Be Boring
10 September, 2019
A sad fact of the modern world is that people are always looking for something newer, something shinier, something more exciting. OK, this has been the case for decades but nowadays it seems to have become a lot worse.
I don’t think that’s always a good thing.
Why? I’ve found that most of those newer, shinier, more exciting things are just flash in the pan. They add nothing and do nothing.
One way to go against the grain as a blogger or writer is to be boring. No, I don’t mean writing in a dull, didactic, style filled with big words and long, passive sentences. What I mean is don’t be afraid to tackle topics that have been tackled before.
Here are a few thoughts on how to do just that.
What’s New is Old Again
I disagree that there are no new ideas under the sun. But I do believe, as someone (whose name I can’t recall) said, that you should repeat old ideas. Why? Someone might not have heard them the first time.
But, and this is a large but, you shouldn’t just spout the same sentiments or opinions. Instead, try to add a new wrinkle — your own wrinkle — to a topic. Here are a few examples:
- Take a contrarian stance
- Point out the strengths (or weaknesses) of an established idea/technique compared to a new(er) one
- Meld in your own experiences, whether positive or negative
- Distill and summarize rather than pontificate
Boring Can Be Interesting
The topic might be old. It might even be a bit stale. There’s no reason why your approach to it needs to be either.
Have some fun with what you’re writing. Use appropriate and relevant turns of phrase, add allusions, interject informed opinions.
Play with the structure of what you’re writing. Who says that it needs to follow a conventional or so-called tried and true narrative form?
Do whatever you need to do (within reason) so that what you’re writing doesn’t seem like the same old thing, just reheated a bit and stirred.