How to Generate Topic Ideas from Previous Articles

One of the hardest things about being a freelance writer is generating topic ideas. Granted, there will be times when topic ideas come easily to you. But, there will also be times when you are at a complete loss as to what to write next. I use several different techniques to help me generate topic ideas, but one of my favorite ways to generate topic ideas is to simply look at my previous articles. Articles you have previously written have so much more to offer. From a previous article, you may get a completely new topic idea or your may think of a way to expand on the information you have previously given. Here are just a few of the ways you can generate topic ideas from previous articles.

How to Generate Topic Ideas from Previous Articles #1: Scan Through Your List

When I'm at a loss as to what to write next, I often scan over my list of previous articles. Just looking at the titles of these pieces is enough to generate a new topic idea. You may come across a series that was written when you were interesting in a certain subject. Look at these articles closely. Did you fully cover the topic or did you simply get tired of writing about that subject? Chances are, you may have more information to provide about that topic. Reading the headlines of your previous articles may also bring other topic ideas to mind. You'd be surprised how your mind can jump from one topic to another.

How to Generate Topic Ideas from Previous Articles #2: Share Your Expanded Knowledge

One of the easiest ways to generate topic ideas from previous articles is to tell people what you've learned about a subject since you wrote about it. For example, you may be trying to lose weight. In the past you may have written about a diet that you thought would work. Go back and write an article on whether or not the diet actually worked. Talk about the good and bad points of the diet. You may even be able to generate more than one topic idea from just one of your previous articles.

How to Generate Topic Ideas from Previous Articles #3: Read Comments