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March 19, 2020 by Laura Resnick

Nink: Creativity Hacks

This article, written by Denise Agnew is from the March 2020 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc. (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership.

Anyone who has tried and succeeded in writing a book knows that sometimes tried and true methods for keeping creativity flowing don’t always work forever. Circumstances such as illness, divorce, births, deaths, and other stressful situations can temporarily upend the ability to get words on paper. A writer doesn’t even have to experience a life-changing event for creativity to dry up. To jump start it, use new hacks.

Deadlines
If for some reason you don’t have a deadline, create one. If you find the book isn’t getting done, don’t let lack of a deadline give you an excuse to not finish. Pick a time frame you think is reasonable to finish and stick to it.

Battle buddies
Grab a battle buddy. Make a pact with another writer that you’ll email or text them every day and tell them how much you’ve written. Accountability boosts your creativity. If you want to put a page count on the commitment, that’s even better. Start slow and commit to three pages per day for a week, then consider four pages a day the next week and so on. Ease into the page count so there isn’t too much pressure but you’re still getting something accomplished.

Read
Read! The number of writers who decide not to read anything while working on their own project is astounding. Consider reading outside your genre. Focusing on something that isn’t in the same genre you’re writing can open you to fresh ideas and inspiration.

Sensory deprivation: silence and closing the curtains
Many writers listen to soundtrack music. This is excellent, but silence can prove equally golden. Experiment with noise-canceling headphones for a writing session. Extreme quiet can force your brain to concentrate on the task in front of you.

If you have a writing area with a window view, what do you see? Is it a beautiful vista? A metropolitan sprawl with tons of traffic? Beautiful scenery can help with inspiration, but it can be as distracting and counterproductive as an ugly view. Try closing the curtains. You might have to turn on the light, but the view won’t keep snagging your attention. Like the noise-canceling headphones, lack of a view can force your imagination back to work.

Observation mode
Contrary to popular belief, many writers don’t like to look at people, places or things when they venture out. The real world can sometimes be a bit too much.

If you’re one of these writers, try giving your observation mode a chance. If something catches your attention, pause and write it down. Take note of the weird, funny, or even distressing things you find—they could produce inspiration for projects. You don’t have to tote an eight-by-ten spiral notebook. Consider a petite notebook that fits in a handbag or use the notes application on your phone. Or, you can use a reminder application on your phone set to ring later in the day that reminds you of that detail you noted while out and about. Give it a try.

Self-talk habits
Change what you say to yourself before you sit down to write. Replace any “I should write” statements with “I choose to write” or “I want to write.” If the nasty voice in your head tells you your writing sucks, or you are not as good as ABC writer, replace that lie with “I am a great writer” or “I’ve got this.” Design a desktop wallpaper for your computer with “I choose to write” and/or “I want to write” and display it when you’re feeling blasé. Switch it out with another wallpaper declaring you are a great writer and you’ve got this. What you say to yourself can make a difference.

Examine your writing space
Are you happy with your writing space? Many of us would love a large, glamourous area to dream up stories. Jot down ideas on what your dream space would look like. Go wild and don’t hold back. Make it as elaborate and as long as you wish.

This is where many writers throw up their hands and say, “This is ridiculous. I’m never going to get an office like that.” Just hang in there a moment. When you’re done with your fantasy writing space, see if there is any part of that dream office you can incorporate now. Each month see if there is something else that can be incorporated. Any step you can take toward making your office more of what you want increases your ability to create and believe in yourself.

Buy a new chair
Speaking of offices, is your chair lumpy from age and falling apart? You might need to treat yourself to a design that supports you in a more comfortable fashion. If the chair you have now isn’t cutting it, and you can afford it, make this investment. If you’re not currently working in a place where you’re using a real office chair, consider the dining chair/recliner/couch you’re using. Is it really supportive and comfortable? If not, try moving to a different spot in your house.

Take those breaks. Really.
Have you been denying yourself breaks because you think you can push through another hour? Every hour, take at least five minutes to leave your chair. Walk around, grab a drink or a snack. Do a couple of stretching exercises. Chances are if you move a bit and switch your mind to something else, you will feel refreshed and ready to work again within no time.

Be creative in another way
Is there another creative endeavor you long to try? Do it. Consider it play time. Want to color? Do it. Drawing or painting? Try it. Whatever it is you want to do, indulge yourself. If you’re concerned, you might do this other project rather than complete your writing, use it as a prize for accomplishing your daily writing goal.

