquie, I’ve been meaning to read the book Salt for quite some time now. Anyone who can make the history of salt interesting has my attention and respect.
Reading your blog I looked around the room for an object to write about and my eyes rested on the cat condo sitting right in front of me. I could probably write a thousand words about that darned thing (course the cat himself would probably enter at one point or another) You never know where one simple object will take your mind. I agree with you that critique groups are absolutely necessary!
That is a good line Jeri – no boring topics etc. And I also liked the point you make about readers not “getting it”. You really do need feedback, and the novel has to be a 2 way street. Meaning if someone tells you the message isn’t coming across, then you haven’t communicated it sufficiently. Hard to hear sometimes, but without a thick skin, then forget writing for an audience.
A.K., I’ve concluded that’s the main difference between experienced writers and non-experienced writers. Some writers just don’t seem to listen to that advice no matter what, and it’s a pity, because feedback can only help make a given draft better.
Hello Jeri,
My previous ideas on the writing issues were more linked to a sort of random and quite chaotic process. Now, and following your approach here I can also understand it as a systematic process…
The first exercise of those presented in Bruce Ballenger’s book is really eloquent.
The ability of finding interest in the ordinary is certainly a challenge. And it made me think in Proust ‘s madeleine. In “Swann’s way” a simple “muffin” evokes a whole childhood reverie through association of childhood ideas and memories as such…
As to the second tip, I found it vital.
As you have pointed out above “A good writer should always anticipate questions their readers might have”.
Do writers think of ingratiate themselves with the readers when they search for those essential questions?…
I was thinking that many times it arrives to us that we anticipate actions when we read. We may also find extraordinary things which although that entrain the twist we were unconsciously waiting to arrive.
Overall, some of the writer’s main questions should be the same than the ones of the readers…
It is a complex process but I believe that prolific and good writers know how to handle these strategies. (Very much so).
Best wishes and thanks again for a great post,
Aquileana 🙂
Aquileana, the writing process really is systematic chaos. I agree it’s a complex process, and experienced writers know how to take readers on a question journey that suits the story. The flip-side are the many stories that exist where the writer leaves out really obvious things because they haven’t taken the time to think about whether or not they’ve given their readers enough info to put the pieces together in a satisfying way.
As always, another well thought out post. This exercise sounds interesting. I might try it by myself.
Denise, “Finding the Questions” is my favorite all-time exercise. I can get so competitive 😉
I love this as it brings me back to an essay question I was asked in school. The topic eludes me but the point is that the topic was less than stellar, in my opinion. After repeated attempts I let go of trying to formulate a story using the topic as the main subject. I wrote about an entirely different subject that could at the last second relate to the boring one. I got an A.
Tim, that is awesome. I actually used to like it when a student would take a less than inspired topic and pick something better. Although, I generally tried to give three choices in topic. Students who think outside the box are the best 🙂
Another great article, Jeri. I’m the type where I’m not sure how much information I need to convey, and usually end up falling short. Readers wonder “what the heck, how did that happen?” when the associations are perfectly clear in my mind. A beta reader called it “The Writer’s Trap”.
Loni, I’m one to usually fall short as well. Thank goodness for great critique partners. I tend to take a while to find what I really want to convey on the page.
It’s made me smile. I actually do this but not with another person, only by myself. I can see the value in have another set of eyes on my ideas and story line. I also can see how it could prevent me from going off on a tangent other that what was unintended. 🙂
Susan, in addition to help with finding tangents, another set of eyes can also offer lots of suggestions for where the reader could possibly want more info in your stories as well.
these are some really great tips. I could see somethings that I could do to improve my writing experience. My wife and a few other people are my critique partners which can be challenging based off of some of the comments not being inline with my vision. Another great post.
I vividly remember receiving feedback on a scene I spent hours crafting in which I learned that what I had intended to communicate (and believed I had) fell flat. Ouch! But also, phew! Glad a friendly critique partner caught that before I sent it out into the world.
I like the mundane objects exercise–it’s good to stretch the imagination.
Jagoda, I know that feeling all to well. In fact, I’m going through it right now as I get my first short national park memoir ready. I need to keep telling myself to describe aspects of the Yosemite for those who have not been there. If I go own the route encouraged in this post, I know I’ll get there.
Some of the best memoir I’ve read has been about completely mundane topics. And as for input before publishing, when my memoir finally sees publishing daylight, I may have to get pregnant just so I can give my first and second born to my critique partners. They have invested so much in it over the past two years. (I guess maybe giving them my children wouldn’t be the best present, hey?)
Laura, I’m really drawn to the mundane in writing. I’ve always felt there’s a certain skill to capturing such details. But then again, I have no desire to go the other route and write epic fantasy and whatnot. I think I’m jealous that you have such great critique partners 😉
Hi Jeri,
As we know, children ask some of the best questions. I think this is so because children are continually fascinated with everything. Tapping into our own childlike curiosity with that same fascination keeps us not only finding the questions, but helps keep the content fresh and relevant.
Simple answers around those innocent questions may offer a fresh approach for some. Imagine a 10-year old reading the material. Can they understand it if they read it?
