Unstick Your Brain With This 3rd Grade Content Idea Generation Technique

Today I wanted to share a fun prompt I’ve been using for idea generation.

It’s called Alphabetizing, and it’s brilliantly simple. I learned this back in 3rd grade, but I still use it today to think about a topic from A to Z. It instantly gives me 26 fresh angles whenever I’m stuck or need a new perspective on anything I’m writing about.

Here’s how it works:

The ABC Idea Generation Method

Instead of or panic-scrolling Twitter, trolling for ideas, take out a piece of paper and write the letters A-Z in the left margin.

Then:

1. Take your topic (anything you want to write about)
2. Set a timer for 15 minutes
3. Start with “A” and work through to “Z”
4. Write down related words, concepts, or ideas for each letter
5. Fill in as many letters as you can.

Use each word as a springboard for your content.

I rarely make it all the way to Z—by the time I hit M, my mind is already swimming with ideas. This step-by-step process forces your brain to make fresh connections, and it works for any topic.

For example, let's say you write about "coffee."

Your list starts building naturally:

A = Arabica beans

B = Brewing methods

C = Caffeine content

...and so on.

If you get stuck, try asking yourself a few questions:

• What [topic] words start with this letter?
• What problems start with this letter?
• What solutions start with this letter?
• What tools or resources start with this letter?

And when you hit the tricky letters, here are a few go-to hacks I use:

• Q = Questions, Quick tips, Quotes
• X = X-factor, Examples, Expert advice (sounds work)
• Y = Your story, Yesterday vs Today, Yearly planning
• Z = Zero to hero, Zen approach, Zones (comfort/learning)

Now, since this is Write With AI, you know what’s coming next.

The Alphabetizing Prompt

To speed things up, copy the prompt below into ChatGPT or Claude.

You’ll get an A-Z list of ideas in seconds. (Don’t forget to add your topic.)

Here’s the prompt:

Generate a detailed A-Z analysis for [TOPIC], where:

- Each letter must have one key concept/term
- Each entry follows format: [LETTER] = [CONCEPT]
- All entries must directly relate to [TOPIC]

Example format:
A = [concept]
B = [concept]
(continue through Z)

Topic: [TOPIC]
Target Audience: [SPECIFY]
Purpose: [SPECIFY - e.g., educational content, expert advice, beginner guidance]        

Here’s what this looks like for the topic “coffee:”

Expand An Idea

Once you have your list, expand each idea by asking yourself these questions:

1. What's the biggest mistake people make with this?
2. What's a quick win related to this?
3. What's a story I can tell about this?
4. What's a how-to tutorial for this?

For example if our topic is Marketing and our word for A is “Audience,” then a mistake we could write about might be “targeting everyone.” And a quick win we could give a reader would be define your audience using the “FOR WHO/SO THAT” framework. You could the story about how you found your niche and give the reader your step-by-step audience research process.

Still stuck?

Get your creative juices flowing and try following up with the below prompt to kickstart the expansion process.....

Write With AI

Email: writewithai@substack.com