As I sit in front of my computer on yet another late night before the deadline for newspaper articles, I ponder things.  My ideas range from the absurd to the mortally boring.  They’re just ideas that I come up with in the seemingly futile search for a topic.  I’m sure that if you’re reading this, you have had similar feelings at one time or another.  Whether it’s an essay for social studies or creative writing for English class, the “perfect topic” is a very elusive thing.  I estimate that it’s found with a frequency only somewhere between that of UFO sightings and that of Windows actually working exactly the way it’s supposed to.
	I have no idea how authors of novels ever manage to start the books.  Can’t you just imagine some writer hunching over his keyboard, with his eyes half-open, sitting, waiting, for an idea to strike?  “I’ve got it!” he’ll jump up and shout.  “I’ll write the story of the brothers Jack and Joe and their secret superhero ferret Jim!  I must remember, though, that Jim is actually only on loan from their cousin John… yes, that’ll be very important.”  Really, how do these guys ever do that?  We have enough trouble coming up with short topics, much less books!
	These authors seem to be required to plan their inspiration, or at least have it occur at regular intervals, if they want to make a living.  For the rest of us, however, I have discovered a few ways to find inspiration:
1.	Wait as long as possible before doing anything.  Inspiration often comes from that last-minute feeling of absolute panic.
2.	If all else fails, write anything that comes to mind.
3.	Nothing is better for inspiration than turning in the final copy.
Trust me; these three tips really apply to my article.