Elementary Writing

How to get Creative Writing Ideas Online

Coming up with new creative writing ideas from the thin air is difficult and time consuming.

Good news is that there are techniques and online resources you can use right now to produce as many ideas as you will need. Here are some of the best and some of the easiest.

Creative Writing Ideas – Where they usually come from?

Creative Writing Ideas are everywhere around us.

Do you see the book ?

Let’s first look at the traditional setup that teaches us of the inspiration coming from:

Other people observation
Newspapers and Magazines
World out there
Your bookshelf or a local library
Your personal experiences

The problem is though, finding those ideas, it can be as much hard work as siting at the desk writing.

If you just sit down in front of your computer, and it’s just a blank page, you’ve got no idea what to write or where the story goes next, you don’t think that anything is going to happen, then the good news is that the little piece of hardware you are sitting in front of can actually be your precious source of fresh inspiration and creative writing ideas. You just need to know where to look.

How to Make Inspiration specific Search Engine Survey

This sledge hammer technique rests on two most powerful forces in the known universe:

Internet Search Engines
Your desire for indulgence

And this is how it works: You need to make a list of the keywords and phrases that best match the answers to the following questions:

What is Your life wish list ?
What do you best understand ?
What is most important to you ?
How do you feel now ?

Once you make the list, you can perform your own custom search to Google, Yahoo, Live or Ask search engines, than narrow it to the resources listed bellow. You will be surprised with the results and how they neatly follow the pattern of your anticipation and aspiration.

Online Resources for Creative Writing Ideas

Online Newspapers and Magazines
Most of the popular magazines and newspapers today are present Online. Searching for them is easy process, here is just a god starting repository for your search.

* World Newspapers – directory
* Metagrid – Magazines search engine
* FreeByte – News Agregator

Many magazines will have RSS feed for subscription. You may subscribe to their topic specific feeds using your feed reader.

Social Media Sites
There are two types of social media sites that you should explore to find articles related to your preferences.

The social bookmarking sites like delicious and furl where users save their bookmarks and tag them. If lots of users save an URL, the site or page becomes popular.

News popularity sites like digg and mixx. Check out these sites and subscribe to the appropriate categories and tags that are related to your topics. Also, search for “Top List of Social Media sites” using Google.

Nice easy way to get fresh creative writing ideas and have fun at the same time is to install StumbleUpon toolbar, small browser plug-in. By utilizing the power of Social Networks with each pressing to Stumble button, it serves you a new website that is most of what the online community is buzzing about at the moment. Nice way to stay tuned as well.

Google Alerts
Once you have a list of keywords, go to Google Alerts and create a Google alerts based on those keywords. Google will send you the latest relevant Google results based on those keywords. You can choose to receive the alert email once a day. You can also opt to receive alerts on topics published only in blogs and news.

Meme Trackers
Meme trackers are about creating something memorable. These sites study linking behavior to find the most talked-about news. That is exactly why they may be the excellent source of fresh ideas for writers.You may find list of meme trackers and more information about this service at Memetracker Wikipedia page.

Be cautious though, as the number of articles from these meme tracker sites may overwhelm your RSS reader because each day these sites track hundreds of posts. So, you need to organize all these feeds in a single folder of your RSS reader. Scan the titles quickly and flag the post you are interested in.

Make Literature Online – Free Writing Ideas Factory

If you wish an instant access to quality creative writing ideas resource, this is a good place to go. Make Literature Online Collaborative Writing Community provides an extensive catalog of fresh creative writing ideas contributed under the open Creative Commons License by the community members.

If you find one, few or many ideas here, intriguing enough and inspiring for your future writings, you are free to pick them up and use freely within the specific terms of CC License. This is a precious shortcut to overcoming writer’s block that you may go back to whenever you need it.