Mind map
If you are a by-the-seat-of-the-pants writer, you might have tried mind mapping and believed it was too left-brained. A program like Scapple might be what you need. Scapple is designed to work more for the writer. It’s created by Literature and Latte, the same company that designed Scrivener writing software. You can even use it for brainstorming not related to your writing. Scapple allows you to map out ideas you have without forcing you into specific patterns or shapes to represent ideas, character names, or other story-related associations. To see if you like it, download the software and use it for a short trial.

Hang out with supportive and positive writers
Spend less time listening to naysayers and Negative Nelly people. If you feel bad about your writing or the writing profession after hanging out with another writer, consider spending less time with them. A constant or daily bombardment of negativity about the industry isn’t going to boost creativity. Try turning lists you are on to digests if they aren’t positive. This way you can scan the digest titles and scroll by if it isn’t something you are interested in.

Forget opinions
Been hearing a lot of “musts” and “shoulds" from other writers or gurus proclaiming to be experts? They might be right; but they could also be wrong. There are a ton of “how to” opinions in the writing world. Let it rip and do it your way. Forget the “should” and “musts” and discover the methods that free you to write what you want and how you want.

Accomplish a small chore
Been putting off unloading the dishwasher? Do it and then get back to writing. Be sure to do the writing first if all possible, then do the small chore.

________________________

Denise A. Agnew is the award-winning author of over 69 novels and screenplays. Denise’s novels Love from The Ashes and Blackout were optioned for film/TV by Where’s Lucy? Productions, Bright Frontier Films and MDR Entertainment. Denise is a Writer/Producer (Where’s Lucy? Productions, Happy Catastrophe Productions, Bright Frontier Films), a paranormal investigator, Reiki Master, and Certified Creativity Coach. As a creativity coach, Denise assists anyone in the creative arts to maintain lifelong creativity. You can find her at www.deniseagnew.com and www.creativepencoaching.com.

February 5, 2020 by Laura Resnick

Nink Knowledge: Creative Tools—Alternatives

This article, written by Denise Agnew is from the February 2020 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc. (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership.

Writers who are blocked creatively look for tools to restart their flow. Even if you aren’t blocked, your writing might feel stale and uninspired. Here are some tools you might not have considered that can give you a boost.

Timed mind dump
Julia Cameron’s Artist’s Way philosophy is to dedicate several minutes each morning to writing down everything in your thoughts, which can include good or bad things. The idea is to dump all of that on the page before you attempt to create. This process can be healthy not only for general life stress, but also for feeling fresh and inspired. Writing in a paper journal uses a different way of expressing yourself than an electronic one, so if you usually create on computer, give that a break and use paper. You may find it helpful to give yourself a specific amount of time to write these morning pages. If you’re feeling extremely blocked, try for just 10 minutes. Put a timer on and stick to it. Build that up and see if you can stretch it to 20 minutes and write away! Even if you are not experiencing writer’s block, you may find a 10-minute journaling session is helpful before starting your real writing work.

Oracle cards
There is a difference between oracle cards and tarot cards, which you can read about here. Whether or not you believe that oracle cards can enlighten you about everyday personal matters, the cards can help you tap into intuition and your right brain.

I own three oracle decks. If a project is giving me fits, my process is this:

I gather all three and write down whatever questions or concerns I’m wrestling with.
After closing my eyes, I consider which deck calls to me, open my eyes, and select the deck with my questions in mind.
I shuffle the cards and select three cards from various spots.
I turn over each card and note the symbolism. Does anything jump out to me? If it does, I write it down. I do this with each card.
Afterward, I consult the book that comes with the deck and look up the listed meaning for each card. If there is other wisdom contained within the book for the meaning behind each card, I also write this down.

Often I find a new kernel of inspiration each time I use the cards. There’s no requirement that you have more than one deck. Although you could use tarot cards in a similar way, I find oracle cards better for this experience because of the flexible meaning of each card.

How do you choose an oracle deck right for you? It can be a little confusing, because there are so many oracle decks available. Select a deck that appeals to you visually. Explore photos of decks on Amazon and Pinterest. New Age stores almost always have some.

Writing prompt books
Maybe you don’t have a single idea for a novel, short story or screenplay. You’re completely stumped. You may need a writing idea prompt book. There are dozens out there, including ones geared for certain genres.

As an example, I took a horror writing prompt book and went through the entire book, writing down each prompt that sounded fun. Then I selected the one that called to me to try first.

Silence or noise?
Many people write in silence, afraid music will disturb their flow. Try making a special soundtrack of music for a book. Songs with lyrics might be distracting, but often writing with soothing classical or “themed” music can inspire a writer.

Or if you’ve always had music or a noisy coffee shop in the background while you work, try using silence. That could mean noise-cancelling headphones or closing the door to the room. Change things up and disrupt the status quo so your creativity has a chance to come through.

