Have you ever been deep in conversation with someone, and realized that you had opinions, thoughts, or memories that you didn’t know you had? The hostwriting process increases the likelihood that you’ll have these spontaneous insights. The process is interactive and emergent - unpredictable, but incredibly powerful. We're going to take steps towards that experience. But trying something new is hard. The best way is to start small, with a well-defined, easy task.
This exercise will help you take that step. Specifically, it will define your territory, and, if you choose to work with me, help me get to know you.
What’s the top level view of your interests? In broad strokes, what are the 5-10 topics you want to cover with your writing?
For example, if I were writing a book, I might be interested in writing, conversation, technology, physical movement practices, meditation, enlightenment experiences, and contemplative traditions.
A behavior designer, on the other hand, might be interested in persuasive technology, decision theory, UX design, participatory action research, and applied behavioral science .
These aren’t theses (statements) or topics of inquiry (questions). They are simply pointers. (Note: the topics don’t have to be established or known to others, like “technology” or “writing.” You may even need to make up a word!)
Once you have listed the main topics that you are interested in, provide brief definitions / scope for each what topic means to you in this context. For example, I could say that meditation is a contemplative practice that comes from Buddhist religious / spiritual traditions, but has since been brought into secular contexts. This is an opinionated definition, not a dictionary definition.
What's next?