The Idea Well

If you can't seem to get started writing it may NOT be that catch-all phrase "Writer's Block" - you may need to find that "aha" moment when an idea forms. Whether you are a fiction or a non-fiction writer, where are some of the places to find that spark?

If you are a non-fiction writer and are looking for a winning idea for a magazine article, start by studying the publication that you want to write for. Understand the types of stories the magazine features. Who is the target market? What subjects have been covered recently?

Find out if the magazine has an editorial calendar - or look through past issues to see if it has regular features during specific times of the year; remember that publications often work several months in advance (ie: July is not the time to start looking for summer ideas). If you look for an idea that meets the publication's needs, you are almost guaranteed consideration in the submission process.

Look for updated information about previously published articles; is there some significant new technology to report on? Check your local newspapers - and online newspapers - for the latest trends and issues affecting a publication's target audience (ie: health care issues and senior citizens). Don't discount the importance of status updates on social network sites like Twitter or Facebook, these sites are reporting gold mines.

Fiction ideas are made up stories so feel free to make up a story about any real-life moment. Like the catch-phrase of a popular TV show, rip a subject from the headlines. Fictionalize a newspaper article - even a seemingly innocuous subject is about people, so create a cast of characters who might be affected by an incident.

Think about the delivery truck that overturns on the highway... what was the truck delivering? How will it affect the lives of people waiting for that merchandise? Maybe a new business deal was dependent on promised merchandise that was destroyed in the crash, the customer takes his business elsewhere and the firm fires an employee for losing a major account. I see a story here.

Did a minor character in a movie stick in your mind recently? Maybe you would like to know more about the handsome neighbor the hero always shared the elevator with. Perhaps the waitress in the diner was intriguing? How many times have we been told to write the story we would like to read? Well if you would like to know more about the taxi driver, the reporter asking questions, the police officer who stopped at an accident - write the story.

Any random statement or newspaper headline can be a springboard into a full story or article. Take everything in and let your mind run free.


Writing exercise: Take any five UNRELATED Twitter posts, Facebook status comments, or newspaper headlines and combine them into one short story. Writing prompt: People who "Tweet" have to make their statement in 140-characters (letters & spaces) or less - sum up a significant event in your life in 25-words or less.