Finding Your Muse: Inspiration For Writing
As a writer, rule of thumb number one is do not plagiarize. It is elementary. Yet, there isn’t a writer alive who hasn’t read the good material that other people have written and used the interesting tidbits from another writer to launch into a great idea of their own. Of course, if you use a significant part of someone’s ideas, you better credit them. This inspiration from other writers is an integral part of the creative process.
There are many web sites out there that can provide you with good content to get the ball rolling. The only problem is, who has the time to go to every web site every day reading every article in order to find their muse. The way to streamline the process is by using RSS and a Newsreader to get all of the information to you in one place. RSS and Newsreaders act as a dynamic newspaper that only gives you the information that you want to see.
1. To set up a Newsreader account, go to http://reader.google.com. You will see a Google sign in screen that you need to log in using your Google account. Use the same account that you would use for your Google Analytics account.
2. Next, you should see a Welcome to Google Reader! screen.
3. Now, you can begin to add some RSS feeds. First, start with my Drupal SEO blog which can be found at http://volacci.com/blog/ben-finklea. On my page you will see an RSS icon.
4. The RSS icon is a typical indication on many blogs and web sites that there is an RSS feed for content. If you click on that icon, most modern browsers will detect that it is an RSS feed and as you if you would like to add it to your Google Reader account. Try it. If that works, you are finished. If not, there are a couple more steps to carry out.
5. Right-click on the icon and copy the URL.
6. Go to the Google Reader screen and click the Add a subscription button, past in the URL of the RSS feed, and click the Add button.
Now, you’ll see all my recent blog posts.
7. Repeat steps 3 to 6 for any sites that you like or are relevant to your industry.
If you need a head start on sources that might be of interest, here are a couple to try:
Google Blog Search: http://blogsearch.google.com
Technorati: http://technorati.com
Drupal Planet: http://drupal.org/planet
About: http://www.about.com/
Once you have your feeds set up, be sure to bookmark your Google Reader page and visit it daily or whenever you need inspiration.
