15 Sep 3 Simple Post Topics to Keep You Going

You’ve been living your life overseas for a while now. You’ve settled into a routine and it seems nothing can surprise you anymore. Not only that, but you feel like you’ve covered all the big cultural difference on your blog already. What else is there to write about now? If you’re struggling to come up with some topics to write about, think about the nouns in your life.

Nouns? You know, the people, places and things that you come across regularly. Here are some ideas to creatively write about some of these everyday parts of your life, and maybe help you to start seeing some things with fresh eyes.

People

Even if you don’t feel like you have close relationships with anyone, you can still write about the people in your life. Write creatively describing the women at the market that you buy your fruits, vegetable and other groceries from. Write a profile of one of your co-workers, what was their life like growing up and how did they arrive at the job they’re in now. Find a seat on a bench in a public space and write about how the people interact with public spaces. Human connection is a big draw for readers and a great way to show what life is like where you live.

Meet my friend Tania. She just turned 14 and I gave her these books for her birthday. She also just took the government exams, the BECE (required to finish JHS), a year early. She said it was really easy. She wants to study history in university and is always asking me questions about a smattering of world history facts that she picks up. Definitely one of the coolest people I know. 〰️〰️〰️ #inspiration #whoruntheworld #thefutureisfemale #blackgirlmagic

A post shared by Christine Bedenis (@noon_thirty) on Jul 14, 2017 at 4:12pm PDT

Places

Think back to the places you would frequent in your home country. Maybe you had a bar you were a regular at or a park that you know intimately. What about the mundane places, like gas stations or fast food restaurants. Do you have similar places in your life abroad? Many of your readers may have never lived abroad before, and have trouble imagining what regular, daily life is like. Show them what it’s like to have a regular watering hole in your new country. Tell them about the park where you go for a run. Describe gas stations and how you get a quick bite to eat when you’re out. Bring your physical space to life.

Back in the Land of Smiles. #yamo #makingmerit #amazingthailand #isaan #korat #secondhome #thailand #returnedrpcv

A post shared by Christine Bedenis (@noon_thirty) on Jun 6, 2016 at 4:17am PDT

Things

This category can be extremely broad, but that just means there’s lots of room for creativity. Maybe there are some personal care items that you never had before, but now cannot live without? What are some typical things found in kitchens where you live that aren’t found in your home country? What are some things that kids use to entertain themselves? Everything that you touch throughout the day could be a thing for you to blog about, even money. You can get really creative with this topic, so hopefully it can provide lots of inspiration.

My first time on the African continent was a month-long visit in Cameroon two years ago. That trip covered so much, from an ancient kingdom to a refugee camp, from a black sand beach to chimpanzees and this bronze artisan village. 〰️〰️〰️ #bronzeworks #handicraft #art

A post shared by Christine Bedenis (@noon_thirty) on Jun 12, 2017 at 11:48am PDT

Have you written about any of these three categories? Share your best posts in the comments!

Bonus! If you’re needing a bit of extra inspiration around nouns, check out the Schoolhouse Rock song about them:

This is a guest post by Christine Bedenis, a well-traveled millennial from the Midwest. She is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Thailand), now living and working in Ghana. She was a winner of Peace Corps’s annual Blog It Home contest in 2014. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.