The beginning of the semester promises a fresh start which makes it a great time to prioritize the things that are important to us and attempt to form new habits. For us Her Campus members, this can be a great time to set the goal to write articles regularly. As exciting as the prospect of this is, at times it can be difficult to come up with original ideas to write about. If you’re like me, this can be discouraging to the point of calling it quits and binge watching Netflix instead. Luckily, there are a lot of great ways to get your creative juices flowing! Here are just a few examples of how to brainstorm fresh article ideas:
- Try something new.
-
Her Campus is a great excuse to challenge yourself and justify doing things that might ordinarily be out of your comfort zone- like wearing ridiculous outfits publically or eating like a princess for a week. If anyone asks, just say “Oh, this is for an article I’m writing.” It’s basically a free pass to make absurd decisions.
- Learn about a concept that interests you.
-
Listening to new podcasts, reading articles, or watching Ted Talks are great ways to get inspired to write well-informed articles. Try combining a variety of sources to come up with your own unique perspective on complex issues. Not only is this be a great way to learn new information and challenge yourself, it might also inspire readers to consider a new perspective. (Plus think of how smart you’ll feel doing individual research in your free-time!)
- Ask friends about their interests.
-
Asking your friends what kind of things they’re interested in can help you to get an understanding of what readers want in an article AND it can help you to learn more about your friends #bonding.
- Participate in events on and off campus.
-
Again, this is a great way to challenge yourself to try new things! Participating in events on and off campus can be a great way to get involved in the community; and if you’re an activist, writing articles on events you attend can promote change in the world by helping to spread your message to a broader audience.
- Use your daily life as inspiration.
-
One of the easiest ways to come up with ideas for articles is to use your life as inspiration. What kind of problems have you overcome that you can help others with? What do you enjoy doing that you want to share? Using your life as inspiration gives your pieces a personal touch and can make you feel connected to your content. In fact, as I contemplated what kind of articles I could write this semester, I considered that others might also be struggling to come up with ideas- hence this list!
There are plenty of other ways to come up with article ideas so be creative and see where your imagination takes you!