Category Archives: creativity

201 Ways to Spur Your Creativity

person with Person sitting on couch

This guest post by Katie Tallo of Momentum Gathering can be found at https://writetodone.com

201 Ways to Arouse Your Creativity

She compiled these suggestions from a number of sources.

  1. from Alison Motluk: “Seek out creative company. The best ideas are forged not in moments of solitary genius, but during exchanges with trusted colleagues.” [Note: Austin Kleon calls this creative company a ‘scenius‘.]
    Five silhouettes looking outward
  2. from Jacob Cass at Just Creative Designs:  “Mindmap. Whether you use key words, images, colours, a hierarchy system, numbers, outlines, circles or random words, mindmapping gets your creative juices flowing.”

    light bulb surrounded by mind map set against chalkboard

  3. from Steve Pavlina:  “Architect a worthy challenge. If a task is too easy, you don’t need to be particularly creative, so your creative self will simply say, “You can manage this one without me.”

    outline of person with a choice to follow one of three arrows/directions

Ten Writing Prompts for March 11

 

  1. “Ready? Now close your eyes and count back from twenty…”

  2. They had everything and we had nothing…

  3. We never expected our innocent little lemonade stand to…

  4. It was pure joy/boredom/hate/love at first sight…

  5. Title: Night of the Zombies


  6. Title: Donald Trump Meets Forrest Gump

  7. My cruel words hung in the air…


  8. He had bit the hand that fed him…


  9. Luckily, Superman does exist…

  10. “Okay, soldiers/kids/Mr. President, pat your head and rub your stomach…”

Seize the moment…

girl-reaching

So it’s like this.

My friend from NY sent me a quick email telling me a classmate of ours from junior high had passed away…a year ago.

M was always a pretty happy-go-lucky guy and he was the same way as we went facemark-to-facemask in a junior college football game in 1972. And the same way as he served customers at his dad’s fish market and at the restaurant he started in the 80’s.

While I hadn’t seen him for decades, his passing hit me a little harder.

Maybe each succeeding loss of a contemporary does that now…but it was yet another reminder, a tug at my insides, with the familiar message…”What in God’s name are you waiting for? Get out there and make stuff!”

Yeah…it doesn’t have to be good—especially at first. It has to be done, so you have something to build on, a reference point.

And let’s all assume we’re not going to live forever, so it’s time to build some creative momentum.

It doesn’t have to be a leap. Even a step will do. But let’s aim together to be in a different place than we were the day before.

How to Never Miss a Day of Creative Work

Highlights:

  1. “Take the minimal viable action of sitting down at your desk…”
  2. “Reduce the scope, but stick to the schedule.”
  3. “It’s better to lower your standards and actually follow through…”

no-yes

Ten Writing Prompts for February 12

writing prompts word cloud

  1. This was the moment I had waited for…I marched into his office.

  2. “Yes, I know what you mean. I threw a fit yesterday about the same thing…”

  3. “Hello? This is Vegas Vacations. Have you heard about our latest deal?”

  4. “Whatever you do, don’t take a side.”

  5. “Chain your attack dogs, please.”

  6. This was the last lecture I’d ever have to hear from her…

  7. “Shepherd’s pie? It looked more like third base from last night’s game.”

  8. I had to admit it. I needed a friend.

  9. “Here he comes. Get out the butterfly net.”

  10. Breaking up on Valentines Day? What was I thinking? More important, what was she thinking?

  11. I tried to hurry past the deli. It was no use…

Ten Writing Prompts for January 17

writing prompts wordart

  1. “No, no! Not in the car!”

  2. All we needed was a hundred pounds of ice…

  3. “I have to tell you something, but you have to keep some perspective.”

  4. “The cell phone could only be in-oh-fifty places…”

  5. “What am I supposed to believe?”
    “Based on your past history, whatever you’re in the mood to believe.”

  6. “I don’t want to hear it. Besides, I’ve heard it all.”
    “Okaaayyyy, so if I told you that she wants to marry you…”

  7. It was a tough decision—rob the store or have some pie and coffee.

  8. “I couldn’t leave you guys behind.”
    “Of course you could and you nearly did until…”

  9. “The lying part made it all worse.”

  10. “Why didn’t you just come home?”

Leave It to Beaver…actually, Wally

Feeling the need for simplicity and–sighhhh–a trip down memory lane, I called up an episode of Leave It to Beaver. [You do realize life was perfect back then.]

Beaver tells his family that he wants to be a writer.

Ward Cleaver (to Beaver): I think you should do what Somerset Maugham did.
Beaver: Was he a writer?
Wally: With a name like that what do you think he is? A linebacker for the Baltimore Colts?

Classic line, Wally.

Image credit: ABC Television [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

10 Writing Prompts for New Year’s Day

writing prompts word cloud

HAPPY NEW YEAR’S DAY, FOLKS!

ENJOY THE LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS LIST AS WELL.

  1. “This information…would it have to do with my boss?”

  2. “He’s gone missing.”
    “Well, what did you expect?”

  3. How could we turn the tables within a day? It would take help from our friends…and even a few of our enemies.

  4. “Are you sure he didn’t say anything to you about his plans?”

  5. “On the bright side, you have each other!”   We each rolled our eyes.

  6. “There has to be some other way to change her mind.”
    “Nope, I’m afraid you’ll have to…”

  7. We never played well together and this was no exception…

  8. “Let’s try something new this weekend.”
    I reeeeally didn’t like the sound of that.

  9. “We’re still in the research phase.”

  10. “Do you even have any cleaning products?”

50 Creative Writing Ideas to Combat Writer’s Block

from thejohnfox.com