I love to write. Which means it generally comes easy to me. I can write about almost anything. And I do. But some people struggle writing content, such as articles for their blog, for online journals like Thrive and Medium and even for their own newsletters. But not everyone likes to write. Yet often we must. Ad business professionals or entrepreneurs we have to write content for our jobs, our business, for social media, for product launches, you name it. At one time or other most everyone faces the the fact that we have to write. Something. And we get stuck.
We ask ourselves things like: Where do we begin? What do we write about? Who will read it? Who will even care?
Most people think that writing an article or a book means putting your thoughts into words either on paper or on the computer screen. There is a system, a process.
First of all you need to understand what it is your audience wants and needs.
Once you understand their wants and needs you need to be able to capture their interest of your readers and get them to keep reading. That’s where creativity comes in… and this can elude even the best of writers especially when we get writers block.
If you have been struggling with your writing, it may simply mean you need help tapping into the creative brain to get started. And there are ways to do just that without getting frustrated or giving up.
While creativity may come natural to many people, some writers get into a slump and simply don’t know where to begin. That is when we have to stir the creative pot… to get our creative juices flowing again.
Putting words into images in the readers mind is an art.
A clear and crisp depiction requires a certain flair that only creativity can provide. Similes and metaphors help a lot, but the way an article gets entwined word for word, sentence by sentence then paragraph by paragraph into a whole article develops the essence of the article.
So just what do you have to do when nothing comes to mind? There is no surefire ways to get the perfect ideas but there are easy ways to get your creative juices flowing. No one can guarantee you of having the perfect mindset but there are a number of methods which may assist you in achieving that state of mind.
Here are five of them that I use.
- Keep a diary or a journal with you always. Ideas can be triggered by anything you may hear, see, touch, taste or smell. Your senses are your radar to finding great ideas. As they come to you, write them in a journal and keep it with you for future reference. You may also write down anything that you have read or heard, someone’s ideas could be used to develop your own ideas. As long as you do not use the ideas word for work or the exact same concept, its inspiration — as long as you make it your own by writing from your perspective. To be safe, credit the person and understand there are rules to using ideas you borrowed. Learn them.
Remember that ideas and creativity can come from anywhere; it’s the development of the idea that makes it unique.
2) Relax and take time to sort things out. A jumbled mind cannot create any space for new ideas. Everyone must have a clear mind if one wishes to have their creativity in full speed. Get rid of all obstacles that can be a hindrance to your creativity. If you are bothered by something, you cannot force your mind to stay focused.
Try to relax as often as you can and think about your experiences and interactions with others. One way is to schedule quite time. If you put it on your calendar and make it a priority, pretty soon it becomes second nature and you wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.
Your experiences are what shape your mindset and your opinions which could be reflected on your writings. Look for ways to discover yourself, find out what triggers your emotions. Discover what inspires you and what ticks you off. You can use these emotions to help you in expressing yourself and your ideas, with this you can grow creatively.
3) Create a working place that can inspire your creativeness. Your working place can be a hindrance if it doesn’t make you feel happy or relaxed. Creativity comes from being in a good state of mind and a messed up workplace that causes distraction won’t be conducive to igniting your creative flow.
Surround your working place with objects that makes you happy and relaxed. You may put up pictures, or scents, objects that inspire, or anything that can get your creative juices flowing. A clean and well organized workplace also rids of distractions and unwanted obstacles.
4) Set the mood. Setting the mood requires you to just go with the moment or to induce yourself to feeling what makes your mind operate at its full potential. Finding out what makes you tick might just help you find ways to get those all-important creative juices flowing. Set the pace and tempo for your mood and everything else will follow.
There are many ways to set the mood. For some it might be a glass of wine. For others music works. Lighting is an important aspect of creating the right atmosphere for working and inspiration. So are scents, such as scented candles. Make sure the candles are naturally scented as the others might be made with chemicals that can block your creativity.
5) Get Away from it All. Do something different. Letting yourself go and have fun produces adrenaline that can make your imagination go wild. Partake in an adventure or a simple quiet hike. Whatever it is that is unusual from your daily routine can take the rut out of your schedule. If you sit behind a computer all day, make a point of getting out. Going somewhere. Being around people. In no time at all, your creativeness will make use of that experience and just might put that imagination of yours into high gear and get those creative juices flowing.
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Originally published at medium.com