I'm Out of Ideas, Now What?

By Terri Seymour
Posted Tuesday, August 17, 2004

I am actually out of ideas for an article this week, so I guess I will make that into an article. Do you have a similar problem? You write article after article and finally you just seem to draw a blank for ideas for another article! I am sure this happens to all of us at some point or other.

Well, when it happens to me there are a few things that I do to try to find some fresh ideas. Maybe some of these ideas will give you an idea or two. ;-)

* Check the message boards - Message boards are a great place to see what kind of information people are looking for. Follow the discussions and see what things people are interested in and need to know more about. I have found many an article idea reading the boards.

Try these boards to get started:

* (http://homebizlink.com/wwwboard/)
* (http://www.internet-marketing-forum.com/forum/index.php)
* (http://www.friendsinbusiness.com/board1/)

* Catch up on your email discussion groups - Another great place to find out what info people are looking for is email discussion groups. Not only can you get ideas for your articles, but you can learn a lot as well. If you are not subscribed to any of these groups, here are a few I recommend:

* mailto:digital-women-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
* mailto:hbj_chat-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
* mailto:ideasbypost-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

* Visit a few Internet news sites - These sites can keep you informed of current events, happenings and online news. Research and write your own news articles to keep your readers informed.

These sites might be of help:

* (http://www.internet.com/home-d.html)
* (http://www.internetnewsbureau.com/)
* (http://www.newslinx.com/)

* Read through your emails - Take note of what people are asking you about and what they are most concerned with. Keep a file on hand and record all questions and email that can be turned into articles.

* Read through some ezines - Ezines are a goldmine of information and ideas. They allow you to keep abreast of the latest products, programs, home biz opps, etc.

Find lots of ezines here:

* (http://www.myfavoriteezines.com/)
* (http://www.ezinesearch.com/)
* (http://www.directoryofezines.com/)
* (http://www.EzineLocater.com/)

* Do a quick survey - Write a two or three question survey and send it out to associates or discussion group members. You will find people are usually eager and willing to help in cases such as this.

For example: What concerns do you have for the Internet marketing world? What resources do you need but have trouble finding?

These types of questions might give you some fresh ideas to expand on with an article.

* Read other articles - By reading other articles, you might possibly come up with an unusual twist or angle for an overused idea. It sometimes helps to get different views and insights on the same old ideas.

You can find all kinds of articles here:

* mailto:free_articles-subscribe@topica.com
* mailto:ArticlePublisher-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
* mailto:PromoteYourArticle-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
* (http://www.makingprofit.com/)
* (http://www.ideamarketers.com/ )

Always have an open mind for article ideas. After awhile you will begin to see ideas all over the Net. Keep a notebook handy and when you think of an idea, no matter where you are, you can write it down and use it. I get a lot of my ideas in the middle of the night when I cannot sleep. I have learned to write them down so they do not go into oblivion! ;-)

And remember, people want and need basic, straight forward, helpful information. They do not need college words, fancy storylines or over-dramatized articles.

Also, do not be afraid to give your articles a little personality and/or humor. Just write from the heart and do your best to provide real usable resources and information. Write as if you were talking to the person, not at the person.

About The Author
Terri Seymour owns and operates MyOwnEzine.com. Learn to publish and promote your own ezine. mailto:subscribe@myownezine.com Sign-up for the FR~E MOE Ezine Publishing Ecourse mailto:moe-mini-course@getresponse.com
You can contact Terri at mailto:ter02@newnorth.net