What to Write About and How to Organize Your Tales

One of the biggest challenges in creating content isn't the technical "how"—it's figuring out what to write about. Let's tackle this challenge head-on before diving into the nuts and bolts of organizing your tales.

Finding Your Stories

Start With What You Know

Everyone has stories worth telling. You might think your daily experiences aren't interesting enough to share, but remember: what's ordinary to you might be fascinating to someone else. A software developer's typical workday could be invaluable insight for an aspiring programmer. A home cook's weekly meal prep routine might be exactly what a busy parent needs to read.

Think about the questions people often ask you. Do friends come to you for travel tips? Career advice? Book recommendations? These questions are gold mines for content ideas—they're literally telling you what others want to learn from you.

Document Your Journey

Whether you're learning a new skill, building a business, or exploring a hobby, document your progress. Share both your successes and struggles. A post about the three weeks you spent debugging a seemingly simple problem might help another developer feel less alone in their challenges. Your story about finally mastering sourdough bread after five failed attempts could inspire someone else to keep trying.

Share Your Expertise

We all have areas of expertise, even if we don't think of them that way. Maybe you're great at:

• Finding hidden gems in new cities

• Organizing digital files

• Planning efficient meetings

• Maintaining long-distance friendships

• Managing a remote team

These skills, which might feel second-nature to you, are valuable insights for others.

Let Your Curiosity Guide You

Write about what you want to learn. If you're curious about sustainable living, share your research and experiments. If you're exploring photography, document your learning process. Your journey from beginner to practitioner is as valuable as an expert's polished advice.

Structuring Your Content with Tales

Now that you have ideas flowing, let's organize them in a way that makes sense for both you and your readers.

The Power of Nested Tales

Think of tales like folders on your computer—they help organize related content in a logical way. But living.so takes it further with nested tales, letting you create stories within stories. Here's how you might structure different types of content:

For a Travel Writer:

Southeast Asia Adventures
├── Thailand Chronicles
│   ├── Bangkok Food Scene
│   └── Island Hopping Guide
└── Vietnam Journey
    ├── Hanoi Street Life
    └── Motorcycle Diaries

For a Tech Professional:

Developer Journey
├── Learning JavaScript
│   ├── Basic Concepts
│   └── Real Projects
└── Building in Public
    ├── Current Project Updates
    └── Lessons Learned

Creating Content Hierarchies

Start with broad categories that can grow with you. Think of your main tales as the big chapters of your story, and nested tales as the detailed scenes within each chapter. This structure helps readers navigate your content naturally, from general topics to specific details.

Tips for Organizing Content

• Keep your main tales broad enough to grow with your content

• Use nested tales for specific series or themes

• Create clear, descriptive names for your tales

• Consider your readers' journey—how will they want to explore your content?

• Don't worry about getting it perfect right away; you can always reorganize later

Getting Started

The best way to overcome writer's block is to start small. Pick one story you want to tell today. It could be:

• A lesson you learned recently

• A tool or technique that made your life easier

• A perspective you've developed through experience

• A question you've found an answer to

Write it as if you're telling a friend over coffee. Don't worry about making it perfect—focus on making it real.

Remember, your living.so page is a living document that grows with you. You don't need to have it all figured out on day one. Start with one story, one tale, and let it grow naturally as you find your voice and rhythm.