Developing Writing Ideas

Beginning writers often struggle with developing ideas for writing projects, but even experienced writers can occasionally face this dilemma. Ideas can be challenging to come up with, but it may be easier to do so if you remember that ideas are born in everyday moments of inspiration. They can come from dreams or conversations or visual images or just our thoughts. If we look for them, everyday life is full of ideas to write about. You just have to adjust your antenna to tune into them. Instead of thoughtlessly plodding through your day, as many of us do, try looking at your world through a different lens each day. Maybe one day you notice everything you encounter that's shaped like a triangle. You may find the world is full of triangles, and in them, you may find an idea to write about. For example, an old cowboy's triangular face is the same shape as his horse's face. What does that say about the symbiotic relationship between the two of them? Maybe another day you notice everything you encounter that's yellow. Look for relationships among things that are yellow and see if there are ideas there to write about. Does yellow remind you of a particular season or time of day? Does it conjure up a certain mood? Let your mind free associate about the color yellow and write down the ideas you come up with. Look at nature, watch people, and be a keen observer of your world. We often think we can only be inspired by great and unusual things; but there is abundant inspiration available for our writing in everyday life, and if we learn to tap into it, we will develop a constant flow of ideas that will keep our writing lives fresh and full.