Keep Your Creative Juices Flowing by Pam Asberry
Photo by Josh Geyer
As a novelist, I am committed to writing every day, whether I feel like it or not. But sometimes I find myself simply staring at a blank computer screen, desperate for inspiration and ideas that simply won’t come. Here are a few tips for helping overcome inertia.
- Begin your day with “morning pages.” Recommended by author Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way, morning pages are three pages of longhand prose written first thing every day. There is no wrong way to do this; they don’t even have to make sense when you are finished. After all, no one will ever see them except you. You simply write whatever pops into your head, as fast as you can. I get up at 5:45 every morning and make a pot of coffee while I make breakfast for my son. As soon as he gets on the bus, I sit down at the kitchen table with a steaming mug, a composition notebook, and my favorite purple pen and write my three pages. For me, this is a journal of sorts, in which I remember the events of the previous day, brainstorm solutions for any problems I might be having, and contemplate the hours ahead. By the time I am finished, I am ready to write. Try it; it really helps to empty your head of clutter and negativity and clear it for constructive thought.
- Give yourself a break. After an hour or so of writing, my productivity begins to plummet as mental fatigue sets in. When that happens, I switch activities for a while. Some days I go for a walk; others, I work on a beading project or spend a few minutes playing the piano. I have found that after a change of scene, my mind is rested refreshed and I am ready to get back to work with a renewed perspective, or even a solution to a problem I might have been having.
- Write in a different location. Most of the time, I write propped up in bed with my laptop in front of me; I love working in my pajamas with the dog curled up beside me. But once a week or so, when I am feeling too much “in my head,” I like to go to my nearby Starbucks, grab a soy chai latte, and work at a table by the window. Watching the passersby, eavesdropping on my neighbors’ conversations, seeing all the bright colors, breathing in the heavenly aromas – all these help get me outside myself and provide inspiration for my stories.
- Listen to music – or not. Generally speaking, I prefer writing in silence. But sometimes, especially when I am under a great deal of stress, it helps me to listen to music when I write. Solo piano music works best; it soothes my troubled mind, but isn’t so busy that it distracts me from my thoughts. Favorite artists are David Lanz, David Nevue, Joseph Akins and Stanton Lanier. I also enjoy listening to Christmas music when I am writing holiday scenes in the heat of the summer.
- Do some writing exercises. One of my favorite new websites is oneword.com. You are provided with a single word and given sixty seconds to write about it. When the time is up, you are allowed to finish your last sentence and email your text to yourself. The service is free but you can set up an account so that you can save your email address and get feedback on your work. The experience is surprisingly invigorating!
What are some of your tricks for keeping the creative juices flowing?
