Writers get their ideas from a variety of places. Many come from real life situations. But, it’s not always easy to put those ideas into hardcopy form especially when you are on the move. Here are some tips to keep those great ideas from getting away.

Ideas come from the obscurest of situations and they can happen at any time and in any place. You think of a brilliant article topic, but standing on a crowded subway train or driving down the road is hardly the time to pull out your tools of the trade. We can fix that for you though.

1. Carry a notepad and pen with you. It can be a small notepad that can easily slip into the pocket of your jeans or the front compartment of your purse. In the elevator, when the guy with the look of death sneezes, you can write down that you want to write an article on elevator etiquette. You can write in shorthand if you know it as long as you get it down. If you have an iPhone or iPad, then use your email, Evernote, or Text or other apps.

2. Use a voice recorder. On the crowded train or driving, it is easier to voice your ideas into a tape recorder, an mp3 player or your cell phone if it has a voice recorder. It can be used anywhere. Don’t worry about the people staring at you. You’re being creative.

3. Send a text message. When you have no pen or paper, send your idea to yourself via text message or even better, use your iPhone note app. Sure, you’ll get charged for the text, but you’ll also have the idea you didn’t want to forget.

4.  Use Evernote or Google Drive. Evernote app is available for iPhone and iPad and integrates well with other apps.   You are able to access your content from any device as well as send yourself or others an email note from Evernote.  Google Drive an another alternative – create notes using Google docs and save to your Google drive for later access.

Writing ideas don’t often materialize when we are prepared to write them down. You’ll need to carry a few things with you to make sure you are prepared for the rogue idea that slides into your brain on the Number 9 train or sitting at the intersection of First and Main.