It depends -- sometimes I think of an idea, brainstorm/take notes, then write, stripping out whatever undermines the flow or main point. Other times I'm playing a game thinking about whether there's some interesting angle I could take in writing about it, or looking for an idea around a particular theme.

When I think of something I take some time to consider the idea, explore it in more detail within the game, then write about it. And occasionally I just start writing, hoping that I'll figure out what I'm doing later (that's actually how my Bully Game Diaries started).

I always do (a ridiculous amount of) research, though, and I always explore my asides, just in case there's something good there. Sometimes I end up rewriting the whole article from a different angle because of an interesting-but-undeveloped idea I spotted while editing.

I never go looking for story ideas, I just let them come to me; usually from conversations I have with friends. Then I always begin by free writing, basically just writting everything I can think of about my chosen topic. From there I organize everything into a consise article.

The great thing about free writing is that sometimes where I end up is different from where I started. I love that as a process it doesn't have all that much structure so I can be creative. 

If it's deadline reporting, I write it up as best as I can while at the event, paying close attention to the news value of the happenings and seeing if a narrative naturally arises (did this frequently in my newspapers days as a sportswriter). If it's a feature, I'll spend a day transcribing and properly punctuating interviews before dedicating another day to an outline and a couple of days to my first draft. I tend to tear apart my first draft and start fresh with the final, sometimes writing into the wee hours of the morning. (Well, frequently writing into the wee hours of the morning). 

I can be a bear when writing. Did any of you see the scene in Treme when John Goodman's character sat down to write and growled at his wife when she walked in? I'm like that when I'm deep into writing. 

WARNING: My writing process may make me sound crazier than I actually am.

I LOVE writing. So I'm always searching for story ideas. I'm at the point where my brain is trained to just continuously, almost subconciously search for ideas in every day life. It sounds kind of crazy (I thought my magazine writing professor was a little bonkers when she first mentioned this), but it really does work, at least for me. Many of my story ideas just come from being interested and active in daily life, news, and my hobbies. Being curious about a lot of topics helps.

After I have a story idea I research. (Unless its a traditional games review—then I put myself in a sealed bubble and refuse to look at any other game reviews until mine is written. I've found in the past that other reviews influence my review writing more than I'd like to admit). How much research goes into the article really depends on the idea. I try to balance the time I spend researching because you can easily do too little, or too much (the latter is my personal pitfall).

I can write just about anywhere, but am a lot like Jason where I need a "disturb at your own risk" sign when I get deep into writing, ESPECIALLY with feature stories. God help you if you try to make contact with me during a feature story. ;) That being said though, I can write pretty much anywhere—my room, the kitchen, planes, trains, car, whatever. I usually have earbud headphones in, even if I'm not listening to music.

If I'm writing a straight news article, then I try to go beyond reporting just the facts and give it context/analysis. For example, don't just say there are new 3DS screens out for a certain game—say why it's important or what the impact could be (there is one, but it's a potential story idea for me so I'm keeping it secret for now ^^). Even if its just a few sentences.

I don't miss deadlines. Ever. And that's pretty much it!

I find that my best writing is done like this:

I will open up my note book and look at all the ideas I have listed down. After choosing one, I will spend most of the day outlining the story I want to do. Then I put the article off and think about how I should be writing it.

Then I wait until 1am and start writing. I write until it is finished. I edit and I add pictures. Then I get a few hours of sleep before going on a morning jog. Afterward I continue to edit my writing. I spend ten min trying to decide on a title before choosing one that I think sucks. 

Now, I sit back and worry that no body will read my writing because people hate it. I become extremely self conscious about myself and every aspect of my life. As soon as this feeling passes (either after it is confirmed by low readership or disproved by front page promotion) I do it all again. 

I generally fail to come up with an idea when I actively try to think one up. Most of my story and puzzle ideas come as random flashes of inspiration while I am usually engaged in unrelated tasks. I worry for the day that the indescribable cosmic horror that is feeding me ideas comes to collect on what is owed to it.

If I'm writing a feature with quotes I usually put the quotes I want to use or may want to use in a doc, or maybe even cut and pasted at the bottom of the doc I'm working in. I write pretty slowly, and I edit as I go. By the time I get to the end, I have very little rewriting to do...I reread it a few times, tweak a few lines here and there, and done.

I just put what ever comes to my mind .