Creative Visualization for Writers by Nina Amir -- a blog tour and book giveaway

Some days creativity feels like a geyser that will never cease. Other days it feels like a tiny trickle of
creek after a long hot summer. Nina Amir has some ideas on how to keep your creative juices flowing.

Her latest writing craft book, Creative Visualization for Writers: An Interactive Guide for Bringing Your Book Ideas – and Writing Career – to Life, helps you nurture your creativity. Say goodbye to tedious assignments and say hello to fun activities--over 100--that will give your writing a boost.

This book also helps you develop Author Attitude by setting goals, increasing productivity, refusing negativity and more. Creative Visualization for Writers will help you take the steps needed to become a successful writer.

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Writer's Digest Books (October 18, 2016)
ISBN-10: 1440347182
ISBN-13: 978-1440347184

Creative Visualization for Writers is available as a print book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound.

Book Giveaway Contest:
To win a copy of Creative Visualization for Writers, please enter using the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of this post. The giveaway contest closes next Monday, September 26 at 12:00 AM EST. We will announce the winner the same day in the Rafflecopter widget. Good luck!

About the Author:

Nina Amir started as a journalist. She has a BA in magazine journalism with a concentration in psychology. After working as an editor and writer for a variety of regional magazines, a national corporation in New York City, and a small consulting firm, she started my own freelance writing and design business.

Working on other writers’ manuscripts sparked her desire to write a book of on topics she felt passionate about: personal development and practical spirituality. More than publishing a book, she wanted to build a business around those books.

Setting out to learn all she could about the publishing industry she got involved with the San Francisco Writer’s Conference and started the Write Nonfiction in November Challenge (now known as National Nonfiction Writing Month). In April 2012, her first book How to Blog a Book was published, became an Amazon bestseller almost immediately, and has remained one ever since. The Author Training Manual was published by Writer’s Digest Books just two years later and was a bestseller before any books passed through the register on Amazon. In addition she’s self-published several more ebooks, all of which have made it onto the Amazon Top 100 right away. In fact, she’s had as many as four books on one Amazon Top 100 list at the same time!

Nina Amir's website: http://ninaamir.com/

Nina Amir's blog: http://ninaamir.com/blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ninaamir

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NinaAmir

-----Interview by Jodi Webb

WOW: Creative Visualization for Writers combines writing and drawing. How do you feel these two activities complement each other?

NINA: The point is to find ways to help writers tap into their ability to create—to write—even if they don’t seem complementary.

Most of us realize that our brain has two sides that process information differently. The right side of the brain focuses on visual information. The left side of the brain focuses on verbal information.

As a writer, you may use your left brain—the language center—more than your right brain. Yet, the right brain is regarded as the more creative part of the brain.

But creativity is enhanced when you actively use both sides of the brain. For instance, it’s easier to ideate (and even write) if you call upon the right side of your brain. Drawing or coloring, meditating or visualizing, creating mind maps or time lines of your project, or singing or dancing help you tap into your creative energy and get the ideas and words flowing.

You’ll experience more creativity when you actively use both sides of the brain—when you write, draw, visualize, feel, and analyze. Thus, writers benefit from adopting a whole-brain approach to their work.

Also, when your writing project leaves you feeling stressed, unclear, and overwhelmed, drawing and coloring offer a means to relax and focus.

WOW: The book is divided into five sections: self-exploration, goals, creativity, visualization, and focus. How did you decide on these five themes OR which section is your favorite?

NINA: I felt that each one of these areas was important to making writing dreams real. I believe personal development is what helps us achieve anything in life. We hold ourselves back more often than any external situations. If we aren’t writing, we may need to explore or thoughts, mindsets, habits, etc. That’s where self-exploration comes in. Without goals, I think we flounder around through life. Goal setting gives us a map to follow toward the goal of successful authorship. Creativity is the foundation of writing. We want ideas! We need to solve problems and find solutions. And we need to know how to turn creativity on at will…not wait for inspiration to hit. Visualization could be seen as an outcropping of goal setting, but it goes farther. It’s a tool used by many people, including athletes, to convince themselves that they can achieve their goals and dreams. A clear vision of successful authorship, for instance, feeds your ability to bring that vision to life. As for focus, without it, you can’t write. We live in a highly distracting period of time. We need to learn to train our minds to work like laser beams. We can do this with affirmations, visualization, and constantly training our mind on what we want—not what we don’t want. Coloring pages that contain images of what we desire, coupled with the repetitive writing and repeating of self-affirming statements, helps us focus…and manifest our dreams.

