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Where To Get Great Ideas For Your Next Article
by Ron Knowlton
There are times when I want to write an article to
send out to promote my web site (or for my newsletter).
And an article idea pops right into my head and then
it's easy. I'm off and typing away on my computer
keyboard.
Other times I'm stuck for anything to write about at
all!
It's those "other times" that really frustrate writers!
Here are a few ideas to help get those article ideas
flowing again and to get you "unstuck":
- Visit a Forum
Visit a forum on a topic of interest to you.
You'll find many posts to the forum (usually). See if
there is a common question or thread that forum
participants are talking about. If so, then bingo! You
have the topic for an interesting article. Now you can
begin to research further before you put the pieces
together for your article.
- Newspapers or Magazines
Sometimes newspapers or magazines can provide a
good idea. Locally we have a publication for computer
users that is distributed for free. Since my web site
and my efforts (for the most part) are geared toward
internet marketing, sometimes I'll find an interesting
article on the topic in the newspaper.
Of course, I set the article down and then go to work
on the internet looking for resources (usually from
the search engines) to help with my article.
Then I'm off and writing! Usually with the ideas that
are already in my head and the new information I've
found I have the pieces for a pretty good article.
- Brainstorm!
This is something we used to do in
school. When you're stuck, you just write down any and
all ideas that come into your head.
Then sort through the ideas and pick a topic to use
for your article.
Still stuck?
- Use Your Own Knowledge
Look over your web site. What is it you do really
well? Or what kind of advice do you offer that people
really need to know about?
Bingo. You have a topic to write about.
- Chat Rooms
Go off into one of the chat rooms specific to the
area you're interested in (for example, internet
marketing) and see what they're talking about. If you
find a really interesting conversation going on -
bingo - you have another great article idea!
- Get Help From a Friend
And finally, you can always ask a good friend or
even your spouse.
Ask your friend what he or she would like to know
more about (for example with marketing a web site). As
the conversation progresses, one or two ideas is sure
to surface.
- Surf the Internet
Finally, surf the internet. Sometimes I visit
different marketing sites and see what they have that
is of interest. Sometimes I'll find a great idea I
hadn't thought of before. Then I'm off to research
more on this topic. (Usually I can also provide a link
in my article back to the site that gave me the idea -
for more ideas on the topic - giving my readers
another place to go for more information.)
The trick is not to stay "stuck" for very long. Using
some of the ideas I've suggested, usually you'll come
up with not only one idea, but many ideas you can use.
In that case, I file each new idea away (writing them
down either in a notebook or in my word processing
program for future reference).
Then later, when I'm stuck I have another great
resource of article ideas . . .
- My idea notebook!
Ron Knowlton is a former journalist and the founding
editor at http://www.soaringprofits.com Subscribe to Articles To Boost Your Success Online!
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