How to Come Up with a Source Bank of Article Ideas

I have a strong belief that there’s no two writers that are exactly the same. We all draw our ideas from somewhere, make them in best-sellers, and become a success. We all form sentences and paragraphs in the same way, but our words and tone may have alternative meanings. We all have our own intentions for each of our individual messages to the world–and it’s up to us to deliver that in one way or another. Lately, I have chosen to do this by way of non-fiction. I have also met the task of doing it in poetry and fiction. Whatever your fancy, I hope my ideas work for you. 

1. Sign up for Google Reader (or another service) & subscribe to blogs.

Google Reader is a site on Google specifically for following blogs. I first discovered this in my ‘Intro to Multimedia’ class at Eastern Illinois University. You’re able to create folders to put blogs into, and subscribe to an unlimited amount of blogs. I have taken full advantage of this website. I subscribe to as many different topics as I can such as politics, entertainment, education, writing, cooking, and so on. I browse them frequently and try to hope to find a sharp idea for my next article. Sometimes it works out, and other times I’m not so lucky. To view the full blog, click on the name on the blog, and it’ll open in a new browser.

2. Think about your passions you care most about.

When I think about my passions, music, movies, origami, traveling, friends, and family all come to mind. Sure, these all too broad. However, as writers, our job is to narrow them down into article topics. We may come up with 5 article topics for traveling, 4 for origami, and several more for movies and music. For music, movies, and traveling we could also be a critic and review actors, hotels, restaurants, and so on. Perhaps you have a friend who just graduated culinary school and they’re teaching your mom how to make a gourmet meal for the holidays. What a great story for your blog or Triond with photos! Why not?

3. Make Lists

This is a great tool for brainstorming if no initial article comes out of it. However, let’s hope if you made a list of 10 you have 10 article ideas that could become great pieces. These are lists such as, “5 best places to eat sushi,” “10 hot spots to see in Las Vegas,” and “25 places I want to see in my lifetime.” They can absolutely anything, on any topic you want, and any length you want. It can be serious, silly, or so funny that your best friend laughs their belly off. These can come from anywhere, but hopefully some of them will make you money as a writer.

4. Write what you know

Decide what your expertise is in writing. It’s OK to have more than one expertise, but know your subject well. If you’re a stay-at-home mom, you may wish to write on parenting topics more than business topics (unless you’re a working stay-at-home mom.) Likewise, if you have a garden, you may enjoy writing about herbs and roses. It’s all in the niche in which you find most appealing. If you have to do too much research, writing is a chore and this takes away the fun. Don’t take away the fun of something you love. 

5. Go to public events that interest you.

I take advantage of these as much as I possibly can. These are such things as public workshops at colleges, universities, and town events. They may happen at fairs, carnivals, or convention centers. If you’re so lucky to get backstage passes to a concert, take advantage of every opportunity. Contact their publicist or manager and request an interview with the performer. This would make a terrific article or blog post. If it’s written well enough, you may even be able to sell it at a magazine or newspaper. Never sell yourself short where you may find fresh ideas. 

6. Write on historical dates.

Where were you when JFK was shot, or when 9/11 occurred? Do you remember your grandparents talking about Amelia Earhart and other famous women of the suffrage movement? What about WWII? Most of these may seem really boring, but somewhere piled in all your research has to be an interesting story that nobody has heard before. History is full of mystery, and as writers we should want to solve these mysteries.

7. Watch the news.

Ugh. I’m sorry I’m suggesting this, really. However, I hear it every day from my Journalism professors–”Watch the news. Read blogs. Stay informed!” I’ll read the blogs, sure. The news? It all seems so depressing to me lately. I’m an optimistic person, though. I believe that somewhere in all those shootings, robberies and whatever else there is, there has to be a funny story of a hero. Everyday heroes still exist, don’t they? I hope so, or my career may already be gone before I get out of school. 

8. Try mind mapping. 

This goes back to my first English class in college, English 96. You put a specific term in a circle, and then branch out with narrower terms. We’ve all done it for articles, essays, and research papers. If you’re gun-ho about this method, more power to you. I simply don’t like the clutter on my page. I have always been a perfectionist and haven’t really ever outlined. Whenever I use this method, I take up six pages before I can even start writing, so I prefer just digging in.

9. Go to a public place and people-watch.

This can be a fun activity for a writer, especially if you’re wanting to sparkle your descriptive writing. Coffee shops and restaurants are among some of the best spots to go on a busy day. Around the holidays, go  to the mall. If you’re looking to catch dialogue, take a voice recorder and record conversations as you walk by, or just leave it on the table and let it pick up natural noise. 

10. Think outside your box.

What’s something you’ve never done? What’s stopping you from enjoying the experience? You may be missing out just because you think don’t like something. Be adventurous, try something new. Go skydiving or skiing, maybe throw a dinner party for guests or go travel to a destination you’ve wanted to for years. Where’s your ultimate vacation? What’s stopping you? The time has come where it can’t stop you any more. This may be your next best-selling article!

11. Holidays/Seasons.

I don’t know about your reading interests, but I love reading about other cultures and ways of life. I find it fascinating that we’re one of the few countries on Earth that celebrate Thanksgiving, and the first Thanksgiving didn’t even have turkey! It had fish other puritan food items of their day. I’d like to read about what the Polish do on Christmas, or the Jews on their Passover. In fact, I’d love to read a story where you switch an American in summer to someplace where it’s winter in June and bring that other person to America. Can you imagine the culture shocks both people would go through? I’m fascinated by all cultures, all religions. I want to know it all.

12. Be a critic.

Being a critic is an endless industry of opportunity. I love being a movie critic, so often I’ll take my notebook with me to the theater. Maybe you’re a music critic, going to classical concerts and jazz ensembles. Or, perhaps you’re one for the arts, who enjoys the live performances of broadway. You could even review products, books, or websites. You could review television personalities or be a food critic. Anything can have a review written about it, and if you search deep enough on the Internet, you’ll find sites that will pay you for it. 

13. Write at the same time, every day.

Writing comes easier if you’re motivated to write. Set off a set block of time to do this task, and when that time expires, go enjoy other aspects of life. Keep a set schedule, and you’ll be able to find ideas as they come along in your blogs, lists, and experiences. Ideas are EVERYWHERE…they just have to be discovered by someone. Don’t stress if you don’t have an article written for the day. You can always make it up later.