The last section on focus also was born out of a desire to tap into the adult coloring book trend. But my publisher and I did not want to produce a coloring book. We both felt writers were way to busy to sit around coloring! But we agreed that they would color if it helped them focus on their goals and dreams and bring them to life. (The same for the affirmations.)

As for which section I like most…I’d have to say Self-Exploration. I’m passionate about personal development. That’s why I became a Certified High Performance Coach. I think personal development is the missing piece in Author Training and Coaching. I strongly believe it is the key to successful authorship.

WOW: Do you feel this book is just for the writer in us or can it carry over to other aspects of life?

NINA: Oh, it definitely carries over into every area of life. You could apply the exercises and concepts to your finances, relationships, health, or anything else! And I do regularly.

WOW: Why did you decide to write Creative Visualization? Were you drawing on your own needs and experiences as a writer or the needs and experiences of your mentoring clients?

NINA: I drew on several things. First, I strongly believe we all need to utilize the tools included in the book in our lives—all areas of our lives. I’ve used affirmations, meditations, visualizations, goal setting, and more since my early 20s. I find my personal growth efforts and use of “woo-woo” strategies, like vision boards, has helped me become the author and coach I am today.

I’m a big advocate of planning—you’ll notice this in both How to Blog a Book and The Author Training Manual—and seeing writing and publishing as a business. This is the “hard” side of becoming an author.

I work with a variety of writers and authors, as a coach and trainer. But sometimes the education and support they receive through my Author Coaching and Author Training are not enough. These aspiring authors need a “softer” way of achieving goals. They need new habits, clear goals, ways to train their mind, and the energy to move to completion of a project. They need courage and influence.

You can teach someone almost anything, if they are willing to learn. But the deciding factor on whether or not they achieve their goals comes down to their ability to understand themselves and what holds them back—and to change. They need to become the person who can fulfill their dreams.

So, I wanted to move away from the hard business books for writers and provide them with a companion to my other titles—one that would provide a softer approach. And I believe Creative Visualization for Writers provides a fabulous foundation for the strategies in my other two books.

But take note that The Author Training Manual also mentions goals, visions, and development of the right attitude or mindset. Creative Visualization for Writers just takes the concepts further.

As a side note, I got the idea for the book from the adult coloring book trend. But I wanted to give writers something more useful than a color book.

WOW: Do you think there is one particular skill or attitude that every writer has to cultivate if they want to become successful?

NINA: I often talk about the need for Author Attitude—willingness, optimism, objectivity, and tenacity.

But this leads back to the one skill writers need: the ability to master their mind.

Whether you need to turn on creativity in a moment, stop yourself from feeling not good enough, turn your fear of rejection into the courage to contact an agent, or sit down and write daily, one thing will help you in every situation. Your ability to master your mind.

You have to learn to turn your negative thoughts into positive ones and shift limiting beliefs to unlimited ones. Doing so will increase your self-esteem and self-confidence and help you discover the willpower to change your habits.

You achieve your current level of success with your current habits. To achieve a new level of success, you need new habits.

No one likes to change. Therefore, we often have to work with our thoughts and beliefs to make change happen. That’s where affirmations, visualization, and personal development help enormously.

I see it time and time again. An aspiring writer never finishes a book or publishes successfully because she is afraid, doesn’t think she can, gets overwhelmed, or doesn’t have the energy to get to “done.”

As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't—you're right.”

WOW: Our readers are well acquainted with your books on writing craft. But you also have a fictional WIP. Can you compare the process of writing to non-fiction and writing fiction?

NINA: Well…I have a novel; it’s true. It’s not done.

But I would never approach the process of writing a novel in the way I did when I wrote that one—given what I know now.

I believe all books—fiction or nonfiction—should be born out of an idea, first, and a business plan, second—if you want it to have a greater chance of the book selling well.

But in addition to creativity, to write a novel you need a great imagination and the ability to tell a story.

Now, in nonfiction, you also should be telling a story—and possibly using anecdotes and vignettes—but you don’t have to make the story up! That takes imagination.

Memoirists must write like novelists in terms of style, and this can prove a different process than writing straight nonfiction. But, as we’ve learned, putting your imagination to work on a memoir, which is nonfiction, is not a good idea.

