As well as finding ideas from friends, family, church members, and your community for articles and stories to write, you can look in many other places.
Your World
Anniversaries of historical events bring to mind past happenings and special people who are worth writing about today. Study historical figures and see which ones were Christians. Show how they demonstrated good ethics and values through the choices they made in life.
Landmarks provide another avenue for vicariously transporting the reader to a place he might not visit. Perhaps you can use a landmark as a metaphor in a story. I once wrote a devotional about walking to a lighthouse. I used its beacon as something I wanted to imitate in my own life, so that Christ’s love would shine brightly through me.
I keep a tablet and pen on the table where I do my morning devotionals. Often Scripture will trigger an idea for a devotional or a short anecdote. I jot down enough information so that I don’t forget the idea, and then I return to my devotions. I do the same thing when I am reading books, magazines, and newsletters. I’ve even been inspired by advertisements in the newspaper and on TV. Surfing the web can also provide ideas. Conferences and speeches are also good sources for triggering ideas in our minds.
Sometimes inspiration comes in the middle of the night. I think that happens because our subconscious works best when we are quiet. Plus, it’s been my experience that God doesn’t speak very loud, and if I’m talking or busy with activities, sometimes I don’t hear Him. Yet, in the middle of the night, He often speaks through my mind. I’ve learned to get up and jot down the essence of the thought. If I don’t, sadly it is gone by morning—never to be recovered again.
Anywhere you go and anything you do can provide ideas for writing. That is why I keep a small tablet and pen in my purse at all times. When an idea strikes, I can easily record the necessary information.