Bottom Line – Start Writing Now »

It’s better to write anything, and do it right now. English writer Graham Green attributes much of his success to a simple habit: He forced himself to write at least 500 words daily, whether he felt like it or not. Perhaps creative inspiration can strike at any time, but it strikes more often when there is work instead of waiting. Use the advices from this article, than start writing and you’ll have more creative writing ideas.

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Tags: creative writing, Creative Writing Ideas, free writing ideas, online writing, start writing, writing ideas, writing inspiration, writing resources

41 Comments

Dave from How To Blog (1 comments.) on 27.09.2008 at 11:41 (Reply)

You list lots of great resources for creative writing ideas. The online resources these days are just amazing. A few you’ve mentioned I hadn’t thought of before. Thanks so much for the new ideas!
Audrey from BestWorkAtHomeOffers (1 comments.) on 28.09.2008 at 19:45 (Reply)

These are wonderful tips. I write a lot of content each day for my own websites and for clients. I can always use more tips to spark creativity.
kouji from haiku poems (3 comments.) on 01.10.2008 at 12:40 (Reply)

at least with respect to writing poetry, there are a number of sites which offer an image, poem, certain words, or some other prompt to write something around. have a few of them on my blogroll.
1. contesa (2 comments.) on 04.10.2008 at 16:05 (Reply)
  
  It would be interesting to analyze how haiku poems may influence writers creativity )
Ryan from Recording Studio Los Angeles (1 comments.) on 02.10.2008 at 02:56 (Reply)

Your ideas really cast light onto things I feel I have struggled with. Thank you so much for your taking the time to help people like me.

Ryan
Paillard from Movie Script Writing Software Sale (1 comments.) on 03.10.2008 at 21:10 (Reply)

These are great quick to the point suggestions on finding inspirations for ideas when we suffer from writer’s block. I like how you are concise in your posts instead of padding them with lots of fluff. Thank you.
Rika's Fun With Flooring (1 comments.) on 04.10.2008 at 13:28 (Reply)

What a fabulous list of resources and fresh ideas! Thanks! I need all the help I can get. Didn’t know I would turn to article writing, but I absolutely love it. Isn’t it a privilege to have the whole internet at our disposal? No shortage of new input. I love technology!
TR from Symptoms of Alcohol Dependence (1 comments.) on 05.10.2008 at 17:59 (Reply)

I like music the best for inspiration, it always clears my head and gets me thinking anytime i feel like writing. Photographs, and good scenery can help too
Spike from myrtle beach website design (1 comments.) on 10.10.2008 at 02:01 (Reply)

It’s crazy. I’ll have so much to write (well, type…), but when I get in front of my computer, I’ll sometimes go blank. I guess that’s the proverbial “writer’s block”.

I’ll have to try this technique. If I could add 500 words a day to my blog, I’d be doing real well for myself.
1. butterfly on 10.10.2008 at 17:31 (Reply)
  
  Indeed Spike, it sounds like a cliche, but the first real test for every writer is productivity versus persistence. Many fail on this test and then, we are coming to self-motivation. To facilitate the process, you need to spark your imagination with fresh content, and that’s where these techniques come to its place…
Kevin from Great Wall of China Facts (5 comments.) on 11.10.2008 at 02:22 (Reply)

Thanks for the good tips. I love creative writing and to start writing more. I think I may start my own blog about it!
Jill from Coping With Stress Through Writing (1 comments.) on 11.10.2008 at 21:28 (Reply)

Great tips! I always encourage people to pull from the struggles in their lives to come up with great creative writing ideas. Good stories need drama, and if you’re stressed out, then there is probably some good drama in your life to give you those great ideas! Besides, it’s easy to come up with ideas when you write what you know.
Shane Sheibani (1 comments.) on 12.10.2008 at 00:36 (Reply)

Has no one yet mentioned an ingenious method by famed music producer Brian Eno for jumpstarting creativity that has worked wonders for many writers- it’s called Oblique Strategies and Eno first wrote these down on a series of cards that he would shuffle randomly and pick out. There is an amazing free online version of this at http://stoney.sb.org/eno/oblique.html

