Where Can I Get Ideas to Write About?

If you want to write, don't think you need to work on a novel. Most people are happy reading little blurbs, usually referred to as articles, of 400 - 1200 words. Some experienced writers can do 5 - 10 of these each day. Where do they get their ideas? Anywhere and everywhere.

1. Keep a notebook with you at all times. It doesn't have to be big, but big enough to put a few sentences or thoughts onto.

2. If you can't be carrying a notebook with you, get yourself a cell phone/PDA that allows you leave voice notes. When you see something interesting and you think you can write a few interesting paragraphs, make some notes on it to keep for later.

3. Do you have a special interest that you share with others? The stock market? Scrapbooking? Gardening? Learning new software? Others would love to hear what you have to say!

4. Keep your goals small to begin with. Very few are lucky enough to make big bucks right away. Your first real goal will be to just get published - for free. Yes. FREE. It's great experience. Plenty of online sources exist. A well established, reputable place to start is http://www.ezinearticles.com/. They have a superb tutorial on how to get started. If you are just starting out, believe me, it's a thrill to get your first email from them that says, "Your article has been accepted".

5. After you have perhaps 10 or 15 published for free, start looking for a few bucks for your time and trouble. Head on over to http://www.constant-content.com/. Same concept, but they put your articles on their website to be sold. You name the price you want. You also have total control over what rights to give someone who buys your content.

6. You will be rejected. This is normal. Usually it's for something silly like typos (which should have been caught...) or using the wrong font. However, if you are receiving emails from these places that have comments describing other issues, pay close attention and heed the advice. Being rejected is meant to be a learning experience, not a reason to give up.