There is nothing scarier than staring at a blank piece of paper with a deadline quickly approaching. Whether you're writing a column, article, or essay, following ten techniques will help you find topic or angle you are looking for. 1.ReadYou can read anything ? a newspaper, book, or milk carton. Jumping into an environment that already has lots of ideas in it may lead to new ideas.
2.Surf Web
Start on your favorite site, and follow random links for a few minutes until you come to something strange to you. Reading about something new, unconventional, or out of your comfort zone will get your brain moving.
3.Seek Help From Coworkers
Two heads are better than one. And three heads are better than two. Ask some coworkers if you can bounce ideas off them. As you speak, have them respond with their own ideas. Soon, you will have several working topics to write about.
4.Exercise to Stimulate Your Brain
Sitting in front of your computer in your boring corporate office will drive you nuts. Go for a walk or to gym and get moving! The oxygen and adrenaline in your system will stimulate brain and body will inspire you to write.
5.Go Somewhere New
Again, sitting between familiar four walls of your office is probably what dried up your ideas in first place. Go to a park, a museum, mall, or gym. Being in a different environment will stimulate new ideas.
6.Listen to Music
I don't often recommend listening to music while you're trying to concentrate. However, immersing yourself in sound will allow you to free associate. Let your mind wander off. It may wander into garden of writing ideas.
7.Flapoodle
This is Doug Hall's (author of Jump Start Your Brain) term for an exercise you may have heard of. Put your main idea in middle of a blank sheet of paper. Think of three or four possible topics and branch them off main idea. Allow each "branch" of "tree" to grow its own branches with related ideas. Soon, you'll have a messy page filled with lots of useful thoughts.