The Brownstone Workshop provides ‘free' consultations for all of your writing needs. Your files are stored for free, so when you need to update your résumé, it won't be a big hassle.

Contact Yasmeen (Lifestyle Entrepreneur Coach & Virtual Assistant) via email at yasmeen033@aol.com or by phone at 919-319-6271. Browse my site at http://www.thebrownstoneworkshop.bigstep.com for additional services.

Now, write an outline, to set out main themes in your speech or article. By time you finish outlining these themes, you'll probably have a number of new topics that could be developed into topics that stand on their own.

For example, looking back at contents of this article so far, I see that discussing something others don't know much about is one of points. That would open door to what I call "Everybody knows" syndrome, unfounded assumption that others know what we know. Perhaps you think that your parenting experiences are just like everyone else's. Yet, your feelings may very well be unique and of great interest to other parents.

If all else fails, get ideas from others. For example, I subscribe to many online newsletters because I write a lot of articles myself. As potential story ideas come in I store them away in a folder, ready to be searched when I don't have anything available in top of my mind.

I can use original article as starting point, creating something new and unique by using my own experiences and ways of doing things. Or I can abstract someone else's article in my own words, again creating something new in process. In both cases, I'm creating something new based on my unique experiences or perspectives.

So, never be stuck for an idea for an article or speech! You already have enough experience and knowledge; it's simply a matter of developing one of those ideas within that framework.

And here's a bonus: If you're writing or speaking about something that's happened in your life, you won't have to work hard to create article or speech. Just follow path through your memory.