The No. 1 question that haunts all writers

And a simple framework to help you overcome it

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In yesterday’s issue, we introduced the concept of a Sweet Spot List.

That’s the intersection of:

  • What your audience wants and needs

  • What you want to write about

Now, we’re going to tie it all together by starting to tackle the No. 1 question that haunts almost all writers:

What should I write about?

My favorite framework for generating ideas is called the 3L Framework.

We’re going to apply the first part of it to the clarity we now have with our Sweet Spot List.

Let’s continue yesterday’s example.

In this example, our Sweet Spot List included:

  • healthy eating

  • micro workouts

  • staying healthy while traveling

The first part of the 3L Framework is this question: What have I learned about [topic]?

So, let’s run the three topics above through that question.

What have I learned about healthy eating?

  • How to eat healthy on a budget

  • How many calories you need

  • How to measure portions

  • Best sources of protein

  • Best sources of fats

What have I learned about micro workouts?

  • How to program a micro workout

  • Quick lower-body micro workouts

  • Quick upper-body micro workouts

  • What you need for micro workouts

  • 10 simple exercises you can do anywhere

What have I learned about staying healthy while traveling?

  • Healthy airport snacks

  • How to pack food to travel

  • Easy workouts to do in an airport

  • How to stay hydrated when traveling

  • Most common travel mistakes to avoid

Those are 15 ideas I came up with in 60 seconds.

You could easily come up with more than five ideas per question if this was what you wrote about all the time.

And here’s the best part of the 3L Framework.

All of these ideas are:

  • Topics you enjoy writing about

  • Topics your audience wants and needs

  • Ideas that solve a real problem for your target reader

Solve enough problems for your target reader over time, and you’ll have a high-value audience and a great business (if you choose to build a business around your content).

P.S. That’s just the first part of the 3L Framework.

Read this to go more in depth on it.

Action Item

Once you’ve come up with your Sweet Spot List, run each idea through the first part of the 3L Framework.

What have I learned about [Sweet Spot topic]?

List out as many ideas as you can for each, stream-of-conscious style.

You’ll quickly have months of valuable content waiting to be created.

This wraps up the first full week of The Daily Creator.

I want to link to the previous posts, as each one built on the last:

I hope this was a valuable first week.

Thank you for being part of this community — I’m looking forward to doing big things together in 2023.

Happy New Year!

Work with Teddy

When you're ready, there are a couple ways I can support you:

  • Single-session 1:1 coaching: I offer a few single-session coaching slots for those who want help with writing, audience building or social media strategy. BOOK HERE.

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