I read and write a lot, and to me, ideas are like fireflies!
What do I mean by that?
Well, I read a couple of posts recently by authors who bemoaned the lack of ideas to write about. They wondered how it’s possible for anyone to write every day or even every week and keep it fresh.
While I realize we’re all wired differently and obviously see the world differently, I was still surprised by that.
I seem to “suffer” from the opposite problem: I can’t turn off my mind because it keeps insisting that I write about this or that, or that, or this! Oh! Look! There’s another idea behind that tree! Another one running down the road! Quick! Catch it before it gets away!
Now, even though those opportunities are often disguised, show up they do, sometimes pushing and jostling for attention. And they’re usually just ordinary pieces of my life that get me thinking … hmmmm. There could be a story in that …
A conversation recently with one of my BFFs about her son’s upcoming wedding got me a little teary-eyed and sparked one.
Noticing hashtags in so many LinkedIn articles just helped me create one this morning on LinkedIn.
Writing about little-known nonprofits touches my heart, so I wrote this article about Silatech, an organization located in Doha, Qatar, whose mission is to empower disadvantaged youth and women, finding and funding employment opportunities in 17 countries so far in the MENA (Middle East/North Africa) region. The organization has already helped over one million young people, with the ambitious goal of five million by the end of 2022.
Reading articles by others can get me thinking. I see how an author fits the pieces together for a story, and sometimes I see one of those pieces that could either be fleshed out or taken in a new direction. Love riffing off someone else’s original idea (with full credit given)!
Heck, just gazing out through my sun porch windows at Buttermilk Bay (my backyard) has sparked several articles, including this one about a backpack being enough. And if you read it, you’ll see that it came about because of a good friend’s excellent article.
Because my mind wanders far and wide, I chose to name my BIZCATALYST 360° column “All in All.” I didn’t want to limit myself; I wanted to write about whatever occurs to me. Although American grammar is my best-known core topic, it’s too limiting. Even I would get bored just writing about that every day.
All in all, I feel privileged to be allowed to see our small blue planet from so many perspectives, including yours. Thank you for sharing your stories with us!
So, enough about me. What about YOU? Where and how do you find your stories? Do you have trouble doing that, or are they all around you, begging you to choose them so others may learn and enjoy?