Creating Ideas for Writers - Five Easy Steps Articles | Writing

By: Julie Tennis

Are you at a loss for ideas? Do you experience mental block when you sit down to write? Coming up with fresh, new ideas does not have to be that difficult! Your life is full of subject matter for your articles, books and papers. You can draw from your dreams, past experiences, hobbies, jobs, skills, triumphs and set-backs. Everything you've experienced will serve you as a writer.

Follow these five easy steps to access the abundance of your own life's experiences:

1. Begin by selecting a general subject from your life. This could be anything from washing dishes to scuba diving.

2. Write down a list of tangible items having to do with the subject you chose.

Let's say you decided to focus on hiking. What are some of the tangible aspects of hiking? You might list shoes, hiking stick, backpack, water bottle, the trail, trees, the weather, aromas of the trail, air temperature, wildlife, other hikers, and yappy dogs.

3. Select one of the items from your list that stands out for you. Focus on that item and write a series of descriptions about it. Keep the descriptions short - from single words to short phrases. Include physical descriptions, emotional reactions, and any tangents that come to mind when considering your topic. Get it all out of your head and onto the page.

If you were to choose yappy dogs, your list might include rounding a corner and nearly leaping out of your skin when a little dog started yapping at you. You could also list small dog, long fur, harmless, loud, loss of meditative frame of mind, and inferiority complex.

4. Categorize your descriptive statements by whatever method makes sense to you.

From the short list above you could combine small dog, harmless and inferiority complex and write an article about why small dogs bark so frequently. Or you could combine loud, being startled and loss of meditative state of mind and discuss the pro's and con's of different user groups on the trails. Or you might write about how tasty those harmless, long-haired, small dogs would be to wildlife.

5. Select your category and begin writing.

Stick with one category if you are writing a short article. For a longer piece, put the categories into a logical sequence and delve into each.

For a longer article, you could chose to take an angle on yappy dogs suggesting they not be allowed on trails. Then support your suggestion by relating your harrowing experience and how it disrupted your state of mind, then discuss the psychology behind the dog's behavior, and end with a safety message about small dogs being seen as prey by wildlife.

By narrowing your focus with the exercises above, you will create a piece that is clear, concise, and more enjoyable for your readers. And you will never have to worry about where to get your next idea!