How to Think of Topics to Write About

Since I started writing for Associated Content months ago there is one question that I've heard more than any. Where do you get your ideas from? Well I will attempt to tell you where I get my ideas.

First thing to know is there is no secret place to get ideas. There is no list of topics hidden on the internet somewhere. There isn't some magic kingdom of ideas hidden in the closet.

Many people will tell you that a good way of coming up with ideas is brainstorming. That may work for some but personally sitting around and thinking while nothing is coming to mind seems like a big fat waste of time to me. For me coming up with ideas for topics isn't so much about brainstorming, thinking of your own ideas, but rather listening to other people's ideas.

Don't get the wrong idea; I'm not talking about copying other people's ideas or even summarizing or changing it a little bit. I'm simply saying that most of the time when you have an opinion or a thought it stems from something else, not just sitting around and thinking.

My way of coming up with ideas is simply to take in as much as possible. Read books, watch television, watch and read the news, listen to the radio, read comic books, play video games, listen to podcasts, even talking to your friends can lead to coming up with ideas to write about. Just get in the habit of always listening for ideas throughout the day and you'll find you can come up with ideas from all sorts of places.

If you read a good book you could write about the book itself or you might just get an idea from a topic that two characters talk about in the book. Or you could write an article about the author of that book or the genre of that book or the theme of the book. Same thing goes for a television show or a movie.

If you read any of my articles it's pretty clear where my ideas come from. A large percentage of my articles are about sports. Many of these ideas I get just by watching Sportscenter or listening to a sports radio program. They'll talk about a certain topic, I'll form my own opinion then I'll write about it.