Where to find inspiration

Looking for inspiration for writing? Whatever kind of writing you do, whether it is blogging or writing articles for a newspaper, you can find inspiration all around you.

Common sources of ideas include:

• The television
• The radio
• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Friends
• Overheard conversations
• First hand experience

Working examples of the above would be:

You are watching your favorite show on television when they show something that catches your attention. You make a note of it and later you do some research and write an article about it.

You are listening to the radio when someone on a commercial says something that you find interesting so you look into it a little more on the computer and write an article about it.

You are reading a magazine and there is a small sidebar to an article that has a fact in it that you think is worth further research. You write your own article based on that research.

You are reading the newspaper when you find mention of the local little league winning their first game thanks to a new player that no one had expected to be very good on the team. A little research results in an article about the unexpected player and how he improved the team by learning to play from his uncle that plays in the big leagues.

Your friend tells you a great trick for how to get a stain out of your carpet. You ask if you can use the tip in an article you just got a great idea and with their permission (and maybe expert advise) write an article on the best ways to get various stains out of different kinds of carpeting.

You overhear two people in a public place talking about how something they had not been prepared for had happened to one of them and how it changed their life. Realizing that you had your life changed in a similar manner, and that others may be facing the same situations, you write an article to help others prepare for the event.

You are working at the computer when a meteor strikes the tree outside your house. After blinking away the shock you write an article on the cosmic shooting gallery of meteors and how we never know when or where they might hit.

You should have got the idea by now, so I'll shut up and go look for more inspiration on what I can write about. Happy hunting in your own search for subject matter.