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How To Write Fresh And Unique Content

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By Hope Wilbanks


If you're really feeling stuck for fresh ideas, get off the computer and out of the house. A little fresh air might be what you need.
If you're really feeling stuck for fresh ideas, get off the computer and out of the house. A little fresh air might be what you need.

Some writers get overwhelmed and frustrated at the huge amount of content online. If you’re such a writer, you need to understand that you are unique. What you have to say is unique, compared to everyone else who writes online. While there might be a lot of information available about the same topic, that doesn’t mean that you can’t offer a fresh perspective.

If you’re worried about writing fresh and unique content to post on a website, blog, portal, etc., these tips might help you out. Remember, being a writer means actually writing. If you’re sitting around worrying about being unique and don’t write a word, then you’re just wasting your time.

TIP #1: Write daily. One of the best ways to ensure you write fresh content is to simply write every day. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to publish an article or two online every day. Keep a journal that you write in by hand. Jot down your thoughts from the day. Take notes from your favorite book. Write some favorite quotes. The trick is to continue writing on a daily basis.

TIP #2: Don’t compare yourself to others. The quickest way to throw yourself into writer’s block is to start comparing your work with other’s. Don’t do that. You have a special, unique voice all your own. Your work won’t be like someone else’s.

TIP #3: Read offline. One mistake some writers make is constantly reading articles and content on the Internet. If you want your writing to be unique and fresh, take your reading offline. Go to the library and borrow some books on your favorite topic. Read the newspaper. Consuming too much information online isn’t good for you. You need diversity and variety. So take your reading habits off the Internet.

TIP #4: Take a break from your computer. One of the best things I’ve found to rejuvenate my writing is to totally take a break from my computer. Sometimes the rat race online gets to be a little too much. When I start feeling overwhelmed, I get up and walk away. Sometimes I even turn off my laptop for a few days at a time. It’s good to clear your head and get your thoughts together.

TIP #5: Go back to a pen and paper. This is the one thing I’ve discovered that works best for me. If I’m writing something that requires research, I conduct my research, then get off the computer. In fact, I’ve learned that sometimes I write a lot faster by hand than I do on the computer. There are way too many distractions on a computer. Grab a pen and notebook and do some quick brainstorming or outlining by hand. Your thoughts will be more unique and your writing will almost always flow better.

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Gems4friends  says:
2 years ago

Great tips here. I'll add one more if you're running a blog - You don't have to write a full article each time. Sometimes a few lines, or even a couple of lines is just fine.

Alsofor bloggers- if another blog is discussion the same topic don't hesitate to join in. Clip a BIT of their test and link back to them, adding in some remarks of your own that add to the discussion. You may just get some nice links back.

embitca profile image

embitca  says:
2 years ago

Great hub, Hope. I really find tip #5 makes a big difference. My writing is almost always fresher when it started life on paper rather than on screen :)

Hope Wilbanks profile image

Hope Wilbanks  says:
2 years ago

Great tip Gems! Thanks, embitca! Mine, too. :)

amy jane profile image

amy jane  says:
2 years ago

I like your advice, Hope, especially not comparing yourself to others. I think that can be hard :)

Hope Wilbanks profile image

Hope Wilbanks  says:
2 years ago

Thanks amy! Totally!

The How To Hub profile image

The How To Hub  says:
2 years ago

Great ideas, I agree that writing each day is the best way. It keeps the brain focused and trained!

crashcromwell profile image

crashcromwell  says:
2 years ago

I love writing on my computer. It's revolutionized my writing and editing, rather than having to do rewrite after rewrite. That said, I agree with those who have said their writing is more fresh when they put pen to paper. In fact, I've got a chapter I've been trying to write for my novel (featured at my hub) that I've been struggling to pull together on the computer. I think I'll grab the old notebook. Thanks for the tips, and great hub!

Jim Henry

sukritha profile image

sukritha  says:
2 years ago

Making our mind calm is a good way to be creative. Nice informative article.

Regards

Sally's Trove profile image

Sally's Trove  says:
2 years ago

Thumbs up!

We all need as many tips and strategies as we can get. The YouTube clip is outstanding. I went through it twice, the second time jotting down the key points (simple to do, since they were part of the clip).

Here's another tip. Some writers are visual thinkers and get their fresh ideas down in pictures and word maps rather than in sentences or paragraphs. I sometimes like to start with the infamous "blank" page -- no lines, no colors -- then doodle a little and jot some words randomly. Then I start connecting the doodles and the words. Like connect-the-dots. It's relaxing, and it brings things from the unconscious to the conscious. At the end of this little exercise, I'm often surprised to see what reveals itself.

Excellent hub, Hope.

stephhicks68 profile image

stephhicks68  says:
2 years ago

Super - all the way. I totally agree with point #2. Its not a big deal for me here at HubPages, but for fiction writing - MAJOR blockage! :-) Thanks, Steph

Lissie profile image

Lissie  says:
2 years ago

Great hub! For a while I was sharing a laptop so Iwould write my first draft with pen - but it was a bit of a disaster - when I came to type the copy in - I ended up re-writing again - took twice as long!

Hope Wilbanks profile image

Hope Wilbanks  says:
2 years ago

Yikes! I hate when that happens. :)

Chuck profile image

Chuck  says:
2 years ago

Great advice. I especially like the suggestions about reading offline and getting away from the computer. I get a lot of my ideas from things I run across while reading or visiting new places. The web is great for the background research and fact checking after I have the topic but offline is a good source for inspiration and ideas.

As to going back to pen and paper, I find that rather frustrating and tedious and, like Lissie said above, it usually gets re-written as I type it in. I do scribble little notes to myself when I get ideas but I have found that they frequently get lost before I can do anything with them so I have started making them in my Palm Pilot rather than on paper or sending a text message from my cellphone to my email when I have an idea or see something that I want to remember and investigate writing about. However, I am finding that the less I use pen and paper the worse my handwriting gets (it has never been great but has usually been readable but now even I have trouble reading it at times). This is similar to my experience with calculators - when my work involves heavy use of a calculator my ability to do calculations in my head diminishes greatly but does return when I am able to discontine daily use of a calculator and get back to doing calcs in my head so maybe breaking away from a keyboard will do the same for my handwriting.

Woody Marx profile image

Woody Marx  says:
2 years ago

Wonderfully concise hub!

I like Chuck's comments. Writing away from the computer. The pen and paper were good enough for Shakespeare after all...and a host of others. :)

aoiffe379 profile image

aoiffe379  says:
4 months ago

I do all of the things you have mentioned in your hub and more. Apparently content is not a problem. I probably have too much content.For example I wrote a hub content by hand,began typing it; and when I went back to finish it I could not find it, even though I had saved it.

Hope Wilbanks profile image

Hope Wilbanks  says:
4 months ago

LOL! That's a whole other issue, isn't it? :)

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