How to Put More Creativity Into Your Writing

While preparing a speech on, “How to Present a More Creative Speech” for an audience of 800 Toastmasters in Dubai last year, I realized that not all people (and this goes for writers, too) are or feel they are creative. I thought that the exercises I devised for these Middle Eastern public speakers might be useful for writers.

According to a popular scientific theory, those of us who rely on intuition and who seem naturally creative, are right-brain thinkers. Those who are more analytical and logical, have a more well-developed left brain. For my audience in Dubai, I designed the following guide offering some activities to help my fellow Toastmasters to become more creative. I thought that you might like to try some of the activities on this list. In fact, if you feel that you are not naturally creative and you would like to loosen up a bit and feel a little freer, I suggest that you pursue all six of these activities often.

1: Go out and play. Join in with a group of kids who are playing a game, jump rope, play with a puppy or a baby or go out dancing.

2: Get involved in an art project. Work on a paint-by-number kit, do mosaic or weaving, pursue creative gardening, a needlework project or a craft, for example.

3: Read a children’s story out loud to a child. Exaggerate the voices of the characters. You’ll have fun and the child will love it.

4: Enjoy something without analyzing it. Oooh, this is a hard one for left-brain thinkers. But it’s an excellent exercise. Take cues from children or a kitten.

5: Solve a problem using intuition rather than logic. Here’s another difficult challenge. But you can do it—I know you can.

6: Find a role model/mentor. This might be someone who you feel is creative—observe this person, copy him/her and ask them to help you to become more creative.

Here’s a quote by artist Mary Lou Cook. I think it really sums up the definition of creativity. “Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes and having fun.”

Patricia


Patricia Fry is a full-time freelance writer, workshop leader, lecturer and the author of 25 books. To learn more about creating and producing a book, order her latest book,The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Bookhttp://www.matilijapress.com. Visit her informative blog at www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog.

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