Many writers face the problem of coming up with good ideas. Whether you need an idea for a story, article, or even a poem, the first step is having an idea. For some writers, ideas just come to them out of thin air at random. For others, they have to think really hard to think of a good idea, and often come up blank.

When I try too hard to think of an idea, I usually cannot. Thinking long and hard, hoping to force an idea out of my head rarely works. I find that most of my ideas come to me when I am not expecting it, or thinking about it. I might be laying in bed trying to sleep, or be having a shower and the idea will just pop into my head.

When I am really trying to find a good idea for a story, I will use a "what if" exercise. By doing this exercise, you can help train your brain to recognize a good idea when it comes to you. A "what if" is a scenario that may pop into your head at any point during the day. You might be riding the bus to work and think "What if the bus driver was an escaped serial killer?" or you might be at home and think "What if my neighbors are vampires?"

Learning to recognize and write down these thoughts when they come to you is half the battle. Most of us have thoughts like this during the day but we dismiss them or they are just passing thoughts. Recognizing these thoughts can help you come up with many ideas, even if you are not actively searching for one.

It is important to write these ideas down, because some of them might not make a good story. Next time you have a "what if" thought, write it down in a notebook. Take another look at it a week or two later and ask yourself if you still think it is a good idea. If you do, then start writing it!

For more writing tips please visit http://www.writers-resource.com so you can learn how to improve your craft.