Sunday, July 29, 2007

Finding Inspiration for Article Topics

Patricia Fry has a good article about finding ideas for articles. I've read dozens of such articles, and the advice boils down to the same thing: look around.

Finding topics is easy. Pay attention to what happens around you. If you're curious about a subject, other people will be, too. Do the research to educate yourself and write an article (or a series of them) with the results. Talk to people. Read newspapers and magazines. Something will catch your fancy and inspire you. It's as easy as that.

Well, you can find inspiration that easily. The hard part is keeping track of those moments and keeping your passion for the topics. When you seek inspiration you may distract yourself from the last “a-ha” moment. There are so many things happening every day that you may be overwhelmed by how many there are to cover.

That's where keeping a notebook or digital file of story ideas helps you. If you find yourself without anything to say, page through your notes and see what speaks to you at that moment. You can rediscover your passion for a topic or find a new slant on something that you had previously disregarded as well-covered by others.

While you're writing an article, you may dream up tangents and other points of view that fall outside of the scope of your topic. Add those to your notes file if you don't have time to write a parallel article immediately. If the article doesn't work for your current client you can always find somewhere else to pitch it. Waste not, want not!


2 comments:








Devin

said...

that is some great advice. Any tips on getting published? Sorry I didnt post a comment sooner, I didnt see your reply to my discussion until today. Thanks for the visit.
http://www.ipissawesomeness.blogspot.com





Unknown

said...

Wow - I didn't see your comment until today, either. Apparently my e-mail notification isn't working.

At any rate, my tips revolve around doing your research, writing the best cover letter known to man, and finding a way to involve yourself at the publisher. If they haved a blog or a web site with a forum, read and comment when you have something intelligent to say. Use your real name and make yourself known. Don't spam them, though! LOL