tricks of the trade

If you write and sometimes get stuck you may need to try a few tricks to get going again. Hopefully, you have one or two that work for you. Perhaps it involves time for day dreaming or mindless puttering. Maybe you long for solitude, time to meditate, or a respite from the daily grind. Or perhaps you work better when you are surrounded by the hum of human activity, or music, or the lapping of the waves on the shore. You should find out what works for you so you have something to do or somewhere to go to free up your creative energy.

I have five things that help me:

• A long walk, alone, with paper and pen in hand. Dialogue seems to appear from out of nowhere when I wander through a scene that needs work.

• A long drive--I mean seven or eight hours long--alone, in silence except for my thoughts. I have been known to write full chapters in my head along the PA Turnpike, or better yet, en route to New England or to vacation on the OBX.

• Music, depending on the scene. One story may need a little Motown, another might like drumming or chant, still another may open up to sacred or classical works.

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• Comfort food. Coffee. Wine. Depending on my mood or my character's mood, my need for energy or self-indulgence, and my sweet-salty-crunchy-gooey cravings.



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• And, even though I have no control over it, weather affects my writing. I especially like a dank, gloomy day, a stormy day, or a snowy day...when I'm stuck here at home with my dogs.

 

What about you? What motivates you to write, or draw, or compose? What boosts your creative energy?

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"A year from now,

you will wish you started today."

~Karen Lamb~

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This is how I spent my weekend...

 



 

...welcoming a wonderful son-in-law into our family! Hope you had a great weekend, too.

jan