In the category of “not music but a little noise” is something I discovered on YouTube called ASMR. These videos are visual but also include sound. I discovered these clever things watching a favorite YouTuber who likes to read with ASMR on their television. I tried one called Leaky Cauldron, a Harry Potter Ambience. Another great one is Ancient Library Room with relaxing thunder and rain sounds along with a crackling fireplace.

Read or watch a favorite
Writers are often told, especially at the beginning of their writing journey, to read in the genre they want to write. That alone might not stimulate you to pick up a pen or grab your laptop.

You could find it more creatively stimulating to reread a favorite novel or short story whenever you’re hitting a rough patch and regardless of the genre you’re currently writing. Or watching a favorite movie could do the same thing. You don’t have to experience full blown writer’s block to need that zing of inspiration. My personal favorite to boost my creativity is to read The Taking by Dean Koontz. I read the first chapter and I’m often inspired to write immediately.

Play like a child
Many writers want to create the perfect story the first time out. That means they might outline like crazy and pick away at it. The problem isn’t whether you are an outliner or a by-the-seat-of-the-pants creator. It’s the idea that your story isn’t perfect that terrifies you into fiddling with the story right out of the gate and sucking the excitement out of creation.

Give yourself permission to play like a child on the first draft and write with freedom and the singular idea it is all for you. Forget about typos, grammar, spaces … all of that. If the idea of writing that way throughout the whole story is too terrifying, set a timer. Tell yourself that the first hour is for pure play. Let it rip. Chances are you might enjoy it so much you’ll continue playing past that first hour.

When you reach the end of your manuscript, you’ll have the satisfaction of completion. If this is something you’ve never done before and it terrifies you, try it on a short story project and see if it doesn’t provide you with a jolt of creativity.

Be open minded
Creative people are often considered open minded, but sometimes they aren’t when it comes to stepping outside of the box to bolster their own chances of creating. Consider the methods above, even the ones that don’t immediately appeal to you.

________________________

June 5, 2019 by Laura Resnick

Nink Knowledge: Tricking the Limbic System into Giving You the Right Drugs at the Right Time

This article, written by Patricia Burroughs, is from the J 2019 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc. (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership.

In last month’s Nink, I explained how procrastination isn’t simply a matter of willpower or character, but rather a product of a brain battling with itself over who’s the boss—the executive in the prefrontal cortex or the bodyguard in the limbic system.

Most if not all of the time, we procrastinate because doing The Thing is not fun or pleasant, which means we have a negative feeling about it. It happens quickly:

“In 1/32 of a second we become fearful and we can’t think! THAT is what procrastination really is.”
– Maribeth Blunt,, Psychotherapist & Life Coach

But we are not without weapons, although nothing will work all the time and some things may never work. One of the best and often immediate ways to connect with your prefrontal cortex is to conjure up a good mood. The limbic system is designed to play nicely with your executive functions and even fuel them with stuff that helps you stay focused, energized, and happy with what you’re doing. One suggestion is to visualize happy times with the activity you’re avoiding, simply because doing so establishes the good mood and lack of stress you need to write.

One reason video game designers let people pile up the points before the game starts getting tougher is to give repetition, practice and confidence, so that when the game gets harder, you don’t just walk away. Yes, they get you hooked by letting you win a lot before they make it hard. Creating a habit of writing is similar.

Break the writing or project you’re avoiding into small bits, and recognize that if it’s not working, you haven’t broken it down into small enough bits. If you’re not writing at all, any progress is good. Remember, you’re tricking your brain into doing what you need it to do. No matter how ridiculously small you have to make your goal, do it. You may do this more than once in the day. Or start and go a little further. Or a lot further.

Or get to the very end of that goal and stop—even if your 100-word goal ends in midsentence. Do it. That was the goal and you aced it! Setting a goal that you know you can achieve is vital.

Gamification

If your brain has a hyperactive rescue mode and wants to fight-or-flight you away from anything that makes you feel tense, stressed, or just plain negative, the key may be to cultivate habits that are as entertaining as video games or YouTube.

No, really. It’s a thing. There are a wide selection of apps that turn establishing productive habits into games, or close to it. (If you want a fun and motivating introduction to gamification along with some unexpected games to turn loose on your life [zombies!], let Jessica at HowtoADHD tell you How to Turn Your Life Into a Video Game.)

Habatica is a full-fledged RPG (role-playing game), complete with the ability to level up, buy gear, earn gold coins, etc. However, to reap those and other fun rewards, you don’t fight battles. You get experience or health points each day for each “habit” you are able to check (you did the good habits, refrained from the bad ones). You write the habits (write a chapter, write a newsletter, write two sentences, however you’ve set it up). There’s a to-do list for one-off tasks that don’t repeat, and the rewards you set for yourself, whether it’s a treat, an episode of your favorite television show, or time on Facebook. When you reach a high enough level you start accruing money and pieces of armor. It’s a real game that even lets you form a “party” with other people you know, adding a social element.

