4.Develop ideas from things you read. Keep that pencil and paper handy while you read morning news or a favorite novel or history article. Whatever pops into your mind, write it down.

5.Eavesdrop. (Don't get caught!) You don't want to pry into others' lives of course, but whatever they're discussing may spark an idea in your mind for an article.

6.Ask yourself questions. "Why is girl running in rain?" "Why is that man slumped over his computer fast asleep?" Write down whatever comes to mind, then ask some questions about what you just wrote.

7.Keep working on your notebook or files. You might only jot down one word at a time, but eventually you will add to it. Write notes. Add to your thoughts. Print out a series of related ideas or paragraphs that you write, sit down with a cup of coffee, and begin to connect those ideas into something a little more structured.

8. Keep revising and rewriting until you have a solid idea. Then, you can plan your article and begin to write your first draft.

9. Keep an "always open" file on your computer. No matter what you name it -- "ideas" or "notes" or "scribbles" -- keep it open. Anytime you are distracted or have a minute to daydream, record some notes in this file.

With a little perseverance, keeping track of any thoughts or ideas you do get will be easy. Eventually you'll have enough material to scan through and find a solid idea to use in your writing.

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They have proven time and time again that best format is still plain text. Results count. Here are some reasons why text email is still way to go:

~ Most of new spam filters (software that kills spam before it hits your inbox, see "resources" below) will *automatically* delete HTML email unless user adds you to his/her friends list.

~ People receive mostly text email from their friends and associates, rich media doesn't come from "people" it comes from "companies". Who would you rather buy from?

~ Many email clients still don't handle HTML well, so in order to reach everyone with a high-quality message, you need to produce to lowest common denominator.

~ Rich media takes longer to load which frustrates prospects. Frustration is a state-of-mind that effective email marketers avoid like plague.

~ Finally, and this is strictly my opinion, Text email generally looks better and is easier to read as long as it is formatted correctly.

I've decided to go with experts and keep my ezine in text only format.

Doug Hudiburg is a self proclaimed Marketing Geek and the founder of Business-Marketing-Advisor.com a central source for marketing insight and resources for businesses of all sizes.