People keep asking me how they should get ideas for their writing. This question boggles my mind a bit because frankly, as a writer, I have more things rattling around in my head than I can ever hope to write. Of course, what they mean is how can I get ideas to write something right now that fulfils a certain objective. Ah, that’s trickier.
Getting Ideas for Writing
Ideas for what you want to write are not hard to come by. Good ideas can be tougher. It always helps to go back to the basics. In this case, the basics is: Write What You Know.
This may sound like strange advice especially if you don’t “know” the topic you are writing for. But, we all know stuff and it is from there that your ideas will come. Let’s say, for example, that you are writing a piece on microeconomics, a topic which I know very little about, other than it was a college course I may or may not have taken.
Without Googeling, or looking anything up, I already know something. I know some things about economics, and I know what micro means. I also know that micro is a modifying word which means there is such a thing as economics (without the word micro) and maybe even macroeconomics (the opposite of micro). There may even be some in between ground (smalleconomics?). There is idea one: The difference between micro and the other kinds of economics.
Not what you are looking for? Probably not, but from there we can carry on. Is microeconomics the kind of thing you can support and oppose? Is it the kind of thing that you can believe in or not believe in? Has it been in the news recently? Should it be? And so on.
Bringing In Outside Ideas
Now, add in the knowledge you have from the rest of your life. Are you a chef? How does microeconomics affect you? Is it killing the restaurant business? How about your suppliers? Would either on of them be more efficient if they took heed of microeconomic concepts, and so on.
The idea is to keep spinning your mind around this track until you hit on an idea that makes you think you’ve got something good.
Idea Generating Tips
Here are some good questions to ask regarding your topic to help generate ideas.
- Is this good or bad?
- Does anyone know about this?
- Should more people know about this?
- What would people do if they knew about this?
- How long has this been going on?
- Who does this affect?
- Who cares about this but shouldn’t?
- Has it been in the news?
- Can this be spun?
- What happens if I take the opposite?
- Would my mom care?
- Would my kids care?
- Is the government involved? (Helping? Messing it up?)
Keep working with your concept. Eventually you’ll have something you care enough about to research it. When you get there, you’ve got your idea. Chances are that as you do your research your idea will change or become completely different. That is good. It doesn’t matter if a good idea was your first one, only that it is a good one.