The time to think of topics is not when you sit down to write--it's when you're busy interacting with the world. There, you're going to have insights. You're g

The time to think of topics is not when you sit down to write--it's when you're busy interacting with the world. There, you're going to have insights. You're going to encounter itches you need to scratch. You're going to find questions that pop up--why you're feeling out of sync with something, why you're annoyed by something. With luck, you're going to create things that no one else has created. And even if someone else has created it, something led you to create it in the way you did. All of these observations of self can be noted when they occur, and they can form the premise for an essay. Use a sticky, or carry a Field Notes notebook. Stop and capture them. Maybe 95% of them will be garbage. File them away--maybe journal them. See if they come up again. If they do, then you're onto something. The other 5% may write themselves. For me, essays are about connecting ideas from disparate domains. Short version: if you have nothing to say when you sit down at the keyboard, then get up from the keyboard and interact with the world around you, and observe. You'll be cured in no time.