There’s so much to write about! How to choose? Where to begin? Where to continue?

These are questions that I have every now and again, especially after being away from my own writing for a while. Sometimes, even before the research for a topic, you need to read to discover what you want to write about.

When I write posts, my goal is to deliver a relaxed and informative post. So, I write about what is interesting and important to me. When nothing’s popping into my head, I search out my inspiration. To plot my course, I read with writing in mind. Following are some of the things I read to decide my topic.

1. Reading blogs I know will give me inspiration. I visit some of my favorite sites, (check out my Blogroll), to read and hear the voices that speak that speak through their stories and insights. Good writing gets me going and makes me want to participate.
2. Blogs and other sources for poetry. Sometimes I’ll take a collection off my shelf and pick a poem. Sometimes I’ll read an old familiar poem that touches me. Sometimes, I’ll pick a new one to explore, to lose myself inside of. It doesn’t have to be profound, classical, or popular. It has to be something that speaks to you. Try reading several to wake your brain and get away from conventional thought routines. See if it doesn’t spark your creativity.
3. Sites that are peripherally related to writing. Health blogs have contributed to my content. Youtube videos and other entertainment sites. When I’m watching something it will spark an idea that brings me to the page, like Black in America 2. Try searching something that interests you, NCIS, Bones, Phil Collins, JK Rowling, see what others are writing about them.
4. Google has a wonderful alert notification system that you can sign up for. You simply pick the subjects that you want to be kept up on, and the frequency of notification. The Google bots will find and forward websites and Google blogs that meet the search criteria that you input. New sites to explore are regularly sent to me.
5. Writing websites like Helium an article promoting and soliciting site, and eZine and Viewpoints a review site. These sites have articles based on topics that people are interested in and have requested. Visit them and see what writers are interested in, and what their being asked to write on.
6. My personal journal. I forage through my old journals. I discover things I can’t believe I once thought; ideas that I’d forgotten about; phrases that once caught my ear; and sometimes a voice that I hardly recognize.
7. Review past blog posts. You probably know this one, but it bears repeating. Reviewing past posts helps you to be connected and have some continuity throughout your posts.  You can expound on an old post. It’s even possible to revise an idea completely as your stance may have changed.

These are my hunting grounds, the places I turn to for my next topics to write on. These places help get me back on track after days or weeks away. Like anything, they work best when you approach your search for ideas with an open mind.  And I hope you come by for my next post in which I’ll be discussing getting organized to help your blogging.

There are many more places from which draw writing topics. Tell me some of the reading you do to reveal your next writing topics.