# The Endless Idea Generator The Endless Idea Generator [^ship] is a rapid technique for coming up with ideas to create content around (in this case, an article or atomic essay) using three elements: - The 4A Framework - Proven Approach - Credibility ## The 4A Framework Think about what type of content you could create under each category: ### Actionable (here's how) ### Analytical (here are the numbers) ### Aspirational (yes, you can) ### Anthropological (here's why) ## Proven Approach Use writing formats that are timeless and can be reused. - How To - Lessones Learned - Mistakes - Quotes - Ways - Tools - Trends - Stats - Reasons - Examples - (Embarrassing) Moments ## Establish credibility Establish your credibility up front, so that your readers know why they should even be listening to you. Now is the time to mention your expert credentials, but even if you're not an expert, tell them where you're coming from and why you're writing about what you're writing about. - Mention how much experience you have in your field. - Talk about the source of your information, if it's not yourself. - Say plainly that you aren't an expert, but you're just sharing something anyway. ## Start here - Write about what you're reading or searching for. - Respond to or expand on someone else'se work. - Make a list of things *you* would want to know more about. - Compile lists of anything. - Curate "best of" sources for any topic. - Explain how to do something (anything) that you know how to do. - Share a personal experience and what you learned from it. - Write about a bad habit you used to have that you had to break, how you broke it, and what you learned as a result. ## Writing prompts Write about a time someone or something got in the way of one of your goals. What happened? What did you have to overcome in order to succeed? And how were you different after you made it to the other side of the challenge? Write about someone (could be someone you know, or could be someone you haven’t met but look up to from afar) who has taught you things that have impacted your personal development. Make a list of 5 of the things you’ve learned from that person, what it was that stuck with you, and how you applied that knowledge to your own life—and how you changed as a result. Write about a time in your life when you experienced a big mental shift—and from that point on, you never saw things the same way again. What happened? And how were you different after the fact? Write about a time you thought about giving up but pushed through to the end and accomplished something. What helped you overcome the feeling of wanting to give up, and what can you share with others about not falling victim to giving up? Write about a trend that was super popular when you were growing up and was hot for a period of time, but then vanished out of nowhere. What was the trend? Were all your friends into it? Who introduced you to the trend, and how has the world changed since then? What have you learned after shipping Atomic Essays for 7 days in a row? Has anything changed about your writing process? What has been your highest-performing Atomic Essay so far? Was that a topic you expected to perform well? What advice might you be able to share to other Shippers as a result? What was a book you read that had a monumental impact on your life? Where were you when you read it? Who introduced you to it, or how did you discover it? What did you learn, what was your biggest takeaway, and what advice would you pass along to the reader? What are 7 things in your life that inspire you to write, create, or be creative in general? What is it about them that inspires you? How might these things also inspire the reader to discover his or her own creative inspirations in life? What makes a good reader? When you read, what are the things you pay close attention to? More importantly, what advice would you give (to the reader) on how they can become a more conscious reader as well? What do you look for in a friend? Share one story of a friend who let you down, and taught you the meaning of a bad friend. And share another story of a friend who was there when you really needed it, and taught you the meaning of a good friend? Most importantly, what advice would you give the reader for finding good friends in life? Make a list of 10 things you absolutely cannot live without. Music albums, foods, gadgets, clothes, pets, movies, you name it. Then, at the very end, ask the reader what their list of 10 things they couldn’t live without would be. Who is someone you regularly follow and learn from on social media? Go curate 9 of their highest-performing, most impactful pieces of content, and explain (in a compressed version) what it is other people should take away from each piece of content. Do the hard work of curating all the best-of content for your reader! Write your perspective/opinion on a trending topic in the world right now. Look through what is trending on Twitter, or the front page of NYT/WSJ, and write about what is trending, why it’s important, and your perspective of what’s happening. If you can, include a personal story that is relevant and some sort of final takeaway for the reader. Write about your middle school or high school group of friends. What were they like? What did you all do together? Most importantly, what happened to them? Are you still all great friends today, or did the group break up? Share