SuperBetter (overview of book and app) (tutorial)) may have the most dramatic storyline. Dr. Jane McGonigal had been developing games for 10 years when she suffered a debilitating concussion that wasn’t healing, was causing horrific pain, and left her so depressed she contemplated suicide. Instead, she developed Jane the Concussion Slayer. That game became SuperBetter, and it’s designed to work for you while you play. You create Quests (daily tasks and habits), create a Secret Identity (which is half the fun), challenges, Power Ups (tiny moves that give an emotional or physical lift) and more. Your negative habits or mindsets are Bad Guys. Is there something you’ve always wanted to do? Make it a Quest you’re working toward. This app also has a social aspect.

The Fabulous (overview) (tutorial) is described by Girlboss as a sleek app that will help you stick to your goals.

Daylio (overview) (tutorial) is a daily mood and activity tracker that lets you monitor the patterns of your emotions and establish new habits.

Finally, and perhaps saving the best for last, productivity consultant Denis Duvauchelle said, “Dopamine can be triggered with meaningful rewards, funny jokes and pleasant pictures. Have trouble motivating yourself to write? Kitten every 100 words!”

Rituals

Some writers find grounding and motivation in rituals that are creative, sensory, sometimes spiritual and/or religious—and can be designed to get you into the mood.

Remember the ongoing battle chronic procrastinators have? There are many ways to elevate that mood, and rituals are amazing tools.

One writer decided to take the plunge and write full time but quickly discovered that, since he didn’t have to cram all of his writing into stolen hours from work and family, the new sense of freedom led to him frittering away his time. His solution was a simple two-step ritual. Every day once the house emptied, he quieted himself and stroked a mallet down a set of desktop chimes. As their vibrations slowed, he lit a candle, one that would burn for four hours. The chime was his attempt to establish a Pavlov’s dog affect. Chime equaled time to write and he soon had no trouble diving into his work. But the candle was even more vital as once it was lit, it indicated his writing time. As it burned, his time grew shorter. He did allow himself to break as necessary, but even then he was aware that he was burning time, not to mention he had a burning candle he had to keep an eye on! His simple two steps provided a trigger [time to write] and mindfulness [time is burning].

Your ritual could be starting with a prayer. Or turning on music that fades into the background. Or using essential oils or incense.

“Make it so.”

Finally, one of the most helpful tools has to do with establishing new habits—fast.

Not after 21 days or 60 days, but almost immediately. That may sound impossible but this technique is recommended in many academic and psychological circles and is worth trying.

Program yourself to take a positive action or to avoid a negative one through self-talk, either aloud or mentally.

Isolate the precise action you want to take. Then create the sentence—the mantra, perhaps—that you’re going to start saying. It can be a straightforward plan, simple in its execution. “After I finish loading the dishwasher tomorrow, then I’m going to sit down and write for awhile.”

That may sound unimpressive, but if you start saying this in the morning the day before, and if you write it on a post-it and stick it on your computer, or wherever you will see it most often, and if every time you see it, you either speak the words aloud or read them silently… I think you can take it from here. It’s unassuming, direct, and not exciting. But by the time you’ve matter-of-factly and repeatedly reminded yourself of your intention, after you load that dishwasher, sitting down to write is going to be a lot easier than it has been. You’ve been preparing your brain for it for over 24 hours. Have fun with it, if you want. Roll your eyes, laugh about it. Next morning you may laugh all the way to the chair.

Need some extra motivation? Link the action—in this case, writing—to something you want to do, before and after.

“After I drink my expensive, special occasion coffee that I only use for guests, then I’ll sit down and write [two sentences, two scenes, two chapters, two hours]. And when I’ve done that, I’ll go to the coffee house and pick up another bag of those special coffee beans.”

You’ve outwitted your brain because you sandwiched your writing between two things that will make your prefrontal cortex purr happily in anticipation.

Hey, you may have not only gotten yourself jumpstarted, but you might have just established an effective new writing ritual: bestowing yourself with alone-time and the “good” coffee before and after writing because you deserve it.

Because one of the most vital things you can do is develop habits and rituals that take care of you.

________________________

Patricia Burroughs has ADHD, dyscalculia, and associated cognitive disorders, all of which are disorders of executive function and the prefrontal cortex. She generally manages her issues through self-education, medication, and therapy. She is not a neurosurgeon nor is she a psychologist. She encourages you to seek more information if you want to understand the nitty-gritty of brain function beyond their squabbles, which may include professional help.

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