It can be said that writers do their best work when they are not at their desk. Once you understand that the writing process is so much more than the actual task of writing — putting pen to paper or making words appear on the computer screen — you can appreciate this statement. Writing entails not just looking at but actually seeing what is going on in the world and outside your front door. Once you do that, not only will you come up with ideas you might want to write about but you also will gain knowledge to enable you to write on a subject.

If you have kept a diary or journal, reviewing your entries from the past is a terrific source of information stemming from your own personal experiences. You also can use a journal or diary to record current impressions you reach about what you have recently observed that can prove helpful in future projects.

Writing is like drawing water from a well. If the well runs dry, there is no water to draw. This is the same for writing. Even if you have an idea, if there is nothing inside you — at least some information to bring substance to the idea — then it will linger and no words will pour forth. All you have to do is be open to what is happening around you, consider it with a keen eye and critical mind, and if worthwhile, store it away in your brain or write it down and file it where you can use it at some future time to prime the pump when you're ready to write.