How To Get Ideas For Online Writing

This is not an article about SEO tactics, how to write a viral post or how to get the most views. In the game of writing for the internet, all those are valid points to consider and there are many great articles about this.

This is not an article about having a good command of the English language and strong grammar and sentence structure skills. But these are also extremely important to create writing that people want to read and respond to.

In the online writing game, topics come and go. What is interesting one year is barely searched for the next. Sometimes a great article about an unsaturated topic never gets off the ground and never gets indexed. Sometimes a post on a saturated topic finds its way into the search engines, ranks and does well.

In short, there's a lot of skill and a lot of luck involved in the world of online writing.

Part of the formula to be successful is just to write.

• Find topics that interest you.
• Find ones where your unique perspective and ideas are not out there.
• Approach a well-covered topic in a unique way.

You may make money writing online. You may not. But if the ideas and inspiration are not there, you are not likely to be successful.

Here are some ways to gather ideas for writing posts, blogs and articles in the online world.

Writing online can be personally fulfilling and rewarding as well as profitable. It takes patience, time and a willingness to adjust and correct along the way.

One of the best platforms for quality writers is Hubpages. Signing up is easy and free.

I really can't emphasize this one enough. If you are writing articles about the beach and you not only have never been to the beach but you live in the middle of the desert, your readers will know.

As Holden Caulfield points out, no one likes a phony, and most of your audience will be turned off within the first few lines of your writing.

So when you start writing, make a list of what you know and what you like to do.

• Is there something that your friends or family ask you for advice about?
• Do you have a hobby that you could teach others about?
• Is there a subject you are particularly good at?
• When you get to choose how to spend your time, what do you do?

The answers to these questions can start to lead you down the road to the topics that you should write about. Everything from crochet to gaming to hiking has a niche and has an audience.

Not only will the writing be easier for you, your readers will also be able to gather information and will understand that on this subject, you have a perspective; you have ideas. Your voice will be authentic and true.

This goes hand-in-hand with writing about what you know. If you are not interested in the topic, don't find the facts and details interesting, then neither will your audience.

There are things that you do and know but you don't like them. If you don't like them, don't write about them.

I was made to take piano lessons for almost a decade when I was a child. I hated every second of it. Though I know a lot about piano and music theory, it's not really fun or interesting to me. So I don't write about it.

Many of us use the internet to research questions. Sometimes we find the answer and sometimes we can be frustrated by how hard it is to find the exact answer for the situation we are describing.

Instead of getting frustrated, use it as an opportunity to use your new-found knowledge as a new article for your readers.

Can't find an article that talks about the best kind of sunscreen for red-headed toddlers? Research, then write your own.

This research may mean you

• Interview Experts
• Review Books at the Library
• Find Trade Journals on the Topic
• Conduct Your Own Experiments and Report Results

Once you have the evidence, you can compose a piece of writing that is helpful and useful. Since you were going to be doing the research anyway, why not turn all that time into an online piece?

Be sure that you reference any sources you use.

Going on a vacation with your family? Take a camera along. You can snap pictures and take notes and then create a great article about your adventure.

Readers that will never go on that vacation can experience it through your story. Those that might be planning a similar trip can get great advice from you.

You can also chronicle other activities.

When you finally create that piece of writing, ask yourself if it truly is a quality piece of writing. Does it provide the information you intended? Will your reader keep reading?

The other tough question you must ask yourself is: Will anyone else but me care about this?

Sure you have a blast every week at your underwater bingo class, but it is neither likely to be a sport that really takes off or one that is searched for.

Some topics and niches are so specialized and have such a small audience that, while they might be fun to write about, if your goal is to get an audience and to be noticed by search engines, you might spend your time pursuing other topics.

So when you look at your list of items that interest you, decide if any of them are too specialized or just too boring to write about.

I'll end this the same way I began. You must write what you know.

Everyone has unique interests and life experiences. Whether you like cooking or rock climbing, if you trust yourself, you can turn your interest into an informative and interesting online article.