Saving Your Content Ideas – Any Time, Any Place

Writers get their ideas from a variety of places and many come from real life situations. But, it’s not always easy to put those ideas into hard copy form, especially when you are on the move. Here are some tips to keep those great ideas from getting away.

Ideas come from the obscurest of situations and they can happen at any time and in any place. You think of a brilliant article topic or title, but standing on a crowded subway train or driving down the road is hardly the time to start writing that article. But just waiting to later may mean you completely forget that brilliant idea you had…we don’t want that to happen!

1. Carry a notepad and pen with you. It can be a small notepad that can easily slip into the pocket of your jeans or the front compartment of your purse. In the elevator, when the guy with the look of death sneezes, you can write down that you want to write an article on elevator etiquette. You can right in shorthand if you know it as long as you get it down. That little notepad (and a flashlight) comes in handy around two o’clock in the morning when it’s dark and you get a burst of inspiration.

2. Use a voice recorder. On the crowded train or driving, it is easier to voice your ideas into a tape recorder, an mp3 player or your cell phone if it has a voice recorder. It can be used anywhere. Don’t worry about the people staring at you. You’re being creative.

3. Send a text message or the notepad of your cell phone. When you have no pen or paper, send your idea to yourself via text message. Sure, you’ll get charged for the text, but you’ll also have the idea you didn’t want to forget. Or if your cell phone has a notepad function (most do), just record your ideas there.

Writing ideas don’t often materialize when we are prepared to write them down. You’ll need to carry a few things with you to make sure you are prepared for the rogue idea that slides into your brain on the Number 9 train or sitting at the intersection of First and Main.