For those who need further explanation, the following quote from Eno should help-
” The Oblique Strategies evolved from me being in a number of working situations when the panic of the situation – particularly in studios – tended to make me quickly forget that there were others ways of working and that there were tangential ways of attacking problems that were in many senses more interesting than the direct head-on approach. If you’re in a panic, you tend to take the head-on approach because it seems to be the one that’s going to yield the best results. Of course, that often isn’t the case – it’s just the most obvious and – apparently – reliable method. The function of the Oblique Strategies was, initially, to serve as a series of prompts which said, “Don’t forget that you could adopt *this* attitude,” or “Don’t forget you could adopt *that* attitude.”

The first Oblique Strategy said “Honour thy error as a hidden intention.” And, in fact the first Oblique Strategy – done quite independently and before either of us had become conscious that the other was doing that – was …I think it was “Was it really a mistake?” which was, of course, much the same kind of message.”"
Louis Vuitton bags on 12.10.2008 at 02:31 (Reply)

I have to say this is very great tips for me. There’s always a time during which I am stucked in mind. Thank you.
Louis Vuitton bags (1 comments.) on 12.10.2008 at 02:34 (Reply)

I have to be thankful for your tips. You see, there’s always a time when you nearly have nothing on your mind.
Bobby from Eiffel Tower Facts (1 comments.) on 15.10.2008 at 21:42 (Reply)

I would like to take a writing class but I dont think I have the time. I think maybe I should just apply these tips instead.
Kevin from Great Wall of China History (5 comments.) on 16.10.2008 at 16:54 (Reply)

Nice collection of resources. This should help me a lot with my creative writing!
pete from Time Tracker (1 comments.) on 17.10.2008 at 07:44 (Reply)

Great tips! Whenever I’ve got to come up with some creative writing ideas, I often just go for a walk. I know it sounds a bit cliche, but I often grab my iPod, hit the shuffle button and simply take a hike. Often just observing what’s going on around me, while accompanied by a soundtrack leads to some interesting ideas.
Zaldy Dalisay from Custom Mini Bikes (1 comments.) on 20.10.2008 at 16:43 (Reply)

Thanks for the tip, I’d try to write a few creative articles within the day thru this
Norhafidz from Make Money On Internet (1 comments.) on 22.10.2008 at 00:29 (Reply)

Google alerts helps me a lot with various of keywords. Thanks for the advice
Crystal from straightening balm (1 comments.) on 23.10.2008 at 19:30 (Reply)

Well, it varies from person to person…but listening to music can really be a help. Or maybe instead of writing while on the computer really blanks your mind because you get so used to being on the computer for a million other things it can be a general distraction. I find that it is much easier to write with pen and pad and then later transfer it over. Also, step outside while writing, that might bring natural creativity! Never go anywhere without pad and paper, or even invest in a nice voice recorder. Anyone have any ideas on making research easier?
Daniel from PHP Programmer Philippines (1 comments.) on 28.10.2008 at 18:39 (Reply)

great tips thanks for this i think i’ll apply these to my own blog thank you ver much
O Benim Başkanım on 05.11.2008 at 12:44 (Reply)

Thank you so much for your taking the time to help people like me.
Val from 0800Numbers (1 comments.) on 05.11.2008 at 22:45 (Reply)

Its always great to come across ideas such as these. Like many people have mentioned very often it is so easy to get writers block and if some of these useful tips are followed I’m sure it will help the ideas to start flowing again. Many thanks!
Lindsay from writing (1 comments.) on 06.11.2008 at 05:06 (Reply)

A thorough list. I would put reading or watching history at 10 to 1 over just about anything though.

