Would you like some easy ways to get great ideas for your writing? Brainstorming is popular, but I've found that other methods are more effective, so let's look at them in this article.
1. Ask Questions - just ask, the answers will come
Kids ask many questions; as adults, we grow out of it, and this is a shame, because it makes us less creative.
Get back into the habit of asking questions, especially of asking YOURSELF.
I keep a Mac program called iNotePad open as I write; on my PC, I modems KeyNote - just to store my questions.
Although ASKING questions is vital - you can forget ANSWERING them.
You don't have to do anything other than ask. Your subconscious mind is your partner, so you can safely and easily trust it to do 90 per cent of any and all cheapest internet tasks, so the answers will magically just arrive.
You'll meet someone who has the answer, or you'll find a book. Asking is what's important, because the answers will arrive automatically.
2. Read or Watch Movies
I read a lot. Reading has always been my primary form of entertainment, it's also a way of getting ideas - I find that I get more ideas when I make time for reading.
It's not a matter of getting ideas from what I read, it's a way of priming my imagination, and letting my subconscious mind feed me ideas.
If I'm stuck in a project, I play a DVD movie on my iMac; usually a British comedy. I'm not watching the movie for entertainment, I just relax, and let my mind drift. Before too long, I get inspired and holiday to malaysia back to the project.
3. Free Write
You know much more than you think you do. One of the easiest ways of discovering what you know about something is just to start writing. Yes, this is cheap flights to malaysia way of partnering with your subconscious mind.
Pick a question, or write down a topic. If you've been commissioned to write an article or a book, then that's the topic.
Set a timer for ten or 20 minutes, and write, without lifting your hand from the paper, or removing your fingertips from the keyboard. Just write whatever comes into your mind.
Most of any free write will be junk, but I guarantee you that you'll come up with between one and five great ideas - ideas which just popped into your mind.
Free writing has another benefit; it primes the pump. You'll find that when you free write for ten minutes on any project that project flows much more easily.
I discovered this because many of my copywriting clients are in manufacturing industries and in real estate. I'm not in the least interested in concrete rebar or in new housing developments, but free writing before I start writing a project and during it gets me enthusiastic... And enthusiasm is a prerequisite for creativity and a constant flow of great ideas.
So there you have three easy ways to get great ideas. I find them much more useful than brainstorming, and I hope you will too.
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