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I recently signed up for Reddit. During setup, I clicked on categories and topics of interest so the app could deliver relevant updates.\n\nOn the spot I had to decide my preferences: do I want ongoing content about this topic or that? Do I want them to send information about technology, politics, economics? Food, fitness, travel, entertainment?\nSelect Your Top Themes and Topics\nI\u2019ve had to do this several times over the years, with apps like Flipboard and most news outlets. I created my own categories for Twitter lists and Feedly subscriptions that groups the content by general topic.\n\nThe act of choosing\u2014of being forced to choose\u2014helps me make decisions. I must discern what I care to know more about and what\u2019s less interesting to me.\nNarrow Your Top Themes and Topics\nOnce the articles start flowing into one of these apps, filling my feed with content related to the areas I clicked on, I\u2019ll often realize, \u201cOh, wait. Wait. I guess I don\u2019t want to know that much about weight training or Broadway shows.\u201d So I update my preferences, usually eliminating a category.\n\nBefore long, I not only realize I\u2019m bored by topics I thought I\u2019d like, I also begin to see topics I\u2019m deeply interested in. When I stop everything to read an article and share it on social media, for example, or talk about it a lot\xa0at the dinner table, that\u2019s a clue. I pay attention to my intensifying interest, as it's a strong indication it might be one of my top themes or topics.\n\nWe can figure out our interests in other ways, however.\n\n \tWhat do you already know a lot about? Obviously, it\u2019s been a topic of interest already.\n \tWhat books do you check out at the library? That indicates you want to dig deeper and know more.\n \tWhat outings do you invest time or money in? Do you often visit an art museum, movie theater, car show, live concert, lecture, conference, or state park? Our calendars and credit cards can point us toward our top interests.\n \tDo you steer conversations toward a particular topic? Do you seek others who join you in an animated, energizing discussion? Take note. That\u2019s probably a top theme or topic for you.\n \tWhere does your curiosity consistently carry you? You don\u2019t have to be an expert to start digging into a topic that captivates you. Explore it.\n\nWhen you begin to identify these top areas of interest, pick up on clues to narrow your focus. This will help you discover the kind of writing you can pursue.\nConfirm Your Top Themes and Topics by Writing\nTo confirm which of these top themes and topics you want to write about\u2014and the ones you want to be known for\u2014start writing about them.\n\nDid you\u2026\n\n \tread an article that riles you up? Write a response and submit it as an op-ed piece.\n \tread an article that skims the surface of what you know to be true? Write a deeper and better-researched piece and submit it to a relevant publication or work it into a book.\n \tread a short story that touches on themes you care about? Write something that grapples with the same theme using a different plot or cover the same theme in a different genre. Maybe you read a short story but you can explore it in a poem.\n \tread a poem that stirs you with its subject matter or theme? Weave your own images or story into a form poem different from what you read, so you explore the same topic in a new way. Or you could switch genres and write an essay in response to the poem.\n\nWhether you write nonfiction, fiction, or poetry, write to discover topics that captivate you, energize you, and hold your attention.\nYour Personal Themes and Topics\nThe \u201csubscription model\u201d I talked about at the beginning where you identify top themes and topics will reveal a lot. But it leaves out something critical: personal history.\n\nWhat do you obsess about from your past? What episode or memory do you return to in your writing to explore all over again? Discover that and you\u2019ll further refine your top themes and topics, and kind of fold these obsessions into your top ...