Keeping An Idea Journal Is The Best Way To Find Writing Inspiration
You will never run out of writing ideas if you do this.
Writing inspiration is everywhere. You just have to know how to find it.
There are different ways to do that. But, the most effective one is to keep an idea journal.
An idea journal is where you record writing ideas and inspirations. Your journal could be a notebook or an app on your phone.
It does not matter what tool you use. You must be able to record your ideas and save them for later.
You can find inspiration everywhere — while eating dinner at a restaurant, jogging at the park, listening to music, watching a movie, etc. An idea journal helps you identify and store your ideas.
Why do you need an idea journal?
The problem with inspiration is that it can disappear quickly. You suddenly have an idea while walking in the park. But, by the time you get home, you forget it.
That is why you need an idea journal. You must carry it with you everywhere so that you can write your ideas down as soon as they come.
Carrying a physical notebook everywhere could be inconvenient. So it is best to use your smartphone because you always have it with you. You can use a simple note-taking app on your phone and use it as your idea journal.
I use Notion. You have other options like Evernote, Trello, OneNote, Google Keep, etc. Use whichever you want as long as it allows you to store ideas.
How to record ideas?
That is up to you. There are no ground rules. The goal is to record your ideas and use them later. You can use words or add images, graphics, and videos.
Write down your ideas, thoughts, feelings, and goals in your journal whenever you feel inspired. Reflect on the idea when you sit down to write. You can prepare outlines and then write your draft.
Do this
You can deliberately take the time to write on your idea journal.
Set a few minutes every day to find writing ideas. Watch videos, read stories, listen to music, take a walk, call a friend — do them throughout the day.
You should be able to get inspired by what you do.
Many top writers suggest writing down at least 10 ideas a day.
But do not try to beat yourself up if you cannot find any ideas or inspiration. That is entirely normal.
When I have no ideas or inspiration to write, I practice free-writing. It means I write whatever words flow from inside me. Most of the time, I end up writing 500–1000 words.
Once I am in a “flow” state, I find ideas and inspirations.
As Mark Manson says,
“Action isn’t just the effect of motivation; it’s also the cause of it.”
If you always wait for inspiration to take action, it may never come to you. Instead, if you take action first, you will most likely find the inspiration you were looking to find.
Starting today, keep a record of every idea or inspiration. Observe the things around you wherever you go. You will be surprised by the amount of writing content you find.
When it is time to write, you will have many options to choose from.
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