Try these Tricks to jump-start your CREATIVITY with fresh ideas every day.
The Initial Idea: can be inspired from movies, dreams, paintings, personal experiences, newspapers and magazines, beautiful books, photographs, pictures, music, poetry … Take a small notebook / Voice recorder/ Video Camera for Inspirations wherever you go. Collect pictures and clippings into a scrap book. Start a computer IDEAS FILE.
Percolate that Idea : Get moving … take a brisk walk, a swim, a jog… with that idea in your mind, wanting to expand it. Close your eyes and visualise the story. Act it out in your mind’s eye. Or act it out physically when you return.
Anita Bell (Brisbane author) generates new ideas under the shower, by washing herself with the opposite hand.
Write in Down: Use a smooth-flowing pen to jot down story ideas. Write very fast, without editing, connecting with the right side of my Brain ─ the creative side. Later transfer your story to the computer for further extension. Brainstorm problems … What if? … To find solutions.
Immerse yourself in positive self-talk … ‘I can write this.’
Be Careful … Negative self-talk can squash motivation and creativity.
Laugh: Laughter is a high-energy vibration. And it helps you be in that magical place where you can hear your creative Voice. Even when you’re writing about serious things.
Meditation and Relaxation: is a known Creativity Booster. Albert Einstein meditated!!
Pay attention to your senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, taste. Your senses stimulate your creativity. Descriptive sensory detail enhances your writing…and it also boosts your creative energy. Describe the feel of a breeze, the texture of a rock or a tree trunk, the way a person moves or how he sounds.
Books on Writing Creativity: Recommended Reading
‘Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within’ by Natalie Goldberg
‘On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft’ by Stephen King
‘Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life’ by Anne Lamott.
‘The Writer’s Idea Book’ by Jack Heffron. I spotted Kate Eltham (CEO of QWC) referring to this book.
Where do YOUR ideas come from?
How do YOU brew up NEW pieces of writing?
Hi Karen, I particularly Liked your Idea about Percolating Ideas under the shower, washing with your opposite hand. Did Anita Bell really say that?
Hi Sal, Anita explained this Trick at A Writers Workshop I attended. I’ve tried it … It works!
Great advice, Karen. I’ve only read Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’ from the books you’ve listed. You sure make writing sound wholistic! I guess it is. A total awareness/immersion thing. Embracing every sense; and more. Writing practically is meditation, isn’t it? The Zen of Writing. Glad you’re well and truly in the vibe of it all, Karen. You are an inspiration to other writers, myself included. Good luck! Joanna :))
Hi Joanna, Glad you liked this Blog. Stephen King’s book should be a Standard for all Writers. I particularly loved Natalie’s practical, inspiring Book … very Zen of Writing … Karen:))
I keep an ideas book and today I came up with 4 new ideas. I am on the lookout now and they just popped into my head.
Congrats Angela, Four Ideas in one day! It’s amazing where our IDEAS Come from!… All we can do is be ready for them … And jot them down … Karen
Bet you’ll get some great inspiration on your holiday. Don’t forget the free flowing pen.
Hi Angie, I’ve packed my notebook, Camera and that free-flowing pen!XX
Catch public transport and write notes there. You can watch people, hear accents, smell smells (oh god, the smells…) and notice little things like the guy in the three piece suit with one white and one black sock.
Hi Andrew. Love your Obs. I’m visualising the man with the odd socks! I take my notebook to Waiting Rooms, Cafes, and airports and I watch … feeling like a voyeur.