a story of a positive experience you all shared together, explain what happened to the group in the months/years thereafter, and what your childhood friend group taught you about friendships in life. Write a list of book recommendations centered around a specific topic. For example, what books would you recommend for a reader looking to become more knowledgeable about personal development? Or what books would you recommend to someone who wants to get better at managing their finances? Make a list of your book recommendations around one central topic with brief descriptions as to why each book is relevant to the reader’s wants, needs, and interests. Write about a teacher you had that impacted your growth and trajectory. What were they like? What did they teach you? And what advice can you pass along to the reader? Write about something you just learned the other day you’ve found yourself thinking about since (ideally something unique, thought-provoking, little-known, or quirky like a life hack or the way something works in the world). What did you learn? How did you learn it? Can you explain it simply for the reader, so they can learn it too? And how have you applied what you’ve learned since then? Share a personal story. Write about a product you’ve recently used or purchased that completely changed your life. How did you come across it? What made you decide to start using it? How has it changed your life since? What are all the benefits of the product? Tell the reader why they need this product in their life too! Write about your favorite writer. Who are they? What have you read of theirs? How did you first get introduced to their work? If a reader was going to start exploring this writer’s material, where should they start? What do you recommend they read first? And most importantly, why should someone read this writer? What can they expect to learn? Write about some of the lessons you’ve learned being part of Ship 30 for 30 so far. What have been challenge points for you? How did you overcome them? In what ways has your own writing process changed? What recommendations would you have for other writers who are struggling to build a daily writing habit? Share actionable advice! Write about a time you traveled to a different part of the world and how your perspective changed as a result. What did you see? What did you hear? What foods did you taste? Who did you meet? How were you different after the fact, and what advice would you give to the reader for their own travels and adventures in life? Write about where you see the future of your industry heading in the next 10 to 50 years. What do you think some of the next big trends are going to be? Have you come across any research lately that has gotten you thinking about where things are headed? Share some insights and research with the reader, as well as your predictions as to what this means for the future of your industry. Write about your favorite movie of all time. Why is it your favorite? What memory do you associate with this movie? More importantly, what are all the reasons you would recommend this movie to the reader? List them out, and give a sentence or two explanation for why the reader should stop everything they’re doing to watch this movie. Write about 5 ultra-specific suggestions you would give to a reader in order for them to achieve a certain type of goal. For example, if you are instructing the reader on how they can become a better YouTuber, give them 5 ultra-specific suggestions for how they can do that (buy a certain type of camera, create a certain type of content, etc.). Write about a creator you feel has created a niche for themselves that is so different than anything else that has existed. What is their niche? What do they do that’s so unique? What are some of their best pieces of content? And what advice would you give to the reader for how they can create a niche for themselves too? Write about a viral trend that grabbed your attention and caused you to go down an Internet rabbit hole. What did you learn? What did you discover was unique about this community of people? How did that trend change the Internet (for a day, or forever)? Most importantly, what advice would you give to the reader? Should they go down similar rabbit holes? What can they expect to find on the other side? Write about a life lesson or mantra you live by. How did you learn this life lesson, and why has it become such an important part of your life? What are the moments where you are reminded of this lesson the most? And why would you like to recommend readers live by this same life lesson for themselves? Why is it so important? Write about something you know or understand about the world most people do not, solely because of your job. What information do you have access to that others don’t? What aspects of the system are obvious to you because of your day-to-day responsibilities? And what can readers learn from your domain expertise? Write about your Ship 30 for 30 experience. What was it like? What did you learn? What advice would you give to future shippers? What did you think of the program? What recommendations do you have for how we can make it even better? Do you plan on continuing into the next cohort? Share your experience! ## References [^ship]: Ship 30 for 30. (2022). _Daily writing habit key #3: Using the endless idea generator [course lecture]_. https://www.ship30for30.com/