There is so much “noise” out there in the world of blogs, news, and other media, that it can be hard to find anything new or original to inspire you. On the other hand, we’ve thousands of years of history to discover, and there is some fascinating stuff in there!
Dan from Caribbean Holidays (1 comments.) on 21.11.2008 at 10:32 (Reply)

Great tips, I will have to take these into consideration when writing my next blog post.
Jaz from Indian Autos Blog (1 comments.) on 29.12.2008 at 10:13 (Reply)

Once you have decided what to write on, I recommend you writing on different types of papers. Try a blank sheet, then a ruled sheet and even a newspaper with a marker pen.
Dan from VideoGameReviews (1 comments.) on 01.01.2009 at 08:59 (Reply)

That’s some great tips you got there for creative writing, I write blog posts almost everyday for a number of sites and work, it’s always great to get some tips on how to make my writing more creative. Cheers
Charles from Las Vegas Homes (1 comments.) on 15.01.2009 at 20:42 (Reply)

I’ve been using google alerts a lot lately. Started to get so many that I had to trim a few. They are great up to a point, there are still some relevancy issues. Absolutely fantastic list of tips. Bookmarked it.
Lightning Bug from viral advertising (5 comments.) on 26.01.2009 at 22:44 (Reply)

A very comprehensive list. I find the best thing for me is just to go out for a walk with eyes and ears open.
Ricardo from Pigeon Repellent (1 comments.) on 03.02.2009 at 22:30 (Reply)

This is a very comprehensive list indeed. Creative writing is all about ideas and ideas are all about being inventive

-Ricardo
Ashley from Living in France (1 comments.) on 09.02.2009 at 06:41 (Reply)

I was doing some research for my latest fashion post when I came across your lovely blog. Thank you for the information, so refreshing… and I love “keywordluv”
B. Durant from pet snakes (2 comments.) on 11.02.2009 at 17:04 (Reply)

I found a great way to come up with ideas for writing is to write a two or three page story about a common everyday object sitting on your desk. For example I could write something about – “The Lonely pen” that doesn’t get hardly any use now that the person who once used it all the time has a computer.
maru from relojes de pulsera (1 comments.) on 18.02.2009 at 16:26 (Reply)

interesting tips to take into account especially the last ” start writing now” .. sometimes maybe this can be a big problem
gerrybeee from crime writing (1 comments.) on 25.02.2009 at 19:00 (Reply)

Serendipity! I’ve just done a post in praise of random stimulation to get you started and stumbled on this site. I will put a link.
Shane from Freelance Writer Blog (1 comments.) on 26.02.2009 at 02:41 (Reply)

Great post. I think the idea of creative writing is different for different writers. I’ve known writers who can’t tolerate anything other than utter silence, while I prefer to have headphones and music playing. Part of getting ideas for me are noticing the everyday details. The more little things I look at and/or notice, the more often I find inspiration hits.
Trent from Home Business (1 comments.) on 02.03.2009 at 22:35 (Reply)

Wow great list of creative writing tips! I do a lot of writing and it can often be difficult to come up with ideas. This will definitely help. Thank you!
Bob Sloan (1 comments.) on 18.04.2009 at 18:03 (Reply)

Some really good ideas if your stock. But beware, surfing for different subjects can lead to lack of concentration. I like the idea of sitting down and telling urself that the next hour or two, u will do nothing else than write and write. Also turn of the radio
batanespaolo(new comment) on 06.06.2009 at 04:06 (Reply)

Really hard to get ideas.
thanks for Joomla – my CMS its helps me a lot. specially its Joomla Component that allows me to easy update my content and check what are the changes by dates.

thanks for good tips.
Thomas Hosley from The Fastsize Extender(new comment) on 16.07.2009 at 12:32 (Reply)

The google alerts method is a very nice idea. i had never thought of it before.I am for sure going to use it!
thanks
Clesie from JTag Helpdesk(new comment) on 05.08.2009 at 03:13 (Reply)

Great Ideas!
I like the newspaper and magazine idea.
this will target local readers and site visitors.

thanks for sharing.