29 Ways To Stay Creative

29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.

And if Vimeo hates you at the moment, you can always use this picture for reference, or print it out and add some lovely color to your wall.

Much thanks to the creative efforts of Paulzii of Tumblr and TO-FU of Vimeo.

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The One Rule to Writing

"There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."

~W. Somerset Maugham

By now, we’ve probably heard plenty of writing rules. Show don’t tell, start with action, the main character must develop, pace yourself, ect.

And then, of course, there’s everyone’s personal rules. According to George Orwell, the six rules are
1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print,
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do,
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out,
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active,
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent,
6. Break any of these rules sooner than saying anything outright barbarous.

Or maybe you’ll prefer John Rechy’s three rules; Show don’t tell, write about what you know, and always have a sympathetic character for the reader to relate to.

If that’s not enough, there’s always Elmore Leonard’s ten rules, Kurt Vonnegut’s ten, Norman Holland’s three, or Steven Goldsberry’s one hundred and one.

I believe that there’s only one rule: Write.

Sure, learn the craft of writing. Study what makes a reader tick and publishers squeal with joy. By all means, follow writing blogs, google images of random people who resemble your characters, and make playlists for your story. But nothing will ever replace the movement of pen on paper. Less talk, more action.

Now, I know this sounds obvious, but a lot of writers (like me) catch ourselves spending more time worrying that we’re not writing instead of actually doing it.

If your butt isn’t in the chair, you will not write a word.

So, Step 1, pull out a notebook and a pencil. Sit down. Comfortable? Good, because you’re not allowed leave. Chain your ankle to the desk if you have to.
Now….write.

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Boring Book Syndrome

Most of us (if not all) have had a rough draft that petered out and died. This is a separate form of writer's block. This is the Boring Book Syndrome. Symptoms include:

We've gotten bored with it,
We can't figure out what happens next, or
We're so in love with the idea and character that we refuse to let it go.

Bored
The idea may be interesting enough but even those can fall flat. If the writer isn't passionate about the idea, the book will come to a standstill.
Bestselling books don't always sound the greatest (Twilight: Girl falls in love with vampire. Harry Potter: Boy goes to wizard school.) And ideas that sound cool may never make a good book. (Black Powder: Boy goes back in time to stop the invention of gunpowder so his friend won't die. Have you ever heard of it? Probably not.)
The point is,if you as the writer aren't totally into your story, maybe it's not the one you should be writing (yet). Don't trash the idea completely; set it off to the side until you're ready to give it another shot.

What Next?
Don't freak out if you don't know for sure what happens next. Write whatever you're struggling with on a post-it-note and slap on your bedroom door. Then don't worry about it; you're subconscious will take care of the problem and one day the answer will come to you.
And if that doesn't work, rewind your plot back to the last point you felt the most energy. Un-write whatever comes after that.

Tough Love
Sometimes you love the characters and world you've created so much that you don't want to give up. But you can't go any farther and your plot is lacking the finer points of credibility.
Write it anyway. Fix it as you go along; revise. Some people say 'don't write it if it isn't a spectacular idea.' That really depends on the writer. Some of us are character-driven. Some of us live for plot. Don't dump it just because it isn't perfect. Rough drafts are never perfect.
If there's any reason for a story to be loved, that's a good enough reason.

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Writing a Rough Draft: The Easy Way

When I start writing a novel, I get a picture in my head of the hefty two-hundred page book it will become. So I'm disappointed when the rough draft ends up around twenty pages. I add scenes just to lengthen it and bog it down with unnecessary sentences.

Well, I think I've got the solution.

Write your rough draft as if you're writing a short story.
I recently wrote a short story and it ended up about the same length as most of my rough drafts. Sure, the pacing is a little fast, but the point is, a short story gets to the point and doesn't have uncertain pauses. If I wanted, I could easily make it longer.

I don't know if you've ever read The Arabian Nights. While the stories could certainly be expounded, they are told in concise language;

"The grand vizier conducted Scheherazade to the palace and left her alone with Sultan, who bade her raise her veil and was amazed at her beauty."

This single sentence could be lengthened into several paragraphs;

"Scheherazade didn't speak; merely followed the grand vizier submissively. He glanced at her sideways. She didn't look like the rest. She wasn't sobbing uncontrollably, didn't claws at his robes and beg him for release. She had a thoughtful step and, while her hands trembled slightly, she did not seem afraid. The vizier shook his head. She was either incredibly brave or incredibly dim-witted."

