One of the topics that consistently come up in blogging is how to come up with topics to write about. I’m not going to bore you with the same old list of places to go for inspiration, because you probably already have your favorite places. One problem with that is, many times you find an idea, but when you start to write, it feels like you’re just rehashing what someone else has written. Your inspiration ends up not being very inspiring.

While other blogs are good for getting the juices flowing, it still comes down to your own creativity. If you’re like me, you have topic ideas running through your mind all of the time. Unfortunately, I don’t always take the time to capture them, and I’m forced to try to remember them later. Usually they are just lost forever.

Your brain is a funny thing. It really wants to be helpful, but it makes judgment calls on how to best accomplish what it thinks you want. If you want ideas to write about, your subconscious mind will send them your way. If you use what it gives you, it will send more. On the other hand, if you ignore what your subconscious mind gives you, it will assume that you don’t really want new ideas, and the stream of fresh topics will dry up. As far as your mind is concerned, actions speak louder than words. Despite what you say, your brain will act on what you do.

Find yourself an inexpensive pocket notebook to carry around with you. I bought several Moleskines that were very affordable, but what you use is really a matter of your own preference. The important thing is to have something to capture your thought, and to use it. When an idea hits you, take a few seconds to jot it down. If you get into the habit of doing this, you will find yourself with a list that grows so fat you won’t be able to keep up with it.

Check back at Writing a Better Blog for more tips on building your blog. If you like what you’ve read, give me a link, a Digg, or a Stumble. There are links on the right make it easy for you. Thanks for reading.

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.