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The ultimate answer? "Everywhere."

Sounds like a cop out? Not really. Writers are different from other people in that they look at the world differently. Two seemingly unrelated events or ideas can suddenly come together and create a whole new story or topic to write about.

When I did a writing course sixteen years ago, one of the assignments was to come up with two ideas for articles. It took me ages. I found it extremely hard, because it wasn't something I was used to doing.

But after practice I started seeing ideas and characters everywhere. If I went out with a friend and we both saw something happen, the event would soon be forgotten in my friend's mind, but I would be fleshing it out to create a story idea.

I didn't write at all for three or four years a while back, after my dad died, and when I went back to it I found it hard work to start finding those ideas again. But I soon fell back into the rhythm of looking at the world in a different way, and the ideas started coming back.

So it's not so much where and how to find those ideas, it's learning to look at things through a writer's eyes, and that comes with practice. Good luck!

Learn more about this author, Allison Whitehead.
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