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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/7929
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Assuming you want to write non technical stuff, I think the best way is to start writing. I'm not kidding, even without ideas, doing nothing is a GREAT way to never get an idea. Inertia is true to human mind and if you don't start, you will stay exactly in the way you are.

The point is: how to start writing if you have no idea?

Answer: by the basics, or, the characters.

What kind of character do you want? A police officer? A medieval warrior? An modern cultism? A Journalist? Start with his profession and then develop who he is, what he does, what are his goals in life, resuming, his background. By doing that, you will start to have starting points.

You can extend your character with related characters and locales, what will also give more starting points to develop ideas. By experience, as you write the background and what is happening with the world, you will start to imagine what can happen with the character to start a story.

The real deal is inertial. The background is important but more important is that, once you start developing the roots of your setting, your mind will start focusing in it, and the ideas will start to appear. You can't expect -- even happening sometimes -- the muse to appear in a miraculous way and enlighten you with some outstanding plot. You need to go to work everyday because you need, not because you like it.

Writing is much more method than creativity. Of course it's much better to have both, but by having method you can get somewhere.

And reading a lot helps. If you want to write about fantasy, read fantasy books, watch fantasy movies, play role-playing games. That will give you ideas.

Some may say that's cheating, carbon-copying, stealing, but it's not true. Creativity is an amazing thing and can create something completely new from what exists. Somebody already said that there's nothing new under the sun. It's true.

Never plagiarize, you need to have that in mind, but inspire yourself by what others do.

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