What do You Know?
by Rochelle Melander
Last week I wrote about how much we need your voice: When you use AI to generate ideas or to write your article or book, you are robbing the world of something valuable: YOU. Your experience, your education, your unique take, and your words.
When you brainstorm ideas on paper or work out a difficult concept by writing about it, you are using your unique brilliance.
And today we need your unique brilliance more than ever.”
But how do you discover your unique brilliance?
I’m getting ready to release a new book, one to help you build a book based on your expertise. In it, I provide an asset-based exercise to help you reflect on all the things that make you unique. Today, I’m sharing it with you.
The Deep Dive
Set aside a few hours to do this part of the exercise. You will need a notebook and a pen or your computer. You can also do the exercise on post-it notes. In the next few hours, you will create several lists:
Education: List the stuff you know because of your formal and informal education. This will include the topics you covered in your college major but also the areas of study you had to take to graduate from a Liberal Arts college (e.g., Psych 101). In addition, list the workshops and classes you have taken through work, community education programs, and other venues. Don’t overlook those stacks of books you’ve read.
Work experience. List everything from your very first job babysitting for the neighbors or slinging hash at the local café to the internships you tried and the big person jobs you put on your resume. All of this is experience you’ve learned from and might be able to write about. As you note your successes, don’t forget to add the jobs you took on for just a short time or even failed at.
Life experience: Review your life and list the experiences that you might be able to write about. Some of your experiences will be common, like becoming a parent, starting an exercise program, or cooking dinner. Note your unique twist on these experiences—maybe you adopted a child from another country, participated in the polar bear plunge, or cook only gluten-free food. Don’t forget the painful or challenging lessons, like extricating a family of skunks from under your porch. (Yeah, that’s on my list.)
Specialized Knowledge: List the areas you have specialized knowledge in—that means you know more than the average person about this topic. This might be because of your education, experience, personal curiosity, or a combination of the three.
Hobbies and Interests. How do you spend your free time? What ideas, topics, and people are you curious about? Is there an activity or topic that you have collected a lot of information about? What kinds of hobbies and challenges excite you?
Curiosity List. Some people say, write what you know. Others say, write what you’re curious about! List everything that you wonder about—experiences, facts, figures, ideas, dreams, blogs, animals, television shows, theories, and so forth.
Pro Tip. If you are having trouble listing hobbies, interests, and curiosities, take a trip to the library or the bookstore. Wander around, through the various shelves of books, and pay attention to what captures your attention. Add it to your list.
Write Now! Coach Rochelle Melander is an author and ADHD-trained professional certified coach. She helps wildly creative people get stuff done. From writing and publishing books to finishing that work project–she’s got you covered. If you’re struggling to start or finish a project, connect with Rochelle to create a personalized plan for overcoming procrastination, dealing with distraction, and staying focused. Book a private consultation: https://writenowcoach.com/consultation/
