You are surrounded by ideas to write about; you just don't notice them yet. To find them, explain everyday things, pay attention to your own thoughts, take a different route, talk to strangers, look at the things you usually ignore, and spend a day in someone else's shoes.
Staring at a blank page is frustrating. It is a daunting challenge to sit down and write without knowing what you are going to write about. The good news is that there are hundreds of ideas all around you. Here are 6 good ways to find them.
1. Explain everyday things that people wonder about
Remember when you were a child, full of wonder as you discovered how and why things worked the way they did? Go back to that mindset when you look for ideas. Look at everyday things and explain how they work. If you have children, they can give you great ideas too. Write an article that explains in simple language how a plane is able to fly, what lifeguards watch for while they sit on their stands, or how plastic is recycled and turned into new containers. The list is endless.
2. Pay attention to your mind
If you start paying attention to the things that run through your mind, you will find plenty of ideas to write about. Write down your random thoughts, then research them or talk to other people to see if they wonder about the same things. A few examples: being afraid of heights, knowing you should change your passwords but never doing it, or wondering why dogs always sniff each other when they meet.
3. Take a different route
Most people are creatures of habit, but habits keep you away from new things that might make a great subject for your next article. Try taking a different route to work and see if something interesting turns up. You could take the stairs instead of the elevator, or even ride your bike to work. If you do something different, you are bound to see or experience something new that is interesting enough to write about.
4. Talk to strangers
Your mother was right: you shouldn't talk to strangers when you are a child. As an adult, though, you can have all kinds of interesting conversations with strangers, and those conversations will probably give you many ideas to write about.
5. Don't ignore the bad stuff
Most people try to avoid junk mail and bad TV. But when you are looking for ideas, they can be gold mines. This works in the same way as taking a different route. Watch a few TV shows you have never seen before. Glance through your junk mail, both in your mailbox and in your email. Look at the gadgets on the home shopping channels. All of these show you something new and different, and that helps you come up with new ideas.
6. Be someone else
When you really need new ideas, try to "be someone else" for a day. Shadow someone in a profession that looks interesting. If you work in an office, find a way to spend a day doing manual work; if you do manual work, spend a day at an office. Each of these gives you a new experience to write about. More importantly, it opens you up to new perspectives that will probably give you dozens of new ideas.
From idea to finished text
Now you know how to build a nearly endless list of ideas, so it is time to get to work. Finding something to write about is the first step, and writing it is the second. The last step is to check it: run your text through the Spell Checker before you publish it. If you skip this step, mistakes in your writing can make you look unprofessional, or as if you don't care enough to spell things correctly.
For more ways to get started, read how and where to find inspiration to write.