How to come up with new ideas

Everything around you can be a possible topic for writing articles, stories, or anything else you can imagine. Finding an idea is limited only by your own imagination.

*Read forums and message boards

Millions of people post on forums and message boards each day in search of answers to their personal burning questions. As you stop into your favorite forum, look to see what types of questions these people are asking, then do some research on said topic. With just a bit of effort, you could produce a great article. You could also end up writing several articles on the same topic, just seen from different points of view.

*Write out a list of possible topics

Do it the old fashioned way. Grab a pen and paper, and list as many topics as you can think of. Next, put a mark by the ones you feel most comfortable writing about or the ones you'd like to find more information on. For each topic, try coming up with a list of sub-topics or particular points that should be covered under each topic. Finally, try to come up with a list of pros and cons that could be covered for each topic.

*Favorite websites

Run through some of your favorite websites and jot down some of their good and bad qualities. What would make the site better? What parts of the site could be removed without hurting its integrity? If you like to play games online, write about which games are the best or write about which sites are appropriate for certain age groups.

As you're reading through your daily newspaper, make a list of the main topics covered. Make up a list of headlines that grab the readers attention. Magazines are full of information that could lead to other such articles. As you read about a certain topic, try to come up with similar ideas that could lead to future articles, or make up a list of opposing ideas for a rebuttal type subject.

Pictures are a great place to find things to write about. For instance, if you're looking at a picture of a horse standing on a grassy hill, you might come up with topics about breeds of horses, best ways to properly care for horses, or even which areas are best for raising horses. A simple picture of a coffee pot could lead to articles about the coffee industry, which coffee makers are the best or worst, or even how the coffee beans took over the world. Let your imagination run wild.