But in both genres, you must have an idea and the ability to carry it out. That takes an Author Attitude and more!

WOW: Tell us about compiling the exercises in Creative Visualization. Where did all the exercises come from? Did you do research into what types of questions and activities would increase creativity?

NINA: Some of the exercises are ones I use. In fact, I brainstormed relentlessly to create exercises for the book—over 100 of them.

I love creating workbooks and exercises. And the majority of those in the book are my own or based on my experiences or experiences of those I know or with whom I’ve worked.

When it came to creativity, I did, indeed, do research. And many of the exercises were born out of that research.

I also researched the topics of the other four sections, and this generated additional ideas for exercises.

WOW: Anything else you would like to add?

NINA: I’m extremely proud of this book. It melds my understanding of the writing and publishing process with my passion for helping writers get past the blocks they place in the way of their success. It’s a lovely blend of all that I have learned in career as a writer and author and in my quest to learn what makes people succeed at any endeavor. It provides the best of what I have to offer as an Author Coach and Author Trainer and a Certified High Performance Coach.

Plus, it’s a beautiful interactive journal. There’s so much fun in the pages and possibilities for introspection and dreaming. And it’s pretty! I love the illustrations—all of which can be colored.

I hope writers will take advantage of Creative Visualization for Writers and find that it helps them make their writing dreams and career real.

----------Blog Tour Dates

Monday, September 19 (today!) @ The Muffin
Stop by for an interview with Nina Amir and a chance to win Creative Visualization for Writers!
http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/

Wednesday, September 21 @ Pen & Pro$per
Stop by for advice from Nina Amir, author of several writing craft books, including her latest Creative Visualization for Writers.
http://penandprosper.blogspot.com/

Friday, September 23 @ Create Write Now
Learn what makes a writing guru tick in today's interview with Nina Amir, author of Creative Visualization for Writers.
http://www.createwritenow.com/

Tuesday, September 27 @ Building Bookshelves
Looking for a book that could rejuvenate your writing career? Read today's review of Creative Visualization for Writers and enter to win a copy.
http://blogs.republicanherald.com/bookshelves

Thursday, September 29 @ Santa Fe Books
Looking for a great book on writing craft? Read today's review of Creative Visualization for Writers by Nina Amir. You'll be adding it to your "must read" list.
http://www.booksantafe.info/blog

Friday, September 30 @ Choices
Need all the details on Nina Amir's latest book? Don’t miss today’s showcase of Creative Visualization for Writers.
http://madelinesharples.com/

Monday, October 17 @ Lisa M. Buske
Read a review of Nina Amir's Creative Visualization for Writers today -- release date is tomorrow!
http://www.lisambuske.com/blog

Wednesday, October 19 @ Beads and Books
Creative types of all kinds – not just writers -- will enjoy Creative Visualization by Nina Amir. Stop by for a review!
http://www.beadsandbooks.com/

Thursday, October 20 @ Writers Pay It Forward
Learn more about writer Nina Amir and how you can practice Creative Visualization for Writers.
http://writerspayitforward.org/blog/

Friday, October 21 @ Android After Forty
Don't miss one of your last chances to enter and win Creative Visualization for Writers by Nina Amir.
http://www.AndroidAfterForty.com

Wednesday, October 26 @ Beverley A. Baird
Stop by for a review of a writer's book you shouldn't miss: Nina Amir's Creative Visualization for Writers.
https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com

Thursday, October 27 @ Dorit Sasson
Does your writing need a boost? Creative Visualization for Writers could be just the thing you need!
http://doritsasson.com/blog/

Monday, October 31 @ Memoir Writer’s Journey
Memoirists need creative visualization too! Learn more about Creative Visualization for Writers from Nina Amir and enter to win her newest book.
http://krpooler.com

Keep up with blog stops and giveaways in real time by following us on Twitter @WOWBlogTour.

Get Involved!
If you have a website or blog and would like to host one of our touring authors or schedule a tour of your own, please email us at blogtour@wow-womenonwriting.com.

*****BOOK GIVEAWAY CONTEST*****

Enter to win a copy of Creative Visualization for Writers! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. We will announce the winner in the Rafflecopter widget Monday, September 26. Also, stop by the blogs to enter into the tour-wide Rafflecopter giveaway. Winner will be announced on Friday, November 4.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck!