Where are all the ideas?

As writers the thing we need most, other than the ability to write, is the ability to come up with, and use, ideas.

Writer's Block is supposedly a lack of ideas - or 'inspiration'. But sometimes you can have a vague idea that needs working on and fleshing out a little.

There are many ways to generate ideas. The big one is to keep a notebook, and write stuff in it. When you are fresh out of ideas, have a look and see if anything triggers something. Another good one is random pages in magazines and newspapers, or use a news story.

One I have learned of recently, but which is so obvious, is to turn on the radio and note down the first thing that is mentioned. When I did it, I got the tail end of a song and a comment on the weather.

So where are all the ideas? When you are uninspired, it can feel like they have all ran off and hidden from you. But in actual fact, they are everywhere if you just know where to look.

Feel free to share your idea-generating tips in the comments.