Jon Samsel

Every article writer needs a helping hand, from time to time, coming up with idea for a new article. Some stimulus, connection or link in a writer’s mind often leads to a new article. For example, you may feel lonely one rainy afternoon and because of this feeling decide to create an article about depression, suicide, or the end of a water shortage crisis. Perhaps a phrase you see in a magazine suggests an article. Or a blog posting like this one jump starts your creative thinking.

Here are 40 suggestions to jump-start ideas for articles:

1. An interesting fact. Here is an example: Yale Daily News reported that 41 percent of Yale undergraduates were women. This interesting fact could lead to an article on the increased number of women at top Ivy League schools such as Yale and Harvard.
2. An Event. School, civic, musical or sports events may all suggest a possible article. Example: You hear about a class reunion held by your old high school or college. After attending the reunion, you could write an article like “The Joy and Heartache of Class Reunions.”
3. A season of the year. Have you ever considered the miracle of spring and how it returns each year from March 21 to June 21? Pondering this time of the year could easily stimulate an article titled, ‘‘The Return of Spring” or “21 Ways to Get Ready For Spring Cleaning.
4. An observation. One day a friend happened to remark that he “could count the number of his real friends on the fingers of one hand.” This led to an article idea, “The Miracle of Friendship.”
5. You might also consider writing an article about a remark or statement you hear. Here is an example: One day I was watching my new car go through a supposedly reliable car wash. Two workers jumped inside the car to vacuum. Suddenly, they started joking with one another and engaging in a slap fight. When my car was ready to go, it was discovered that inside mirror was in a new position, the radio was set to a new channel, and one of the floor mats was missing. Right on the spot I decided to blog about the service of this local car wash in a humorous article. Do you see how a feeling, emotion, or mood can trigger a new article? No doubt many articles have been given life because a writer was shocked, angry, disgusted, or irritated about something.
6. A warning of danger. To begin, make a list of dangerous things. Some examples are: “Investing Can Be Dangerous to Your Wealth,” “Beware of the Little Green Mold Monster,” or “Ride the New Mega-Scream Rollercoaster at Your Own Risk.
7. Visiting a place––even vicariously. “Syracuse: Home of the Orangemen,” “The Place Where McDonald’s Was Born,” and “Nashville: A City for All Seasons” are a few examples.
8. A holiday. One way is to consider how various holidays affect people. How do prisoners feel on major holidays? What about poor people, those in hospitals, or those who live alone? Example: “Holidays Can Be the Loneliest Time of the Year,” or “Kwanza Decorating Secrets.”
9. An intriguing question. Here is an example: “Ever Dream of Becoming a Spy?” Other possibilities with this method are “Will Time Travel Be Possible in Our Lifetime?” and “Should the Big Three Automakers Get a Bailout or Face Bankruptcy?”
10. Advice someone offered, including your own. Example: Perhaps you would like to create an article that would help troubled readers facing difficulties in life. Possible titles might be: “10 Tips for Discovering Your True Purpose in Life,” or “How to Land a New Job in Less Than 30 Days.”
11. A quotation. Quotes have triggered hundreds of new articles and probably thousands over the years. Example: Oracle CEO Larry Ellison made the following remark: “Microsoft’s future is based on the idea of Windows everywhere. We think that will never happen. We think it will be the Web everywhere.” This seems like a natural article for someone hoping to write about the impact the Internet has had on our lives, or an article about Microsoft losing its dominance in the computer marketplace. A writer reads an enormous number of quotations during a career. So be alert for those quotes that may have the seeds of one or more articles. They are out there. Look between the words. Examine the quotations you like from all angles. You’ll be glad you did.
12. An obituary. For example, “Adrian Kantrowitz, 90, a doctor who performed the first human heart transplant in the United States, died from congestive heart failure Nov. 14 at the University of Michigan Medical Center.” Or this news headline: “Paul Newman, actor and philanthropist, died on September 27th, aged 83.” The passing of a celebrity or interesting person can trigger an article idea because readers out there always like summary-type articles about an unexpected death; a kind of memorial or tribute type article. Don’t overlook reading obits, for there are definite articles waiting to be written about the famous or well-known.
13. Statistical information. Intriguing, alarming, or surprising numerical reports may well suggest an article. This is one reason for not overlooking reports on all subjects. Example: “The average American’s household credit card debt in 1990 was $2,966. In 2007 is was $9,840.” These stats could be the seed for a number of articles about staying out of debt, not using credit cards, or limiting the use to one or two.
14. A belief held by many people. Reincarnation is a belief held by millions of people all over the world. Some reports have stated half of all Americans believe in it. Two possible titles for an article on reincarnation might be “Do We Live Again?” or “If Reincarnation Is True, There’s No Escape.” Another belief held by most children is that Santa Clause is real. Imagine articles such as “The Origins of Kris Kringle.” Or, “Economic Meltdown: Why Santa Clause Won’t Be Coming to Town This Year.”
15. A need to influence a certain business segment or career group. First choose the career group or discipline you’d like to direct your article to––such as sales managers or online traffic buyers––then develop a premise around solving a problem of fulfilling a need. Some examples are: “How to Motive Your Sales Staff,” “15 Ways to Optimize Online Media Campaigns,” and “How to Develop an Integrated Media Plan to Increase Revenue.”
16. A particular type of problem: business, family, or personal. Example: “Stop Snoring Forever.” Another one is “How to Avoid Bankruptcy in Five Simple Steps.”
17. A declarative statement. Declarative statements are everywhere––from the marketing copy on your breakfast cereal box, to the subtitle on that cookbook on the kitchen table, to that sales flyer tucked under your windshield wiper. Some declarative statements that might be used for articles include: “Delicious, healthy meals in 10 minutes or less,” “Landscaping can increase the value of your home” and “Bran is an excellent source of fiber.”
18. An idea. Example: Consider the often expressed idea that there will be much greater use of robots in the years ahead. This could well lead to an article. Here is another possibility: The idea that it pays for writers to know the business side, as well as the creative side, of their line of work. Such an article would be right on target for trade publications for writers or a creative writing blog.
19. A trait or quality shared by most people. Example: Millions of people are fans of Marilyn Monroe. A touching tribute was once published about her that discussed her childlike quality, which comes across on the screen. Members of the human family share this trait of being childlike. An article written about this subject might be titled: “The Child in All of Us.” Lots of people throughout the world have freckles. Why not an article for a woman’s magazine titled: “Freckles Are Fabulous.”
20. A dramatic, unusual or surprising phrase. We urge you to keep a special notebook of shocking phrases you might come across in your everyday life; they can often lead to article ideas. Keep your ears tuned for anything unusual, fresh, or captivating. For example, a veteran insurance agent claimed he got results selling insurance by asking prospects the following question: “Will your widow dress as well as your wife does?” Imagine an article with a similar title! “Surviving the Ups and Downs of a Tumultuous Market” is a title culled from today’s troubling financial headlines. “Are You Afraid to Die?” is another phrase that might perk a few ears. Or how about: “Rinsing with Vinegar Can Cure an Itchy Scalp.”

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This entry was posted on Friday, November 21st, 2008 at 2:49 am and is filed under Creativity, Design, Management, Writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.