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Ideas for writing are not something we find, but rather cultivate. Cultivating, however, implies that we already have some "seeds". In other words, the key to having a wealth of writing ideas is to find those seeds, know how to cultivate them, and create a bountiful garden from which to pick one of many inspired ideas.

Since finding those seeds is a mental process, it shouldn't be a matter of long, laboring and tedious hunting and digging. Instead, it should be a matter of "mentally scanning" Tedious laboring is counter-productive to the creative process. Bringing a vast array of things into quick focus will usually result in at least a few ideas.

The mental scanning process should start inside and move outward. Begin by giving your mind a quick scan to see if you've missed any seeds that are already there. Have there been times when you've thought of an idea for writing but not acted on it? Are there things you'd like to say to "the world"? Do you know a better way to do something, or is there something you think other people don't understand as well they should? What things are important to you? What, in life, do you absolutely treasure? What bugs you? Scan your memory for people, things, or events that had impact on you.

Once you've finished scanning your mind for overlooked seeds, consider taking advantage of today's "great scanner of the world", the Internet. Go to writing sites and scan the categories in which you have interest writing. Scan titles within those categories. With the world of titles available there is usually something that will catch the eye.

If writing sites offer nothing scan national and local news sites. There may be something there that will trigger inspiration and cultivating.

Don't get bogged down by taking the time to do anything but quick scans. Don't read anything that doesn't immediately catch your eye as a possible idea for writing. Don't click on adds or links. The Internet will be there for other purposes later.

If you still haven't found anything that captures your creative instincts close down that browser window, put your hands in the air (or at least not on the keyboard), and step away from the computer. It's time to scan for some arresting ideas within your immediate surroundings.

Mentally scan things in your home, beginning with the room you're in and working outward. Think of things that mean something to you, projects you want to do or have done, things that bother you, or things are

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