Creating Creativity
It’s Study-Up September and one of the things I desperately need to study is how to boost writing creativity. After years of university classes forcing me to write on topics that I had little to no interest in, one could say that my creativity has flown south for the winter… Or perhaps it just wasn’t there to begin with. For those of you who know me, I’ll let you be the decider on that.
Throughout my research on creating creativity, I’ve discovered a few ways to help incite that creative potential that dwells within all of us. For each person, drawing out that creativity will be different, so do not be afraid to try a different option if the first one does not work!
Let us begin….
· Tactic #1: Free Writing
Put the grammar aside and set your timers! Free writing is the epitome of creating creativity. All you have to do is select a time frame, perhaps 10 or 15 minutes, and you write. Nonstop. Your pen/pencil must be moving to write anything that comes to you within that set time frame. When the timer stops, you can reflect on what you’ve written (or hide from the shame of your mind’s enigmatic inner machinations). Was what you’ve written good? Can you expand on it and make a novel from it??
· Tactic #2: Idea Notebook
Now you finally have an excuse to buy that kitten journal you’ve been eyeing at Walmart for the past week. You will need a pen and notebook to keep on your person for if and when those random thoughts attack. With this notebook, you could jot down and expand on those thoughts. Perhaps a song inspired a feeling or sensation? Write it in your idea notebook! Ever find yourself stuck riding in the elevator with a dude who smells of bananas and cheese when…. BOOM! A random character idea comes to mind? Write it in your idea notebook! The real kicker is that it doesn’t have to be an actual paper notebook. Since you've got your phone on you anyway, you could download apps like Daybook or Diary with lock (to protect your potentially sensitive thoughts/ideas from snoopers) to keep your ideas in.
· Tactic #3: The Snowflake Method
And no, we’re not talking about the younger generations. The Snowflake Method is based around the idea that you can build a whole novel from one sentence. To simply put it, you write a one-sentence story. Then, from this sentence, you expand it to one paragraph. Take each sentence in that paragraph and transform them into paragraphs of their own. From here you can create character descriptions or summaries of characters’ stories, or you can go in whatever direction your snowflake is taking you.
· Tactic #4: Your own Writing Environment
Let’s be honest here. You could have all the imagination in the world, but if you do not have the space to let that imagination out, your creativity will suffer. Sometimes, all you need is a quiet place, where no outside noise or other distractions can get to you. A place where you can write whenever you want, however you want. Fill this space with whatever you want! You could put up a figure of a favorite character who inspires your every breath or you could even hang an inspirational kitten poster on the wall. Whatever gets those creative thoughts flowing!
(https://www.amazon.com/Believe-Poster-poster-Inspiring-Decorative/dp/B077NYC7C9)
Feel free to try out these tricks and let me know if any of them have worked for you by commenting on this post or on our Facebook page! And remember, you have what it takes to create amazing things. Do not let the negativity of this crazy world influence what your idea of a good story is. You write what you want. Writing is a form of expression to tell your ideas and who you are; your stories. Don’t hold back.
This Blog Posting was approved by Hagar, the intern's office cat.
