One of the joys (and frustrations) of being a freelance writer contributing to multiple magazines, newspapers, and websites is the need to come up with a constant flow of new ideas for articles.
This is not always an easy task by any means—often it seems downright impossible—so we’ve compiled a list of ways to find articles almost anywhere.
- Read community bulletin boards.
- People-watch in a coffee shop, park, or other public space.
- Think about seasonal topics like holidays or national awareness months. (Here is a list of awareness months in the US – please post in the comments if you have links for those outside the US.)
- Revisit a story you’ve already written and come up with new other angles for other markets. Reslant accordingly.
- Ask your friends/relatives/neighbors/roommates/coworkers what’s on their mind (but don’t quote them unless they know it’s on the record).
- Take a national trend and localize it.
- Take a local story and figure out how to make it relevant to a national audience.
- Go for a walk outside and let your mind wander.
- Reread queries that never landed assignments, and figure out how to breathe new life into them. Maybe there’s a news peg that makes them more relevant now or there’s a new market that would be a good fit.
- Strike up a conversation with a local business owner as you’re paying for your coffee or perusing the used books.
- Try something that scares you, then write an essay about the experience.
- Keep your eyes open for “Coming Soon” signs. New restaurants, bars, stores, spas, and other businesses could all make interesting articles for a local publication.
- Experiment with mind mapping and let your mind wander from topic to topic until you find something you’re excited about.
- Read blogs in your subject area.
- Subscribe to newsletters that cover topics that interest you.
- Attend an event and try to introduce yourself to at least five new people. Listen more than you talk.
- Jot down the names of products that catch your eye, then Google them.
- Peruse the magazine racks wherever you go out, especially if you’re visiting a new city or state that has titles that are unfamiliar to you.
- Keep track of historical milestones, like the anniversary of women’s suffrage or the founding of your local college.
- Read your alumni newsletter to see what your classmates are doing.
- Save your notes from interviews and see if any of the unused material sparks a new article.
- Let your friends and relatives know what types of stories you’re interested in so they can do some scouting for you (only if they want to).
- Read press releases.
- Follow a forum to see what people are buzzing about. (But follow this advice on forum etiquette.)
- Read other articles and think about what information is not included.
- Check out a publication’s editorial calendar, and write a query based on that.
- Find out what anthologies are looking for essay submissions, and let the topic inspire you.
- Set up Google alerts for the topics you cover regularly. (Plus, read more uses for Google Alerts.)
- Think about the issues you’re grappling with (maybe you’re getting married, buying a condo, or looking for a book publisher), and write about that.
- Look at statistics (for instance, those generated by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics or the International Statistical Institute) and see what stories the numbers tell. Or do the numbers lie?
- Mine your old notebooks for great ideas that might have slipped through the cracks.
- Reread your journal entries from middle school or high school and write a query for a teen publication based on that.
- Look at your blog posts that generated the most interest, and think about how to reframe that topic as an article.
- Fill in the blank: “10 Secrets of _______,” “8 Places to ____” or “5 Ways to __________.”
- Read the ads in your local newspaper to find out what stores, restaurants, or other businesses are opening, expanding, etc.
- Search Amazon for non-fiction books that will be released in the next 6-9 months. What topics come to mind that you could tie into the book release? (I’m pretty sure I found this idea through The Renegade Writer, but I couldn’t find the exact post.)
- Look at family photos, and think about what was happening in your life 1, 5, or even 10 years ago. Were you planning your child’s first birthday? Hoping for a promotion? Thinking about getting a dog?
- Read obscure magazines as you wait at the doctor’s office or hair salon. Ask the receptionist if she’ll pass them along to you before throwing them out or recycling them.
- Take two seemingly unrelated topics (for instance, dating and the economy or food and friendships) and think about how one might impact the other.
- Befriend PR people, and ask them to keep you in the loop.
- Look at your topic through a pop culture lens. For instance, what can the first ladies teach us about fashion? What does Grey’s Anatomy tell us about dating?
- Read the letters to the editor to gain insight into what readers are thinking about.
- Play tourist in your town and explore an area that is new to you.
- Flip through a course catalogue for your local continuing education center. What courses catch your eye?
- Listen to podcasts in your area of expertise and see what topics emerge.
- Take a myth and turn it on its head.
- Follow people on Twitter and see what they’re tweeting about. (Plus, read more Twitter tips for business.)
- Monitor sites like TrendHunter and SpringWise for inspiration.
- Instead of writing what you know, write what you want to know. Use an assignment as an excuse to ask fashion designers about their best style tips, entrepreneurs for their most successful marketing secrets, and so on.
- Use keyword tools (such as the WordTracker tool) to suggest SEO-friendly ideas for online articles.
Try something that scares you, then write an essay about the experience.
heck out a publication’s editorial calendar, and write a query based on that.
Look at your topic through a pop culture lens.
