How to Find an Article Idea in 10 Minutes

Building a writing habit often stalls at the research phase.

You open a few articles for inspiration. One turns into five. Five turns into 47 tabs about topics you didn’t even care about five minutes ago. Two hours later, you’ve read everything and written nothing. Meanwhile, your best ideas are hiding in everyday moments.

Three Places Your Next Article Is Hiding

1. Write What You Just Explained

Did a coworker ask you to explain a concept? Did you spend hours in a meeting breaking down why the new feature works this way? That's an article. Documenting the breakdown creates a resource that scales beyond a single conversation. Chances are, if one person needed that explanation, ten more are quietly confused too.

2. Turn That Argument Into a Post

If you find yourself repeatedly debating the same point every time it comes up, like JavaScript is better than Python (actually, the HackerNoon community thinks otherwise), turn it into a post and formalize your stance. Providing a structured argument adds value to the broader discourse and provides others with data-backed perspectives.

3. Share the Mistake You Learned From

Everyone's Googling how to fix something. Write the solution you wish you had found. This especially reinforces your understanding of that concept. Makes it unforgettable. Being honest about what went wrong also makes your writing more relatable.

Try this: open a document right now. Write down three titles: one based on a recent explanation, one about a topic you keep debating, and one about a fix others could learn from. Pick one you’re most interested in. Sketch a quick outline. Write 200 words. Don’t overthink it!

And if you’d rather follow a clearer roadmap, our Blogging Course helps you find your voice and build a writing habit you can sustain. It breaks down how to ideate, structure, draft, and publish high-quality technical stories, straight from the editorial standards we use every day. If your goal is to write clearer, sharper, more publishable technical content in 2026, it’s a strong next step.

HackerNoon Top Stories Spotlight

1. Keeping Up with the Upwork Civil War on Reddit

This is what happens when you turn a heated, ongoing debate into a structured story. The conversation was already happening, the writer stepped in, clarified the chaos, and gave readers a solid stance to reference.

2. AI Coding Tip 006 - Review Every Line Before You Commit

This article explained the kind of advice you’d give a teammate in passing. It pulls insight straight from real-world experience and makes it usable for anyone reading. The Write What You Just Explained story.

3. How a Small OSINT Team Turned the Epstein Files Dump Into Actionable Intelligence

This Epstein Files Dump article walks readers through what happened and how it was handled. Instead of assuming people would “figure it out,” the writer walked us through why it mattered.

4. The “Now What?” Feeling After You Win Has a Fix

This article tackles a quiet, uncomfortable moment many people experience but rarely articulate, and offers a way forward. A classic Share the Mistake You Learned From story.

5. How to Monetize Your Blog (and Why You Don’t Need Millions of Views to Start)

We answer a question countless creators are already asking and provide the practical clarity they’re searching for. This article breaks down realistic strategies for earning from your blog, uncovering overlooked revenue streams, and shows how consistent effort can pay off without massive traffic numbers.

Until next time, Hackers!