by Emily Hunter

Created on: June 08, 2010

Brainstorming is a technique used to quickly generate several ideas.  you start with a topic, a sheet of paper and a timer.  With an arbitrary amount of time, write down everything that comes to mind in relation to that topic.  For freelancers, this is a valuable technique which will help to garner business and keep the topics flowing.

You are an entrepreneur and responsible for the marketing and output of your business.  To be successful, you know that your time must be divided equally between the two so that you can earn a viable income.  Articles need to be written as quickly and as professionally as possible so that the next subject can be tackled and added to the library.  With regular brainstorming, you have a list at your fingertips with both options and topics to work with.  There is no need to waste valuable writing time with searching for subjects, just take the next one on the list and go to town.

When you are feeling blocked for marketing activities or topics to write about, have a personal brainstorming session and write down all of the ideas that you can come up with in ten minutes.  Bring a friend into the brainstorming session so that they can offer ideas as well.  That friend will offer a different perspective to the process, one which might be the fresh take on the situation that you need.  Don't discount any of the solutions that you come up with, just write them down.  

Some freelancers don't succeed because they run out of steam or find that they don't have the discipline to be writing every day.  Some freelancers don't succeed because they are great writers who don't market themselves appropriately.  Self doubt and lack of self confidence are great ways to kill a business.  Brainstorming is an excellent way to revitalize the urge and will to write.  With a commitment to the craft, you can follow through and achieve untold success.

After you have your list, you can evaluate each of the solutions that you've come up with for viability.  Not every solution that you have will be viable.  That's to be expected because some solutions are expensive or time consuming.  Rather than just 'writing it off' write down the reason why that solution is being placed to the side because it might not be unwieldy forever.  Brainstorming can provide the impetus to push your freelance writing to the next level. 

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