5 Ways to Turn Experiences into Addictive Content

The cold slaps into my face.

I glance at my phone…26 degrees.

My son totters out in his big blue jacket, looking like an over-stuffed M&M in the dim morning light.

We shuffle along across the back patio, through the frozen garage, and out into the driveway towards school.

This is the way it’s been for us since we moved here a few years ago…

rain or shine, sweltering or freezing…

It wasn’t until I started writing that each moment became more and more sharply defined to me.

My awareness of the present moment started thawing out as my sense stretched into world like molasses.

It’s effortless now to hone in on everything.

Once you tap into your highest level of awareness, there’s nothing that won’t inspire you at a moment’s notice.

Here are 5 methods I use on a regular basis.

1. Daily observations at home

As a parent, there are a million things that I come across throughout my home life that can be funny, frightening, or foreign.

• the strange thoughts that my oldest blurts out to me that have nothing to do with our topic of conversation

• the way my youngest randomly walks into things as he navigates his three-year-old body around pets, people, and potential hazards with varying degrees of success

• the odd frenetic bounce that Butters, our corgi, does whenever he gets excited (usually a tantalizing morsel my youngest has just out of reach)

Each of these moments can trigger a lesson, a memory, a previous experience that may not seem related at first but only takes a bit more digging to become a 300-word article to connect with the world.

Keep your eyes and ears open. These moments rarely need you to jot them down as they’re in your face all the time at home.

2. Snippets of conversations at work

Yes, I moonlight as a writer. As a test engineer for a global company, I actually enjoy the technical side of the world that most content creators take for granted.

9-5 work culture is something everyone in this area seems hell-bent on escaping because most write in hopes of making passive income and become the next Nicholas Cole or Tim Denning.

I’m more of an Eve Arnold. Even if it ever gets to the point where the option presents itself, I don’t know that I’d call it an escape.

I enjoy meeting people from all over the world and catching up on the latest and greatest technologies.

You’d be surprised at how the mundane everyday occurrences are shared across different cultures and backgrounds.

I work for a Japanese company but listen to Spanish for a good chunk of the day.

Outside of work, people talk about everything from politics to local events to the latest trends across media.

If I weren’t in this environment, I’d have to seek this out elsewhere.

Exchange of ideas happens in the most random moments.

3. Random objects

This one took a bit of time to realize, but it expands your potential material to the infinite.

Look at anything that’s near you wherever you are.

Start describing it and let your mind wander.

Connections will start to appear without warning.

You’re using the object to jump-start your stream of consciousness.

For example, a broken soda can tab is sitting on the desk next to the monitor I’m using to write this article.

The tab itself is a typical grey metallic one that you see everywhere.

I know it’s from a can of LaCroix water that my wife brought in here to drink earlier in the day.

We switched from soft drinks to flavored water long ago because we realized that it was the carbonation that we both enjoyed as opposed to the ridiculous amount of sugar.

Our kids don’t drink soda, and they have no interest in doing so (they make up for it in doughnuts, though).

From there, I could write an article about how it makes it easy for me to manage my weight as well as how I’ve lost 15 pounds in the past four months from doing two simple things.

The soda can tab was all I needed, and there are five other objects here I could use as well.

4. Powerful prompts

If you aren’t familiar with it, do yourself a favor and grab “Storyworthy” by Matthew Dicks.

Heck, I should re-read it as one of the books I plan to summarize and share with you.

There are three exercises that he presents:

1. homework for life

2. crash and burn

3. first, last, best, worst

Each one is used to craft a quality, endearing story around your life experiences.

In fact, the first one is akin to the first point I shared earlier.

The second one is related to the previous point on stream-of-consciousness writing.

The third one is possibly one of the best for recalling life events of all shapes and sizes.

For example, you could write about your first, last, best, or worst stage performance or kiss, or article…

That book is a must-read. It’s why I keep mentioning it.

5. Lifelong learning and consumption

If there’s one thing I can’t stress enough, it’s to never stop exploring and learning.

Follow your curiosity wherever it may take you.

Read widely, watch documentaries, listen to different podcasts and musical genres.

Better yet, go attend conventions or classes.

I have a wellspring of valuable lessons from social dance events, Tai Chi seminars, technical conferences, and more that I plan on expanding and sharing over and over again.

I’ve performed onstage in so many different capacities, and I presented my technical research recently at a conference in Santa Clara.

Don’t hold back. Live your life to its fullest.

Otherwise, what the heck are you going to write about?

Simple and hard

This newsletter is all about finding and expanding moments in your life to capture and preserve them in your voice.

The Digital Heirloom is my way of sharing my ideas and experiences one vignette at a time.

Ya gotta walk the walk and talk the talk.

This is why the most successful digital writers blend a story, a lesson, and an offer in their systems.

It’s taken me years to get on this train…

but I want to help you do the same.

Let me know which of these is your favorite!