I want you to write again. My goal is to release your creative potential. I want to call out your passion, skill and energy as a writer. You are a writer. You are meant to write. Creativity is your center.

Writing is in your blood. It’s in your DNA. It is part of who you are. Nothing fulfills you like writing because it is part of your purpose.

How to Use This List

Actors use games to loosen up and sharpen their minds before the show. Use this list to sharpen your creative skills and break the block.

I know a computer programmer who spends a few minutes each morning playing games when he arrives at his desk. The games are logic puzzles that require creative thinking. They sharpen his problem solving skills and require him to think outside the box – an essential skill for software developers.

Treat these suggestions as sharpeners for your creative problem solving skills. They are practical, imaginative and thoughtful. They are designed to break your writer’s block and get you writing.

Suspend the Critic

Criticism can be helpful at times, but not when it stifles your voice. Writer’s block is frustrating enough by itself. I believe your self-expression is more valuable than the critic.

Ignore Mistakes

Creation is the goal, not perfection. One summer I worked for an illustrator who taught me this lesson. "When you make a mistake, pretend it didn’t happen and move on." Instead of stressing out about his little mistakes he kept working and cleaned up at the end.

Protect your creative process by brushing off the pressure to write perfectly.

Write first. Review later. Your creative flow is your most valuable ability, and your most fulfilling experience as a writer.

The Bottom Line

There is no shortcut. You have to do the work. If you are serious consider this invitation: commit to writing once a day for the next 30 days. Decide how much time you can invest. Be it 15 minutes or an hour, whatever works best for you.

Make it Sustainable

Productivity is the goal, not burn out. Because this is a significant commitment, make sure you can sustain it for the next 30 days. Prioritize this commitment like you would prioritize eating and sleeping. If a suggestion does not work for you, move to one that does.

Plan Ahead

Take a minute to think about your most creative time of day, your most productive location. When are you most alert, most focused and able to concentrate? Devote part of this time to your writing.

One of my friends thinks best when he’s active. Several times a week he takes time to walk, run and think. His wife, however, enjoys her times of reflection journaling in coffee shops. This couple knows how to protect their writing and thinking. That time is sacred.

You know yourself. Choose a time and location that works best for you. Minimize distractions and come prepared to write.

THE LIST

1. Eavesdrop

Take a moment to observe an interaction between some people nearby. If you can hear what they’re saying, put yourself inside their conversation. What is motivating their word choice, their body language, their expressions? If you can’t hear, imagine what they’re talking about.

Now take it deeper, what emotions, strength of character or insecurities lie beneath their communication? Take it deeper one more time. What events contributed to the circumstances surrounding those emotions, strengths and insecurities?

Write a synopsis for each participant in the conversation. Include their name, characteristics and a bio. Next, jot down a blow-by-blow of the conversation as you remember it. Keep the conversation going between your characters for another page or two. Leave the conversation unresolved. Revisit them in few days and pick up where you paused.

2. Superimpose Yourself

Forget yourself for a moment. Look around for inanimate objects that catch your eye. Notice the objects your eyes keep returning to. Notice which ones you avoid looking at. Choose one object. Imagine the point of view of that object. Look around from its perspective.

Now look at yourself from its perspective. What do you look like? What is the expression on your face? What is your body doing? What is happening around you?

Write about yourself from the perspective of the object. Write about the light, the sounds, the environment surrounding you. Now record your current level of self-awareness. As you notice things about yourself, what stands out? Note how you feel about yourself. Jot down where you think this exercise is taking you.

3. Listen

Close your eyes for several minutes. Focus on yourself, on your breathing. Listen to your breath. Notice your muscles. After a few minutes expand your listening. What are the loud sounds around you? What are the softer one beneath them? What are the faintest, most distant and infrequent sounds?

Using whatever technique seems the most creative to you, record the symphony of sound you are witnessing. Orchestrate the layers. Express the intensity, volume, rhythm, lyric and flow.

Write about the source of the sounds. Are they natural, mechanical, soothing, nostalgic? Notice your emotional response to the sounds. Do they trigger thoughts or memories? How connected do you feel to what you hear? What relationship do you see between the sounds?

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About the Author

Gabrien Symons created JournalShelf.com to provide journal lovers, writers, poets, artists, and musicians with beautifully hand made, hard-to-find journals. Part of his vision includes empowering the creativity of writers and artists. He and his wife moved to New York after getting married in Boston.