How To Never Run Out Of Ideas

09 Jul 2020

My Dearest Mad-Readers,

Who has never pondered on this infamous question, I ask you. Writing is an arduous trade to master, as all trades are, and this one topic has seen much ink spilled already. Only he who has never laid eyes on a pen has never sought the answer to so modern a concern. In such troubled times when all has been said, where shall your quill stand if words have fled to another's estate ?

Let me come to your aid, and mayhaps dare I suggest a few possibilities which you may explore at will.

Brainstorming

The first exercise I have in mind is not the hardest, nor will it take most of your time. Firstly, you need to open your favorite text editor (such as Notepad, Neovim, Emacs...) or word processor (Word, LibreOffice...).

As a second step, you need to think about what you want to write. Let's imagine I'm in the mood to write a medieval story (which is actually the case, so don't imagine too hard). Let's list down every little thing the word medieval whispers in my ears :

• Castle, land
• Knight, King, Queen, Princess
• Mad King / Just knight
• Love
• Violence

Apparently I am in the mood to write a fairy tale... But anyway, you get the point ! The idea is, all your ideas don't have to be listed in any order. Be mad for a sec ! Don't hold back ! Don't remove ideas ! Throw as many nouns and adjectives and adverbs into your editor or word processor and, when you're completely dried out, then start thinking of how you could link the words together.

Okay, let's try this out :

Once upon a time, there was a mad king living in his castle. He neglected his queen as his darkest thoughts only belonged to Saint Mother War. He desired her as fiercely as she called him. A violent passion burnt within the king, feeding his craziness. His love for the princess from a faraway land was eating him up from the inside. Little did he know that his love was not shared. The princess was fond of another. A just knight, a noble soul who she had only seen but once. He owned land and would be a perfect match for her. Her feelings were mixed with concern however. If she dared marry the stranger, war would be upon them, for the mad King would seek avenge!

See what you can do with a mere bunch of words ? You now have the plot to the most stereotypical of stories. I did forget to put magic & dragons in there but as long as the point got across, I'll be content !

Don't Publish Too Fast

This one might sound obvious (like the first step actually) but I should still mention it. If you publish all your best ideas in one day, how can you publish something tomorrow ? What's more, where will you find the time to proofread and polish these amazing articles ? Breathe & take all the time you need. Rome wasn't built in a day...

Read Others' Work

It's one of the most important things you'll do as a blogger. It will keep you motivated and will give you new ideas. I am not saying you should plagiarize others. I would never encourage you to do such treacherous felony. No, what I am saying is, you should open up Discover and search for topics you care about. Then click on an article that interests you and read it carefully. If you liked it, share your thoughts with that other blogger. If may make their day and give you an idea.

Wherever Whenever

The truth is, ideas come from everywhere. From the way you move your feet to what your sister is saying or how your mother is telling you off or the fact that you want to be free or that door you go through everyday or whatever... Pay attention to every single detail in your daily life and you'll notice all the little things. All these delightful things we end up ignoring because we're so used to them but which make all the difference. Acknowledge them and perhaps they'll offer you what you are looking for.

As Usual

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Do take care of yourselves,

Phil.