From Inspiration to Article

Bible study and other classes can create some of the most inspirational moments in my day. Sometimes I even get the ideas down on paper. There are even those rare moments when the ideas get to leap from the paper to my computer and become legitimate articles.

This last week was one of those times when the ideas seemed to flow out faster than the words of the people around me. I started writing out what I was thinking on a separate piece of paper from my study notes so that I could easily transfer the ideas into something more.

Tips for Taking Notes and Making Posts

1. Write out more than a title or line – include the thoughts that made you latch on to the idea in the first place.

2. Set down four or five points that relate to the idea. Use those points to expand the idea and create your post or article.

3. Ask questions about the information that you can research later. There are often questions that you may not feel comfortable asking – maybe it’s off the point or out of this world – so write it out and then take that question with you later to dig up the information until you find the answer.

4. Steal, steal and then steal some more. People come up with some of the best titles, article subjects and even points for the article. Sometimes they mean to and sometimes it’s elevator talk. Catch the inspiration and then mold it into your own vision. I often ask if it’s okay if I use their comment or idea in an article – just to be on the safe side.

5. Be discrete. I was writing an article in church one morning (when the muse dance you must follow, right?) and the pastor walked over to stand over me. It was a good thing that I normally took notes and I quickly flipped back to my church page before he settled in to that spot where I was trying to work. Try not to distract others with your inspiration.

Ideas are great and the more the merrier. My problem is that I have a box full of ideas and struggle to get them flipped into articles. By writing down just a little more than the basic idea AND by taking the time sooner to expand on that idea I am taking the inspiration around me and creating my articles.