The Reluctant Expert

Being able to write about a variety of topics can be both a blessing and a curse.

It’s a blessing, because you will never run out of freelance writing work. When other writers are experiencing a slump, you will be able to turn to one of several subjects and continue to turn our polished copy so that you get paid regularly. It’s a curse, because you might turn out to be very good at writing on a topic that you aren’t that interested in.

Every freelance writer has topics that they love to write about. They could write about them forever and always find something new to say. Then there are the other topics, where after a while they start to feel jaded, as if there’s nothing more left to say about this particular topic. It’s not burnout, exactly, just topic burnout.

However, if clients are hiring you to write about an area of expertise, then you need to get over this fast, and find some sources of inspiration to freshen up your ideas. Here are a few to be going on with:

• Try talking to someone who knows nothing about the topic and see what questions they ask. This might suggest some new angles for you to write about.

• Track the conversations on Technorati and the social networking sites to see whether there are new blog posts on the topic.

• Read the paper. Not all your sources of research have to be on the internet.

• Take a break and give yourself permission to write on another topic when this job is done. Knowing you can relax will make it easier to get through the temporary slump, and time writing on other subjects might suggest new ways of exploring your source of reluctant expertise.

What do you do when you get tired of writing on a particular topic? Drop me a comment and let me know.