William, good point about asking whether or not a ten-year-old can understand the material. Though of course there are times when a writer’s intended style demands more out of the reader. In all cases, we are well served to preserve our sense of wonder on any topic we write about.
Hi Jeri,
Thanks for sharing this, and on a side note, we don’t mind the poetry. I really liked how you turned this into an interesting post. After reading, I tend to agree with you. With the amount of digital media available today, it seems impossible not to be able to find a nice infographic or video to go along with the “boring” post.
Amiti, I’m glad you didn’t mind the poetry. I haven’t been able to decide if that is the majority or minority opinion though.
While I agree a writer doesn’t want their work to be a chaotic mess, I also believe there is such a thing as over thinking. If a story flows out of me so fast that I can barely get the words down on the pager before forgetting them, I just go with it. Clarity and everything else can come later during the editing phase. The only time this becomes a problem is if a major part of your story hinges on something that you didn’t understand at the time, and without it everything falls apart. But if that is the case, then you would probably realize ahead of time you weren’t very knowledgeable on a particular subject, and you would research ahead to make sure everything was okay to proceed. At least, that is what I do with my writing.
Steve, your approach is great. I would encourage anyone to do the same, especially myself since I can be one who over-thinks my writing at times. I do like to freewrite quite a lot. After that I then go back and try to dig deeper and deeper into the topic as a way to challenge myself to write what I would not have written during a fastwrite. It’s amazing what various approaches to the process can get us to reveal in writing.
Great post Jeri. I’ve learned in working with an editor, that another set (or in the final editing process for me it’s 5 sets) of eyes can turn good writing into better, if not best.
I’m glad you mentioned this Critique Partners. I think you might have in a previous post as well, but it was a good reminder.
Do you use critique partners for your blog??? Do you think this is worthwhile for us?
Patricia, you are blessed to have five sets of eyes on your upcoming book. I’m sure it’s going to be great. Actually, The Engagers group is just nearing the end of a series of blog critiques. I made a score sheet in order to help us critique each other’s blogs, much the same way writers would each other’s drafts. I don’t think it would be productive to critique each post someone publishes on their blog, but it can be helpful to look at a blogger’s approach to a certain category and note the strengths and weaknesses they bring to writing about that topic.
If we pay attention to your posts, we can’t help but improve our writing. These are such great tips. I’ll come back to this site more often to take a look at some of your other posts. Thanks Jeri
Lenie
Lenie, I do hope you poke around a bit in the old posts 🙂 I’m still working on my overall schedule and types of posts, but there’s a lot in my posts that show how much experimentation I’ve done.
***Too often, writers fall back on insisting their readers just aren’t “getting it” ****
Hoooooorrible mistake.
My readers are Brilliant. I would NEVER assume they do not Get It!
btw, I LOVE your POETRY Posts. xx
Kim, why thank you 🙂 I hope to sneak the occasional poetry-based post in here and there even though National Poetry Month is now over.
Jeri, I love the idea of no boring topics. When I write about websites, which I often enjoy creating, I think, oh, geez, who wants to read about this. So I have to think of a way to make it interesting.
Love the idea of brainstorming in a group. Wish I had the opportunity to do so. I sort of do – I have an upcoming talk in the summer, and by writing a blog post in advance, I get ideas for my talk from blog readers.
Leora, and you go a great job of adding a good level of interest to the topics you write about. It shows too in your posts how much you enjoy what you do.
Those are some great tips. I’ve used some of them before. I will try the others.
Jason, thanks. I hope giving some of the tips a try works out for you.
I loved poetry month! But I also love your writing tips. You always give me something to think about and work on with my writing. I especially like the second exercise, and I think it will be helpful when I write my “how-to” posts. (It’s always hard to know if I’ve anticipated most of the questions.)
Meredith, so good to hear from another reader that you enjoyed the posts for National Poetry Month 🙂
Jeri, I love your writing and the exercises you come up with. I honestly have thought about getting into a writing group but am a little scared. I need to show someone my work. I have gotten better with checking my grammar. However,there is more work to be done. I think anybody can turn a boring topic into something more entertaining. When people can make me laugh I will listen to anything. =)
Crystal, one of the good parts about joining a writing group is that usually a few sessions pass before you will be expected to share you own writing with a group. That gives you some time to get a feel for the group and the level of feedback they will provide. Yet, a critique partner situation can be less stressful since it’s just one-on-one. No matter what, you won’t know until you try. Not every situation will prove fruitful. Even then, writers can learn from what doesn’t work as well.
I am like a preschool child in blogging and with every post shared on BHB I learn a lot. I have learned how to start writing and I will try to write idea on top and will try to give description about it…
It was really great post with so many tips to improve writing.
I am also looking forward to read The Curious Researcher.
Andleeb, if you are looking for great exercises that will help you improve as a writer and reader, you would love Bruce Ballenger’s books on writing.
I really like the exercises, I was thinking they would be good for a group bonding exercise as well. They give some insight into how the participants think and would be fun.
Debra, the myth of the boring topic would be so well-suited to a group bonding exercise and the type of objects participants could brainstorm on is practically endless.