Brick walls, Blank Pages, and Deseret Storms.
We all get there eventually. You
work, create, dream, write, plan, organize, dream some more, write some more
and then . . .
The ideas just dry up. Like a storm
across the desert sand. Here one minute. Gone the next.
Here and gorgeous. Breath-taking.
But still gone the minute you try to hold onto it.
Creativity is much like that. As an
author I've had to work hard to capture those desert storms and find ways to keep
the fleeting, darting thoughts and impressions that stumble through my mind
constantly coming. I have found four keys that allow the ideas to never stop flowing.
Whether you're creativity takes you
to writing a novel, building a bookshelf, or devising a new system's process,
all creativity is essentially the same—you take unorganized ideas and put them
together to form something that has never existed before now.
And to do that, you're going to
want to know these four keys.
* Sleep
First, let's talk about
sleep. Sleep is when your brain shuts down, turns off, and sorts through the
events and experiences of the day. This is when your brain organizes the
emotions and concepts it acquired while awake. While many of us do our best
creating in the late hours of the night (until they blur with the extreme early
hours of the next morning), whatever you do, don't forget to sleep! Without
that time to organize and sort, your brain will quickly become like a computer
in desperate need of de-fragmenting. And your ideas will run slow.
* Write It Down
This is one of the single
best keys on how to keep the ideas flowing. When you write down the ideas you
have currently it does two things: first, it makes space in your mind to come
up with new ideas, and two, it signals to your sub-conscious that you value creative
ideas. Love the ideas you have right now? Want more creative ideas? Write them
down! Prove to yourself that those ideas are important and make room for more.
* Be Creative, But in a Different
Way
Creativity is like a muscle.
Sometimes it needs down-time. However, while a runner takes days off of pushing
her leg muscles, she doesn't do it by sending extra time on the couch flipping
channels. She takes that time off by lifting weights and strengthening her
upper-body. Same for other forms of creating. Take time off of your normal
creating and create something entirely different. I love to take a day off of
writing and scrapbook, or create new arrangements of my favorite songs. This
stretches your creative muscles in new ways and allows the other, well-worn
synapses a needed break.
* A Novel Idea
"You are what you
eat" not only refers to your mouth and stomach, but your brain as well.
Here's another one: "Put trash in, get trash out", and it's never
more true than when we're talking about ideas. If you want the most creative,
trending, edge-pushing ideas, you can't be living on a diet of old thoughts,
last-year's buzz words, and what your college professor told you . . . nearly a
decade ago. There are many, many
brilliant minds out there, and a surprising lot of them have done something sensationally
transcendent. That's right.
They wrote a book.
Which means you have a
back-stage pass into their brain. How cool is that! You have a portal straight
to their core thoughts and even a map on how they got there. If the last book
you read was a text-book, try something fictional. If you love fiction, try a
non-fiction for a change. Vary it up, just remember: want a bunch of creative,
awesome ideas? Read a book!
Deseret storms don't hit as often
as we might like, but our own creativity doesn't have to be so flighty. These
four keys will change your 'here today, gone tomorrow' creativity to a
never-ending stream of new ideas you can depend on.
Biography:
L. G. Rollins grew up in a far off land fighting dragons,
stealing talismans, and traveling with dwarfs and elves. She is especially
skilled at bribing giants with sweets. Currently, her husband and four kids
live in Utah so that is where she spends most of her time. She may, or may not,
have a Zaad Stone. To learn more about L. G. Rollins and her books visit
LGRollins.com.
Shadows of Angels comes out
December 8th and is the beginning of the Zaad Stone trilogy.
Excerpt:
"Stay
calm, her
father’s words echoed in her head. When you find yourself
in danger, above all, stay calm. Aerbrin
took a deep, steady breath and leaned down, reaching for her bow. one of the
Forest Dwellers charged. It collided with her and knocked her to the floor.
Raising a knotted fist, he bashed her head.
Sparks exploded across her vision. She tried to raise an arm,
tried to call out. Her body wouldn’t respond. The Forest Dwellers grunted
again. The creature above her raised its fist again. She looked up. This was
the end, she knew. When these monsters attacked, they killed everything.
Animals, plants, and particularly humans. No one survived.
Closing her eyes, Aerbrin forced her body to relax. This time, there
was no pain."
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This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.
COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ
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