I ran across this website in my research of CMS (Content Management Systems) products.  It was listed as one of the Web CMS references for a product called "Scoop."  Being a writer as well as a fledgling Web designer I was delighted, so I looked around and this topic immediately caught my attention.  Please note the not-so-subtle segue into the first step of the idea process   And that step is:
    1.    One must be curious enough to look around for new things and new information.

Being curious has gotten a bad reputation in the past.  When I think of what happened to that poor cat......  Well, wanting to know more about how things work and what causes other things to happen isn't so dangerous for us humans.  It's pretty essential to our growth, really.  And it sparks desire.  The desire, in this case, to learn about alternative software with which to build my website.

But curiosity alone isn't really a story idea, and neither is desire.  You'll recall that my initial curiosity involved Web CMS products.  This is clearly not an essay on Web CMS, even though I've mentioned it several times already.  So the second step in this creative process of mine is:
    2.    Be open to and aware of information of all kinds as you explore

There's a plethora of information out there.  Don't be so focused on the task at hand that you miss the other stuff that floats by.  Tunnel vision is not conducive to writing skills.  Here's a hint: If, in your day-to-day activities, you stumble across something that makes you smile, laugh, cry, angry or ecstatic you have just touched on a possible story idea.  Pay attention to the things that spark emotion of ANY kind in you and then explore them.  Ask yourself why you felt that particular emotion, and then answer yourself honestly.  Look at it from other angles, including ones you never considered before.  Look at it from the perspective of a child or an elderly person.  My favorite is to imagine I'm a visitor from outer space and this is the first time I've ever seen such a thing   No matter how often you may have encountered a scenario or series of events, this perspective will completely change how you see it.

Ok, so now you actually have an idea.  The only thing left to do now is to write a description of it and behold - you have a story!  And that, brothers and sisters, is just how simple it is.  How well you describe it is the subject of another article.  For now, just doing it is the important thing.  So go out there and find those ideas!