Coming Up With Ideas

Have you ever had a moment when you sat down at your computer, ready to write, and found that your mind was just as blank as the screen in front of you? Of course you have. We all have. Fortunately, there are exercises that I'm going to share with you that are tailored to get your gears turning.

1. Brainstorming. Sit down with a blank piece of paper and a writing utensil, and simply write down topics that come into your head. No complete sentences are allowed -- just keywords. Once you've finished, review what you've written and choose a topic.
2. Freewriting. Similar to brainstorming, only there's a time limit and you must not stop writing. Set a timer for 10 minutes and then begin writing -- about anything. Whether you have ideas or not, keep writing for the full ten minutes. Examine what you've written to see if something stands out at you.
3. Clustering. Write down a central word that you're interested in and draw a circle around that word. Write down words that you think of when you think of that word, draw circles around them, and link the circles to the main circle. Continue outwardly until you come up with a topic.
4. Talking with friends/colleagues. Sometimes inspiration can be one interesting conversation away.
5. Reading. Read books, billboards, newspapers, websites, etc. to get ideas on recent trends, news stories, and interesting angles.

Writer's block is an ugly monster that we all must face down. Hopefully, with these hints, you'll be putting that monster back to sleep in no time. Best of luck!