Flash Ideas Shouldn’t Be Ignored
Even the greatest writers are sometimes scraping the bottom
Great writers with thousands of followers seem to have it all together, producing new material daily and never seem to stop. But even the best of us sometimes need a little inspiration to keep on going. There are days when it seems that there’s absolutely nothing to write about. That’s when I dig into my idea pad and almost always find memos or keywords on something I’ve never written before. Let me explain how I get and store my ideas.
My best writing ideas come to me at the most random times, whether I’m cooking or cleaning the toilet or nodding off — that’s when something genius hits me. And most of these times I convince myself that I’ll remember the idea later when I get the chance to sit down with my laptop, but guess what — by then almost 90% of my ideas have evaporated. What frustrates me the most about this is that taking notes is easier than ever before with having smartphones almost always in reach.
So here’s how you can generate flash ideas at a convenient time for you and be prepared to take notes. First of all, take a nap! I’m being serious — some of my best writing ideas come to me when I’m almost sleeping but not quite, you know that state when you’re barely conscious and your brain analyses everything that’s happened that day. In that state our powerful brains generate amazing ideas that need immediate attention. Just keep your notebook nearby before dozing off.
The second stream of thoughts come from other author’s articles and books. So basically the more you read and educate yourself, the more ideas you’ll get. Sometimes a single word or a phrase of another author can spark the greatest ideas. But remember not to copy, though! If you want your voice to be heard, be original.
Move around and socialize. Sometimes overhearing strangers chat or someone talking on the phone may be the source of fresh ideas. Many times only one heard word is enough to create a new story. But dragging around a notebook isn’t really practical since almost all of us have smartphones. That’s why you need to be friends with AI and different kinds of writing and recording apps so you can take notes on the go.
And when you’re hitting the lowest of the low and absolutely nothing comes to mind, just search the web. I tested this one out and used keywords quick writing ideas, and thousands of topics were thrown at me thanks to Google. Some of them included “1000 Quick Writing Ideas” or “50 Quick Writing prompts…” or “105 Creative Writing prompts…” etc. It’s not the best option for an original writer but it’s something to get you on the right track.
Most importantly, keep your knowledge up to date and complete your writing as soon as possible. Don’t let your ideas simmer for too long. For example, I’ve written down many helpful tips on how to take care of a baby as notes, and now my baby is already four years old and I see no point in writing an article about nurturing a baby. And while my ideas may be helpful to some, I don’t feel as passionate about writing an article about it. Because my relation with the subject has changed. And when a writer isn’t passionate about their work, the reader won’t be either.
And last but not least, always, always, always find a way to write down your ideas. Because some ideas hit us when we’re in a rush or sometimes great ideas come from other people’s experiences or observations in which case you need to ask the person if it’s OK to write about it. And I can guarantee if you don’t write them down, you’ll simply forget them.
“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.”
― John Steinbeck
