| I want you to write again. My goal is to release | | | | reflection journaling in coffee shops. This couple |
| your creative potential. I want to call out your | | | | knows how to protect their writing and thinking. |
| passion, skill and energy as a writer. You are a | | | | That time is sacred. |
| writer. You are meant to write. Creativity is your | | | | You know yourself. Choose a time and location |
| center. | | | | that works best for you. Minimize distractions and |
| Writing is in your blood. It's in your DNA. It is part | | | | come prepared to write. |
| of who you are. Nothing fulfills you like writing | | | | THE LIST |
| because it is part of your purpose. | | | | 1. Eavesdrop |
| How to Use This List | | | | Take a moment to observe an interaction |
| Actors use games to loosen up and sharpen their | | | | between some people nearby. If you can hear |
| minds before the show. Use this list to sharpen | | | | what they're saying, put yourself inside their |
| your creative skills and break the block. | | | | conversation. What is motivating their word |
| I know a computer programmer who spends a | | | | choice, their body language, their expressions? If |
| few minutes each morning playing games when | | | | you can't hear, imagine what they're talking about. |
| he arrives at his desk. The games are logic | | | | Now take it deeper, what emotions, strength of |
| puzzles that require creative thinking. They | | | | character or insecurities lie beneath their |
| sharpen his problem solving skills and require him | | | | communication? Take it deeper one more time. |
| to think outside the box - an essential skill for | | | | What events contributed to the circumstances |
| software developers. | | | | surrounding those emotions, strengths and |
| Treat these suggestions as sharpeners for your | | | | insecurities? |
| creative problem solving skills. They are practical, | | | | Write a synopsis for each participant in the |
| imaginative and thoughtful. They are designed to | | | | conversation. Include their name, characteristics |
| break your writer's block and get you writing. | | | | and a bio. Next, jot down a blow-by-blow of the |
| Suspend the Critic | | | | conversation as you remember it. Keep the |
| Criticism can be helpful at times, but not when it | | | | conversation going between your characters for |
| stifles your voice. Writer's block is frustrating | | | | another page or two. Leave the conversation |
| enough by itself. I believe your self-expression is | | | | unresolved. Revisit them in few days and pick up |
| more valuable than the critic. | | | | where you paused. |
| Ignore Mistakes | | | | 2. Superimpose Yourself |
| Creation is the goal, not perfection. One summer I | | | | Forget yourself for a moment. Look around for |
| worked for an illustrator who taught me this | | | | inanimate objects that catch your eye. Notice the |
| lesson. "When you make a mistake, pretend it | | | | objects your eyes keep returning to. Notice which |
| didn't happen and move on." Instead of stressing | | | | ones you avoid looking at. Choose one object. |
| out about his little mistakes he kept working and | | | | Imagine the point of view of that object. Look |
| cleaned up at the end. | | | | around from its perspective. |
| Protect your creative process by brushing off the | | | | Now look at yourself from its perspective. What |
| pressure to write perfectly. | | | | do you look like? What is the expression on your |
| Write first. Review later. Your creative flow is | | | | face? What is your body doing? What is |
| your most valuable ability, and your most fulfilling | | | | happening around you? |
| experience as a writer. | | | | Write about yourself from the perspective of the |
| | | | object. Write about the light, the sounds, the |
| The Bottom Line | | | | environment surrounding you. Now record your |
| There is no shortcut. You have to do the work. If | | | | current level of self-awareness. As you notice |
| you are serious consider this invitation: commit to | | | | things about yourself, what stands out? Note how |
| writing once a day for the next 30 days. Decide | | | | you feel about yourself. Jot down where you |
| how much time you can invest. Be it 15 minutes | | | | think this exercise is taking you. |
| or an hour, whatever works best for you. | | | | 3. Listen |
| | | | Close your eyes for several minutes. Focus on |
| Make it Sustainable | | | | yourself, on your breathing. Listen to your breath. |
| Productivity is the goal, not burn out. Because this | | | | Notice your muscles. After a few minutes expand |
| is a significant commitment, make sure you can | | | | your listening. What are the loud sounds around |
| sustain it for the next 30 days. Prioritize this | | | | you? What are the softer one beneath them? |
| commitment like you would prioritize eating and | | | | What are the faintest, most distant and |
| sleeping. If a suggestion does not work for you, | | | | infrequent sounds? |
| move to one that does. | | | | Using whatever technique seems the most |
| | | | creative to you, record the symphony of sound |
| Plan Ahead | | | | you are witnessing. Orchestrate the layers. |
| Take a minute to think about your most creative | | | | Express the intensity, volume, rhythm, lyric and |
| time of day, your most productive location. When | | | | flow. |
| are you most alert, most focused and able to | | | | Write about the source of the sounds. Are they |
| concentrate? Devote part of this time to your | | | | natural, mechanical, soothing, nostalgic? Notice |
| writing. | | | | your emotional response to the sounds. Do they |
| One of my friends thinks best when he's active. | | | | trigger thoughts or memories? How connected do |
| Several times a week he takes time to walk, run | | | | you feel to what you hear? What relationship do |
| and think. His wife, however, enjoys her times of | | | | you see between the sounds? |