Topics are not decided from the top but emerge bottom-up from the notes that pile up

You do not pick a writing topic or research question first and then gather material. Notes accumulate where your interest goes, and when they form clusters, the topic emerges from there. What you can write about is told not by a plan in your head but by the notes gathered in the system.

So for a topic that interests you more, simply read more, think more, and collect more notes — choosing the topic follows as a result.

Source: Follow the eight steps in order (step 5) Related: The ideas you did not predict become the best ideas