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You've probably heard many times before that if you want to be a writer, just sit down and write. But what are you supposed to do if you don't have anything to write about? There are several ways writers brainstorm ideas when nothing seems to want to come to mind.

A writer's greatest tool in thinking up a story idea is the question "What if?" What if this happens? What if this person does this? What if they find that out? You as a writer or aspiring writer should never stop asking "what if?"

Try thinking about someone you know well as a potential character or create a fictional character. Make a list of everything about the person what they are like, their appearance, their mannerisms, even what covers their walls at home.

Write it all down until you have a perfect image of what this person is like. Now ask "what if?" What if they got fired from their job? What if they found out their spouse is cheating on them? What if they woke up in another dimension? Find a setting that you would like to write about this person in.

Another approach to finding a story is creating a problem, a goal or a decision for the main character to deal with. This can just be an everyday problem or very elaborate and the story is about how it is solved. Think about common problems that plague people and create a story that makes this problem different or harder or more complex for the main character.

People find it easier to write about something they already know about. It would be difficult for a city person to write a story about growing up on a farm without a lot of research. Find an area of expertise that you have or draw upon your own experiences and create a story around them.

Clustering is a unique way of creating a story idea. You start with an interesting word on a piece of paper and then write then next word you think of somewhere around it. You keep adding words that come to mind as you look at the words you've already written down. You can draw arrows from some words to others as you feel they connect more. This is an easy thing to do instead of doodling while talking on the phone or while you have a few spare minutes here and there.

There are endless stories to be found in the newspaper. You will find more useful ideas the farther from the front page you go. The story about the lady rescued from a burning building could turn into a "what if the fire truck got in an accident on the way there?" How would she get down? The "what if's" from the newspaper are endless.

Researching a topic you are interested in can lead to a story. Say you are interested in sailing are researching what kind of sailboat to buy. What if you crashed on a deserted island? What if you got lost at sea in the 1800's? What if your son was afraid of water and you couldn't get him to go on the boat when you had already planned this elaborate family sailing vacation?

Listen to conversation going on around you. Sit at a park, library, shopping mall or some other public place and observe people. Turn incidents you see and conversations you hear into stories by asking "what if". What if you see a couple having a fight? What if they break up and he leaves before she can tell him she is pregnant? What if your spouse walks into a public restroom and never comes out?

Stories are all around you. It is just up to you to reach out and grab one and give it life on paper. No matter what kind of writer you want to be, you can find a story in an everyday situation just by asking yourself "what if?"

Learn more about this author, Tirzah Hawkins.
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