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Both curiosity and the experiences we have are great sources for ideas.

Below are some of my own Curiosity + Experiences = Published! 

Your individual interests and life events can be turned into fiction and nonfiction too, so organize and save any and all ideas and research you're working on. Nothing is ever wasted, and can result in published stories, articles and books even years later.

Read the Jack and Jill Magazine article:

http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/pdf/2013/254184.pdf

Led by professionals, I had the awesome experience of climbing some pretty challenging rocks and bluffs in New Mexico. I learned just how much is involved in mastering the equipment and climbing techniques, and formed lasting memories of teamwork and reaching individual goals. I wrote the Nonfiction article, "You Rock!" about kids literally climbing the walls in an indoor climbing gym. 

The appearance at our seed feeders one spring of a stunning bird that I'd never seen before, with a bright rose-red patch on its white chest, led to the Narrative Nonfiction article "My Grosbeak Family." As I watched the males and females bring their babies to the feeders that July, I researched this bird and wove the facts and my daily observations into the piece, which was published in Nature Friend Magazine.   

Spending time on the beautiful lakes in our area and watching the wonderful Common Loon families, resulted in the Narrative Nonfiction article "Loon Afternoon." This was published in Nature Friend Magazine.

When I found and returned an escaped dachshund to her owner, I turned that experience into the Realistic Fiction piece "A Pet Tale," which was published in Encounter - The Magazine. My part-time high school job in a pharmacy inspired the Realistic Fiction story "Emily's Butterflies," published in Encounter - The Magazine. And my interest in animals and weather sparked ideas for the McGraw-Hill reading assessment passages.