Ever have those moments where you just have no idea what you want to write about? You might be a student working on an essay without an assigned topic, or maybe you are a writer trying to come up with a brilliant idea for a story, or maybe you write for "Odyssey" and you have to come up with an idea for an article. Well, here are some ways that might help you figure out what you are going to write.
1. Grab a book.
If you want to write, you have to read. Not just books you are familiar with, however. Read something new or challenging. Expand your mind and fill it with new concepts that you would not have even dreamed of before you read. If you are writing an essay, go to the library and pick out some books that might inspire you to write a grand 10-page paper that will make your professor cry tears of joy. Creative writing? Read the works of other great authors and storytellers and pay attention to their techniques and methods. You can only improve your writing by following in the paths of those writers before you, and you might even forge your own path.
2. Take a break and hang out.
Not a very orthodox writing tip, but it really does help. Hang out with friends, have weird and deep conversations, go on an adventure where you will be surrounded by new and interesting faces, just go out and see the world. This will be an opportunity to get ideas from your friends and peers and discover what they know, or what they would be interested in reading. If you are writing a short story or a novel, this will also help you come up with original ideas for characters, I will admit that I have come up with my best character designs by hanging out and talking with friends.
3. Relax and think.
Of course, you have to do some thinking whenever you write, but the "relax" is the important part of this tip. Do not write in a hurried panic or in a half-awake state. Your writing will come out incoherent or incomplete. Take time to just sit down, listen to some music, watch the birds, and think about what you might want to write about, maybe jot some ideas down in a notebook.
4. Carry around a writing notebook.
I find this to be really helpful, especially as a creative writer, because you never know when inspiration will strike and you never know if you will remember what inspired you. Find a college ruled notebook, or a small book that will fit in your back pocket, it does not really matter just carry something to write on. I filled my notebook with interesting ideas I have at random points in the day or just weird things that my friends say that might make for interesting dialogue in a future novel.
5. Write
To quote an over used meme, "just do it." Grab a paper and pencil or grab your laptop, whatever floats your boat, and write whatever comes to mind. It does not have to be perfect. I doubt classics like "The Grapes of Wrath" or "To Kill a Mockingbird" were written perfectly on the writers' first try. Write something that will give you a good start, something that you can walk away from, come back to an hour later and say "Hmm, I guess this is a good place to start...I can do without this...I might need to do some research on this..."
From one writer to another, I wish you the best and hopefully, someday in the future, we will all be remembered as the world's greatest writers!
