Here’s a scenario that you’ll probably find familiar: You’re sitting there, brow knit in concentration, working very hard on untangling a knotty story problem, when along comes a non-writing friend or family member. “Whatcha doin’?” he asks. You give him barely a glance, your mind still lost in your make-believe world. “Working.” “Uh-huh,” says Mr. Friendly […]
June 22, 2008 by 9 Comments Writing Inspiration5 Ways to Open Yourself to Inspiration
If you’re like most writers, coming up with story ideas is rarely a problem. More than likely, your brain bubbles over with more ideas than you’d be able to use in two and half lifetimes. I’ve yet to meet a writer who decided Hmm, I’d like to be an author—and then sat down to brainstorm […]
April 13, 2008 by 7 Comments Writing InspirationHow to Write Wildly Original Stories
Ideas swarm from the writer’s brain like bees from a hive. At any given moment, most of us have snippets of inspiration floating around in the netherworld between our conscious and unconscious. Some of those ideas we develop, some we abandon; some will turn out to be gold, some will be trash. We’ll probably never […]
March 16, 2008 by 30 Comments Writing InspirationConscious vs. Subconscious Creativity: Which Is More Important to an Author?
I’ve always been intrigued by the left-brain/right-brain theory—the idea that creative thought stems from the right hemisphere of the brain, while logical thought flows from the left hemisphere. Growing up, I always considered myself a right-brainer, due to my imaginative ramblings. But, the older I get, the more my left-brain (logical, sequential, rational, analytical, objective) tendencies […]