See? Already a whole paragraph and we haven't even finished coloring in the sentence. We could tell how the vizier bowed once and scuttled out. We could add dialogue. We could write in the sharp intake of breath as Scheherazade raises her veil.

So, if you're having trouble fleshing out a story, write it so that you're telling instead of showing.
Write it as a short story.

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Breaking Writing Rules

I've come across several writing blogs that challenge writers to "break all the rules about writing that you can. It's the only way to be original. Rules are confining. Ignore them all."

Now pay attention, because this is important; you shouldn't write a story with the sole purpose of breaking as many "rules" as you can.
It won't make you stunningly original or creative. It will probably just make your book suck.

Granted, there are some rules that won't work for everyone. Novelists are told that the main character should grow and develop by the end of their book. For short story writers, this rule is usually unnecessary for such a short time span.

Rules are really just guidelines or suggestions; a roadmap to give you hints about where the heck you're going.

The most successful books follow the "rule" to have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Breaking that rule will, more likely than not, result in a mess of a plot.

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Procrastination

With summer at our heels, now our excuses are gone. We have more time than ever during the year and we should be writing.

So why aren't we?

Summer is shorter than it used to be. (500 Days of Summer? I wish.) Even if we write like crazy during our vacations, if we are lax on normal work-weeks we'll never get much done. We have summer for our hobbies. But we also must find time on normal days.

Don't waste one minute. Time is precious. A simple math equation will prove that:
People say that "time is money" and that "money is power", right?

TIME=MONEY
MONEY=POWER
So...

TIME=POWER

To have time is to have the power to do anything. Those who waste time will never get anything done.
Don't procrastinate. Do.

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Finding Time to Write

It's a problem every writer will face. There is no magic solution. You need to change something; you need to make time, or find time.

Writing entails using every available moment. There are times when you're sitting around doing nothing. Use that time. Utilize your lunch breaks, time in the waiting room, the bus, or the dull parts of a professor's lecture. And if you think it looks lame walking around with a notebook, there's nothing stupid about an intelligent person fufilling their dreams.

Or make time. Clear out your schedule. Hey, instead of spending three hours on Facebook, why don't you write? Decide not to watch that movie, and use those two hours to your advantage.
I'm not saying cut all communications with family and friends. You have to gage for yourself if a certain activity is worthwhile.

In addition to all that, set aside a specific time to write each day. Try to write daily, even if you're not inspired, even if you'll end up trashing everything you wrote anyway.

It takes dedication.
How badly do you want to get it finished? To get it published?
Only the most determined of writers succeed. Decide now to be that writer.

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How to Cure Writer's Block

Ladies and gentlemen, I present the long awaited antidote for writer's block, envied and sought after by writers worldwide...
Write about writer's block.

After writing Friday's post on writer's block, I felt inspired again. Ideas flew back into my mind and now I'm writing comfortably.

It makes sense, doesn't it? When you're going through a block, that's all you can think about. This leaves next to no room for productive thoughts about your writing.

So do what we writers do best; write.
Rant and complain about your block on paper. Get all that stress out of your head to make space for your story.
Go on. What have you got to lose?

Results vary. Side effects include strokes of genius, cheerfulness, relief, and a brilliant writing ability. Consult your muse to see if WRITERSENSE is right for you.

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Writer's Block

There comes a time when you hit a wall. As much as you'd love to write, you can't. You have no where else to go in the story.
You will become frustrated and try to force the write words onto the page. You will despair because what you've written doesn't hold it's usual brilliance. You will then toss it, sulk, and annoy your family members.
I mention this because I'm going through a block.

But I've had to content myself with, 'A writer's block doesn't last forever, and when it ends, brilliance will burst forth and everything will go smoothly again.'
I know this. it's happened every time I've gotten stuck. So why all this moping?

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Motivation

I love it when people are honest with me. My friend  a couple weeks ago told me straight out that my book "is brilliant, what you've actually written of it, so stop messing around and write the darn thing."
So I sat down and wrote.
I'm an idiot for putting it off. I'm determined to write more.

What is your motivation? For some authors it's their editors breathing down their necks. Because I haven't gotten to that wonderful stage of enforced brilliance, I have to encourage myself in other ways. (Chocolate preferably.)

One author motivated herself by wearing the same sweater every time she wrote. The catch? She couldn't wash it until after she finished her book.

Another, less smelly, way to motivate yourself could be to set goals. This usually helps to get you moving.
Set yourself a deadline, but don't freak out if you fail to accomplish what you aimed for. Set a new goal and try again.
In her blog, Victoria Hanley said;

I'm thinking "deadline" could be called the "aliveline" instead. Yes, I know that if the deadline isn't met, the "dead" part of the line becomes more prominent. But there's just so much aliveness about having a definite goal in time. It's motivating.

