Every now and then, you’ll come across something that just blows your mind.  You find it incredibly fascinating.  At first look, you immediately know that other people will, too.  That, right there, is a good idea for your next feature article.

Since this kind of inspired discovery doesn’t happen like clockwork, good writers need to be able to seek out good ideas on their own.  While any half-decent thought can be turned into a decent piece with some amount of skill and a good editing software, chancing upon “great ideas” is what really turns things around.

The following, in my opinion, are the qualities of an idea that can be turned into a powerful piece of writing:

• An undeniable appeal. A great idea should fill some form of need that’s inherent in your reader.  You do know who your readers are, right?
• Beneficial facts. Something about the subject will be beneficial to the reader – one that they will chance upon and say, “Hey, that’s useful.”
• A good angle. Is there a good angle to the subject, one that can tie everything together.  If there is, there’s a high probability it’s something readers will enjoy.
• Uniqueness. The more unique the subject of the idea, the more compelling it usually is.
• Action. Is there something about this idea that will inspire action events in your readers’ minds?

If your idea fulfills all or most of the above requirements, there’s a good chance it will do really well as a feature piece.  Filter them through that and see how it works.