15 IDEAS TO KEEP YOU CREATIVE
Writing a book will always involve a great deal of passion, hard work and planning, you’ll cover many hours and type thousands upon thousands of words before you’re ready to go to the press and then finally the book store.
But how do you keep the creativity flowing? Here we have fifteen hints and tips which are designed to help keep your story on track and page count growing.
1) Read – when you’re not writing (and have a spare moment) read a book or even a short story, think about your day and the moments which you could possibly use to sneak in a quick fifteen minutes with your head in a book. Great inspiration can be found in the pages of a classic (and sometimes not-so-classic) book.
2) Close that door – ensure that the time you have set aside for writing is for you and you alone, make sure you don’t have any distractions and aren’t interrupted by anyone.
3) Have a schedule – plan out your week and design it with specific times to write, tell those around you and as in tip number 2 keep them away when writing.
4) Tune out – ensure that your mobile, Facebook , Twitter and all other social networking applications are switched off, it’s even worth temporarily switching off the internet connection on your PC whilst you write. These distractions kill time and bleed your creativity.
5) Paper in your pocket – get into the habit of carrying a notepad and pen with you, keep it in your pocket or bag but just make sure you it’s with you always. You’ll be surprised where inspiration strikes and how quickly you can forget those ideas too.
6) Walk the dog – get away from your desk or place of work for half an hour or so, go outside and walk in the fresh air (keep that notepad and pen on you though), an form of exercise regardless of how gentle it may seem will help clear your mind and rejuvenate your creativity.
7) Say it out loud – read your own work back to yourself aloud, this really helps you grasp the rhythm and pace of your work.
8) Knowledge is the power – have a good understanding of what you’re writing about, and if it’s outside of your field of expertise then study until you are an expert, you'll need to cover all ereas to ensure your readers don't find fault with any 'facts' in your book.
9) Falling in love – make your readers care about your characters and you’ll find that the situations you put them in will of course carry more weight and cause more of an impact.
10) Hold back a little – you will have a clear idea of the characters and locations within your novel, however giving every single last detail out can read like a biography, instead you should design the details to trickle out the right moments of the story.
11) Focus – try not to write for the market, try to design a story which is deep within you and stay as true to it as you can.
12) Maps – ensure that you start off the writing project with a clear road map, this can be drawn from your plot, draft versions, any brain-storming done and story board. It can be as in-depth as you like but should always give a clear idea of the direction and any twists within the story’s progression. Having said this, some authors will just ‘free-write’ and for some it works well, however more people tend to follow the planned approach so a knowledge of your own strengths and weaknesses here will help.
13) Rule of three – use the three act structure when writing (I know this is a bit of an obvious one to cover) however, giving your storyline a start, middle and ending will keep your readers happy.
14) Don’t judge – assume that your readers are as smart as or smarter than yourself.
15) Location, location, location – if you have made up a setting for your work you need to ensure that it is as vivid and realistic to the reader as possible, if you’re basing it upon a real location then do your research (if you don’t, believe me one of your readers will).
As long as you believe in your work and stay passionate the creativity will flow through you and your best seller could be sooner than you realize.
Good luck!
But how do you keep the creativity flowing? Here we have fifteen hints and tips which are designed to help keep your story on track and page count growing.
1) Read – when you’re not writing (and have a spare moment) read a book or even a short story, think about your day and the moments which you could possibly use to sneak in a quick fifteen minutes with your head in a book. Great inspiration can be found in the pages of a classic (and sometimes not-so-classic) book.
2) Close that door – ensure that the time you have set aside for writing is for you and you alone, make sure you don’t have any distractions and aren’t interrupted by anyone.
3) Have a schedule – plan out your week and design it with specific times to write, tell those around you and as in tip number 2 keep them away when writing.
4) Tune out – ensure that your mobile, Facebook , Twitter and all other social networking applications are switched off, it’s even worth temporarily switching off the internet connection on your PC whilst you write. These distractions kill time and bleed your creativity.
5) Paper in your pocket – get into the habit of carrying a notepad and pen with you, keep it in your pocket or bag but just make sure you it’s with you always. You’ll be surprised where inspiration strikes and how quickly you can forget those ideas too.
6) Walk the dog – get away from your desk or place of work for half an hour or so, go outside and walk in the fresh air (keep that notepad and pen on you though), an form of exercise regardless of how gentle it may seem will help clear your mind and rejuvenate your creativity.
7) Say it out loud – read your own work back to yourself aloud, this really helps you grasp the rhythm and pace of your work.
8) Knowledge is the power – have a good understanding of what you’re writing about, and if it’s outside of your field of expertise then study until you are an expert, you'll need to cover all ereas to ensure your readers don't find fault with any 'facts' in your book.
9) Falling in love – make your readers care about your characters and you’ll find that the situations you put them in will of course carry more weight and cause more of an impact.
10) Hold back a little – you will have a clear idea of the characters and locations within your novel, however giving every single last detail out can read like a biography, instead you should design the details to trickle out the right moments of the story.
11) Focus – try not to write for the market, try to design a story which is deep within you and stay as true to it as you can.
12) Maps – ensure that you start off the writing project with a clear road map, this can be drawn from your plot, draft versions, any brain-storming done and story board. It can be as in-depth as you like but should always give a clear idea of the direction and any twists within the story’s progression. Having said this, some authors will just ‘free-write’ and for some it works well, however more people tend to follow the planned approach so a knowledge of your own strengths and weaknesses here will help.
13) Rule of three – use the three act structure when writing (I know this is a bit of an obvious one to cover) however, giving your storyline a start, middle and ending will keep your readers happy.
14) Don’t judge – assume that your readers are as smart as or smarter than yourself.
15) Location, location, location – if you have made up a setting for your work you need to ensure that it is as vivid and realistic to the reader as possible, if you’re basing it upon a real location then do your research (if you don’t, believe me one of your readers will).
As long as you believe in your work and stay passionate the creativity will flow through you and your best seller could be sooner than you realize.
Good luck!
