The first lesson I had to learn as a serious writer is that inspiration isn’t something you wait for. I always assumed that writers got their new article ideas from some mystical force of nature.
I imagined Hemingway sitting in a dark cafe in Paris. I thought of Bukowski who was drunk half of the time. It seemed like those writers got their inspiration from traveling, drinking, or whatever you think generates inspiration.
We’ve all stared at our word processor, waiting for inspiration to strike and finally get us typing. But my experience taught me it’s a foolish strategy. It’s a waste of time to start writing an article or book from a blank canvas.
Instead, I always make sure I have something to say, which makes writing easier. In this article, I explain my complete process for coming up with new ideas for articles. I’ve used this process more than 400 times and counting.