What motivates you? What makes you want to write? If you have other hobbies, why do you spend so much time and effort on those things?

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Taking your own advice

I've been trying to finish my rough draft thins week. It's been gooing good until today.

I got Writer's block.

I moped around, wandered through the house eating a cheese sandwich, googled for some inspirational photos, and then I realized that maybe I should actually take my own advice.

So what if you've got Writer's Block story_weaver?

Write whatever random crap comes into you brain. Exercise maybe. Allow yorself to write badly.

I did. And now I've fixed the plot, and I'm ready to write.

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How to snap out of a Writing Coma

Have you ever really needed to write but the words wouldn't come? You feel discouraged and frustrated? You're convinced that your writing sucks?

You're not alone.

(Bother. This post is starting to sound like an advertisement.)

One of the best ways I've found to get me out of that deep-blue-funk is to EXERCISE.

The science? Exercise pumps your blood faster, so it gets to your brain faster.

It clears my head and makes me think better, especially if the exercise is rhythmic (like swimming around in a circle or jogging.)

I've unraveled many a difficult plot by just running around like a headless chicken.

You don't need any fancy exercise equipment, a simple jump rope will work. And if you lose a couple pounds and put on some muscle in the process, then that's not a bad thing either.

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Writing Unconsciously

I'm one of those people who feel like every time I write, my future reader is peering over my shoulder, clucking their tongue and making remarks. I feel I have to please them in every way.

So far, the only way I've found to work around that is by writing unconsciously.
I'm not talking about yoga or getting yourself into a trance. (But if that helps you take the focus off the 'what-if-I-don't-get-it-right' syndrome then great, do it.)

What I mean is writing the words you want by letting the words carry you.
Let the words carry you like an ocean wave (that sounds so corny.) But if any of you have ever swam in the ocean, you notice how the waves rise you up and down flowing easily and with zero effort.

If you fight the waves, you quickly become exhausted. If you let them carry you, it's very easy, though they'll take you places you may not have planned to go. (Since we're comparing the ocean to your story, that's okay.)

I kind of zone out before writing, maybe do a little free-writing beforehand. I try to focus on my characters when I'm writing, not a nonexistent reader. (Which is pretty ironic since my characters don't exist either.)

LET THE WORDS CARRY YOU. You are a little boat in an ocean of words, be taken places you've never imagined.

Over-thinking can kill creativity.

DON'T THINK ABOUT IT; DIVE IN HEADFIRST

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Why People Write

I was reading Writing For Your Life by Deena Metzger, and she spoke about the magic of words. Something I'd completely forgotten about.

"Oh Yeah. That magic."

I used to be so adamant about the magic of words, being able to create things where before there was only you and the blank paper.

And then I forgot. And the blank page appeared frightening rather than an invitation to be creative.

But the worst thing that came from forgetting was that I began viewing writing as a chore/desk job.

Back in July I wrote about loving what you do. Why did you want to write to begin with?

I started because I loved words. (If that's not why you started that's fine, don't freak out.)

But it stands to reason, that to love writing you should probably love words.

You are a wordsmith. Words are your trade. Love them and they'll love you back.

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Writing at Last!

After weeks of stumbling over my writer's block I finally know what the next plot point is!

Perhaps the days of my writing being dormant was just the seed of ingenuity lying below the surface, unseen until today, when it sprouted forth in all its glory.

Sorry. I love analogies.

But maybe Writer's Block isn't always an inability to write, but maybe sometimes it's just your mind taking a rest. I find that its after the most frustrating of blocks that my most brilliant ideas occur.

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Writer's Worry

The other day I had what some writers refer as "Writer's Block." My plot ground to a stop and I hated everything I wrote.

"Writer's Block" could better be classified as "Writer's Worry."

When I can't write anymore it's because I'm worrying about something in my life or worrying about what the reader will think of the character, the plot, or the book in general.

In Seize The Story by Victoria Hanley (which I highly recommend) she points out that why are we worrying about a reader that isn't even reading our books yet?

She suggests tips for getting out of these sticky situations;

1.Take a break

2. Talk to the block as if it's an annoying pest ("shoo" "get outta here")

3.Don't panic

4.Remember that you're an imaginative person

5.Feed your artistic self

6.Focus on your senses

7.Add some props from your story around you

8. Write at unusual times or in unusual places.

9. Freewrite

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