Wishing I Always Had Topics to Write About

One of my favorite authors is Cory Doctorow. Both his blog and his books are phenomenal. I often wonder what it would be like to always have topics to write about in depth. He has a new long-form article out it seems every day and I heard on a recent podcast episode with Trevor Noah that he wrote 9 books during the COVID-19 pandemic. I know I'll never be as prolific a writer, but I wish I could come up with more interesting things to write about.

At the beginning of the year, I was actually (mostly) good about getting a blog post out every Tuesday and Thursday. I had posts scheduled a few weeks out. Then life got in the way and some of the posts just didn't feel like I had enough to say on the topic. I all too often sit down in front of my screen, open up Obsidian or iA Writer, go to start a post...and nothing. I can't think of something to write about.

I know with writing, it's often said that the hardest thing to do is put words on paper. The thought is not wrong. It can be incredibly difficult to find a topic to write about and then get the words written. Even with this post, I've been going back and forth in my head about where I want to go with my thoughts. I can safely say that this post will be completed, but there have been others that I get maybe two paragraphs in and realize I just don't have enough to go on. And it's not that I feel I need to introduce some kind of novel point of view. I'm fine with sharing my view even if it's shared, and has been shared by others. I just either struggle to find enough to say, or I struggle to articulate what I'm thinking.

Which brings me to something else I need to get a handle on. I sometimes deal with imposter syndrome. I get worried with some posts that I'm halfway through and they just don't sound right. There's a quote that has been attributed to both Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain. I'm not sure if it's origin has ever been conclusively found, but it goes:

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.

I sometimes worry that I might sound like a fool so oftentimes I end up sort of self-censoring, being my own worst critic. It often ends up making me re-think posts or never even start them. I think that's one thing I need to start tackling. I need to realize that I do have things to say and I can find ways to put those thoughts to paper.

It's easier said than done, but I need to do a better job of keeping track of thoughts and ideas that might end up right here on this site. I'm not expecting to hit Doctorow-level posts, but I think I can still do better than now.