5 Writing Topics I Don’t Blog About, and Why

by Joanna @ Confident Writing

I’ve been doing a bit of blog stock-taking recently, looking back at the things I write about, the posts I enjoy the most and also the writing that resonates the most with you.

I also started thinking about the things I don’t write about.

There are at least five big writing topics that I know I avoid:

1. How To Write Better Fiction

I know many of you enjoy writing fiction, and I enjoy the comments and feedback you share on the experience. What you’ve learned, what you apply, what you’d like to pass on, and how some of the things I talk about here help you (I hope!) to make progress with your writing. But I don’t write fiction myself, no, not a novel, not short stories, not even flash fiction in 140 characters on Twitter. My mind just goes blank and daydreams off into prose poems and blog posts instead.

So I don’t think there’s much I can add on how to write fiction with confidence.

Plus there are lots of other great sites out there that are already covering this.

2. How To Make Money From Writing

Another old favourite of the blogosphere, but not something I ever have or ever am likely to cover here. Why not? Well, I enjoy writing for the love of it. Making money from freelance writing looks, to me, like hard work. I aim to make money from teaching and coaching instead. I’m going to sell as many copies of the book as I can, but even then I don’t really see it as a money spinner.

Plus, there are lots of other great sites out there that are already covering this.

3. How To Get Your Book Published

This is one I’m still learning about myself. I do have a book (of short walks) published with a small independent publishing house in Edinburgh, but it wasn’t the easiest of paths to go down. I have blogged about some of the issues involved in self-publishing , and I will share more of my experience on that front once the new book is on the shelves. But it’s not an area I can claim to have any particular expertise in.

Plus, there are lots of other great sites out there that are already covering this.

4. How to Make Money Blogging

This one remains elusive. Maybe I don’t try hard enough to chase after it. Maybe it’s not something I really want. Perhaps writing what I want to say, writing what I think you want to hear, writing what I hope will make a difference… is what keeps me coming back to the keyboard.

Plus, there are lots of other great sites out there that are already covering this.

5. How to Live the Writer’s Life

It’s another well worn issue in the social media space, but not one I give much room to here. Maybe it’s because I’m not writing for a living, not pursuing the freelance writing dream, not starting or finishing a novel. Maybe it’s because it’s because I seem to stubbornly resist the label of ‘writer’.

Plus, there are lots of other… [oh, you get the idea]

I know there’s a sense in which I’m limiting possibilities in my decision not to blog about these topics. Maybe I’m limiting the possibility for new conversation, new readers, maybe even new career directions. Maybe my decision reflects some of my own limiting beliefs.

But on balance, and on reflection, I think the choice to not write about some things creates more room, more space, more energy to write about the things that interest me the most:

• Exploring ways to write with confidence and courage
• Learning how writing can make us feel more confident
• Affirming the difference our words can make, the belief that our words count

Strangely, by taking stock of things I’m not blogging about I’ve come to a clearer understanding of the things that matter most to me.

By limiting the scope of what’s possible, a clearer, stronger sense of possibility shines through.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts…