Write in Your Writer's Notebook. A writer's notebook gives you an easy, informal, no-pressure way to start thinking about a topic. Talk It Out. Sometimes I'll get together with a friend to kick around an idea I'm thinking about. I have found that a little talk goes a long way.
Lists are a great way to gather material.
The idea is to generate ideas. Don't worry if some ideas are better than others. And don't worry too much about getting the ideas in the right order. You may have done this before. I find this idea very helpful for writing stories.