Sometimes writers can have huge trouble finding a topic, or ‘thing’ to write about. Big ideas might require lots of research, hours, days, week, months and years of it. But every now and then a bit idea might leap out at you, ready for you to grab it and run!
Don’t waste ideas!
People might see that idea, consider it a viable topic choice but neglect to do any more than simply, for instance, hit the like button on Facebook, and pose a pithy response, then move on. The idea is reacted to, then moved away from, the opportunity gone.
Your response was an idea wasted, unless you do more with it. And sometimes (probably most of the time), your precious writing time, when you could be working on your next book, blog post, or article, well that time is wasted, your comment may gain some likes, but so what?
A better idea, a more useful way to use your pithy words, is to use them for things bigger than somebody else’s Facebook page … If you have a blog, and the comment is about something relevant to your blog, a better way to use your words could be to write something on your own blog, then respond on Facebook with a link to your blog post.
Then you could also record in a file, or list or some such thing, of ideas and relevant links, for a larger work. Ideas are seeds, and even the smallest one could grow into a much larger thing, a book for instance.
Go outside, look around!
The world is a great bit thing, with many people and ‘things’ (yes that word again!). Things are prompts, ideas, ideals, inspirations. People, Nature, News reports, Social Media, when you move beyond your usual, safe and comfortable places, you can find new ways and methods, fresh ideas about how you might angle your writing.
Think about your writing, and about the various aspects of your writing that could do with some freshening up, or some ideas about some aspects of your chosen genre. For instance, I have this dream of being a crime writer, one day, possibly in one of the novels I currently have in progress. I have characters, and some plot ideas, and I have one character who is a killer.
So one thing I’ve been doing recently is looking at places I drive past, and trying to find possible dumping places for dead bodies, that my killer character may use, or may have used in the past … Port Wakefield Road is one I travel along at least once a week, and there are so many places to put a body, than may take a long time to be found, even though thousands of vehicles travel past every single day!
Getting outside and taking my writing projects with me in my travel, this has been potentially very useful for that idea! I also see people, unknown people, and think about them – could they be characters I could use at some time? Snippets of dialogue heard, well they are free to the writer to use too. If I stayed home writing, I would hear or see such things.
Other People are Different
When you meet a new person, you may be meeting a new source of expertise, so don’t let a new person pass by you, without gaining at least some idea about what they are interested in, what they like to do both for work, and at play. And always remember that no-one is just one thing, the mother you met at playgroup, might be a extreme sports participant as well, when she’s not being Mum. She is certainly a useful possible subject for your writing.
I am a mother, wife, daughter, dog lover, former dog breeder, and dog exhibitor. My family in my younger years, and still now, have connections to the Harness Horse Racing world. I grow (or try to grow) bonsai trees, and herbs, I am interested in philosophy, and politics, I once ran as a candidate for Local Government (unsuccessfully). I like trees, clouds, blue skies, and creatures. I’m a published poet, have a published school reader, and have written a memoir about my chronic illness (Multiple Sclerosis).
When I meet people, I am always happy encourage them to talk about themselves, because I never know who or what I may find. Even nasty people can be useful in my writing!
Do you have some more thoughts about this, I’d love to hear them, if you do!
Carolyn Cordon - Creative 