Summary: Today, I list some real-world examples of when you can use the writing exercise I shared with you last week. (Click the links if you need a refresher on the exercise, itself.) When does it work best for you?
Last week, I introduced you to an original writing exercise that uses self-awareness to center you and channel your creative energy. How has it been working for you?
I met with my writer's group over the weekend, where I chatted with some of the attendees about this process. We discovered that, when it comes to creative writing, "switching genres" (as Sabina described it) can be very helpful. Using an exercise like this one is ideal for such circumstances, because it takes your mind off the point where you're 'stuck' in your short story or novel, and moves it onto something new and organic. Once the creative block has been cleared, your brain is free to move fluidly into new ideas that you can use in your story. Try it for yourself and see how easily you can organize your thoughts after the emotional crisis of writer's block has passed.
Not writing something fictional? If you're working on a report for work or for school, you can come to the same point of confusion. Perhaps it's your outline that's really getting you down—as Kurt told me he often experiences. Knowing what you'll say next is vital, but planning this out can create the same frustrations as free-writing. How do you overcome it?
Again, try the exercise from last week. You'll be amazed at how it frees up your brain to organize thoughts that once were jumbled. If it doesn't work at first (and you can spare the time), try it twice. By then, you'll know that you can write coherently on any random subject, and you're sure to have the confidence you need to finish that outline in front of you. Finally, share your experience here. We all grow as writers and thinkers when we can honestly compare notes.
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2010
Showing posts with label creative writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label creative writing. Show all posts
Jan 22, 2010
WEEKLY UPDATE: How to Celebrate National Handwriting Day
Summary: When and what is National Handwriting Day? And do we even need a holiday to help us celebrate this seemingly dying art? Thanks to Dianne Morr at Moor Creative, I've learned a little something about it that, today, I'd like to pass along to you ...
Tomorrow is National Handwriting Day! Remember when students were graded on "good penmanship"? With computer labs in most elementary schools, and college and extended learning courses offered online, good penmanship seems almost archaic. But handwriting is still important.
When do you use handwriting—whether it's "good" (legible) or not? From to-do lists to thank-you cards to heartfelt letters sent long-distance, there are any number of ways you can still wield the ink pen. And any one of these is a good start to recognizing tomorrow as a special day.
Here's how I plan to celebrate, myself: My writer's group is getting together for our usual short story discussion. We like to meet at a coffee shop and sit down face-to-face, even if we've been sharing our stories electronically beforehand. Just to punctuate the special date, I'm going to take all my notes via pen and paper instead of on my laptop for once. Afterward, I'll be headed to StoryStudio Chicago for their write-a-thon—an experience set in an amazing coffee house-like atmosphere that's loaded with coffee and tea, books and magazines, and wall-to-wall writers and poets cranking out new material and tweaking their older stuff. I haven't decided whether I'll be cranking or tweaking (perhaps a little bit of both), but I do know I'll be doing it the old-fashioned way, no matter what: writing.
For ideas on how you can celebrate National Handwriting Day (which, fittingly, falls on the birthday of John Hancock), follow the above link to read an e-How article that's geared toward parents but can inspire anyone. (Oh, and my favorite suggestion is #5!)
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2010
Tomorrow is National Handwriting Day! Remember when students were graded on "good penmanship"? With computer labs in most elementary schools, and college and extended learning courses offered online, good penmanship seems almost archaic. But handwriting is still important.
When do you use handwriting—whether it's "good" (legible) or not? From to-do lists to thank-you cards to heartfelt letters sent long-distance, there are any number of ways you can still wield the ink pen. And any one of these is a good start to recognizing tomorrow as a special day.
Here's how I plan to celebrate, myself: My writer's group is getting together for our usual short story discussion. We like to meet at a coffee shop and sit down face-to-face, even if we've been sharing our stories electronically beforehand. Just to punctuate the special date, I'm going to take all my notes via pen and paper instead of on my laptop for once. Afterward, I'll be headed to StoryStudio Chicago for their write-a-thon—an experience set in an amazing coffee house-like atmosphere that's loaded with coffee and tea, books and magazines, and wall-to-wall writers and poets cranking out new material and tweaking their older stuff. I haven't decided whether I'll be cranking or tweaking (perhaps a little bit of both), but I do know I'll be doing it the old-fashioned way, no matter what: writing.
For ideas on how you can celebrate National Handwriting Day (which, fittingly, falls on the birthday of John Hancock), follow the above link to read an e-How article that's geared toward parents but can inspire anyone. (Oh, and my favorite suggestion is #5!)
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2010
Oct 2, 2009
WEEKLY UPDATE: LOVE What You Do!
Summary: I'm starting a creative writing course tomorrow in an effort to hone my craft & boost my skill set. What do you love? Working on yourself continuously can turn you into an expert eventually. And no matter what you love, you can always benefit from improving your communications skills.
Tomorrow the adventure begins: It's the first day of the 8-week creative writing course I've signed up for with StoryStudio Chicago. Every Saturday for the remainder of that period, I'll spend two hours plugging away on a project of my choosing, honing my craft and clocking more hours performing my passion—communicating!
What's your area of expertise? And how often do you boost your skill set?
Malcolm Gladwell, author of (among other best-sellers) the recent success story Outliers, writes that true pros spend over 10,000 hours practicing and perfecting those areas that they eventually own. That's a major investment! If you're truly serious about being one of the best in your field, you'll find a way to make almost everything you do about the thing you love most. (My professional bio references my "lifelong love affair with language" that ranges in experience from speaking before I could walk to taking journalism workshops in middle school and teaching them in college to freelancing as a corporate speechwriter in my 20s and even to constantly editing everything I read in my head!)
If you're serious about loving what you do, you'll be continuously looking to improve yourself—particularly in your chosen field. And no matter what field you choose to pursue, communicating better can always benefit you.
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
Tomorrow the adventure begins: It's the first day of the 8-week creative writing course I've signed up for with StoryStudio Chicago. Every Saturday for the remainder of that period, I'll spend two hours plugging away on a project of my choosing, honing my craft and clocking more hours performing my passion—communicating!
What's your area of expertise? And how often do you boost your skill set?
Malcolm Gladwell, author of (among other best-sellers) the recent success story Outliers, writes that true pros spend over 10,000 hours practicing and perfecting those areas that they eventually own. That's a major investment! If you're truly serious about being one of the best in your field, you'll find a way to make almost everything you do about the thing you love most. (My professional bio references my "lifelong love affair with language" that ranges in experience from speaking before I could walk to taking journalism workshops in middle school and teaching them in college to freelancing as a corporate speechwriter in my 20s and even to constantly editing everything I read in my head!)
If you're serious about loving what you do, you'll be continuously looking to improve yourself—particularly in your chosen field. And no matter what field you choose to pursue, communicating better can always benefit you.
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
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