10 Ways to Ignite Creative Flow

A writer's creative flow or writer's block stops producing at inconvenient times. There's no warning. Writers are left staring at a blank computer screen, playing paper basketball with the nearest wastebasket or finger tapping a tune out.

I've discovered, from years of writing, ways to ignite creative flow and stop writer's block. The following lists 10 ways to ignite your creative flow.

1. What to write? You're working on a writing project, and creative flow decided to nap. Stop fretting. Take a deep breath.

What would fit well into the writing project? Is there an aspect that you haven't considered? Or, a different angle works better? Allow creative flow to weigh in and then start the writing process.

2. Pick an event that happened during the last 24 hours. The event grabbed your attention and continued to nag at your creative flow. The moment it happens, begin jotting down notes. Figure-out how to share it. Is the better view through fiction, non-fiction or poetry?

3. A gathering of any kind is a storage of possible writing ideas to nudge creative flow, and push writer's block to the curb. A family group togetherness or holiday offers many writing ideas.

Have you listened to toddlers agreeing on a movie to watch?

"No, don't wanna watch it." Toddler number 1 cried.

"I wanna." Toddler 2 said.

"Nooo." Toddler 3 screamed.

Several non-fiction articles could be written before the family get-together starts.

4. The experience of a life time piece. It's the experience that had a profound influence on you.

One of the profound experiences in my life: I was unjustly fired from a job. It was the focus of my book, Grave Street House, and articles.

The point is to get information from life and write about it.

5. Write a piece that's different from what you normally do. A poem, for example.

6. Make-up a sentence to shape writing ideas.

The rain driven snow pounded all night.

You get any ideas from the statement? Make-up some of your own.

7. Ghost-writers address writing needs.

What form would your answer take to stir-up creative flow or stop writer's block?

8. Pick your ideal place to be. How would your essay start? A travel writing article?

9. Grab the book you thought was poorly written. Your book?

10. Write about your favorite time of the year. Why is it your favorite? Could you sell the article?

The ten ways to stimulate creative flow and stop writer's block is a writer's tool, but shape-it to fit your needs.

Peel Ideas Into Writing Projects

Writing ideas stand-tall in dreams, walk around the market and live on the Internet. It takes a writer's creative flow to peel ideas into writing projects.

A dream that repeats itself, night after night, can unfold into fiction. Some dreams appear vividly and refuse to be forgotten.

Slice-away a segment, part, of the dream to write about. You don't want to write fiction? Write an essay about a portion of the dream. Your creative flow may prefer to write non-fiction on your dream. Use the dream in as many angles as possible. This is how the process of peeling ideas into writing projects begins.

The more you write about it, the better you'll understand your dream. After all, writing is therapeutic and good for you.

Stay on the look-out for writing ideas, no matter where you are. I can't emphasize that enough.

At the market, this happened to me, a stranger was on his cell phone. I didn't pay it any special attention.

"She's here with pink flip-flops on," he said.

Needless to say, I quickly moved away from him.

There are many writing ideas within that incident that comes to mind.

Fiction based on a stalker holds promise. An essay probing the loud tone people use on a cell phone. One last short story idea is that the man didn't have anyone on his cell phone. He wanted to speak to a female, but fear had him in it's grip.

The Internet, too, is a place to peel ideas into writing projects. Every link, Web site, offers material. Writers must decide which idea to use, how.

Let's look at an example.

Critique And Write Fiction

There's one more step to the writing process before sharing with the world. Few, if any, can skip it. Read the entire post at:

Critiqueandwrite.blogspot.com/2013/10/critique-and-write-fiction.html.

Do you get any ideas from Critique And Write Fiction? If yes, share them.

The last words are that it's time to write.

Re-Call Writing Exercise

The Re-Calling Exercise is a writing tool geared toward igniting a writer's creative flow. There's never too many ways to awaken creative flow. This writing exercise can be applied to fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

Let's go through how the Re-Call Writing Exercise works.

Sit down in your writing place. Get comfortable. Make sure you have everything you'll need. Take food or water. Fruit? Leave the phone outside of the room you're in.Write, at least, two hours before getting up.

Look at anything in the room you're in, for five seconds.

Next, write down, in ten words, everything you remember.

I scanned a notebook for five seconds.

I remember the following: yellow, lined, notes, writing, stuffed, square, dull color, informative, book and name.

The above ten words leads to many paths.

Yellow color inspires an article about ducks, non-fiction. Possible question: Where are the happiest ducks.

Lined, hmm? What or how do lines in fashion help/hurt specific body types?

Notes can play-out in fiction. A crime!

The man stared at me as he spoke into his cell phone. I turned away, fled down another aisle. Two strange females followed me...

The idea has all kinds of possibilities.

Writing means poetry too. Or, your opinion?

All words are sifted through your creative flow, and writing projects happen.

Finally, Re-Call Writing Exercise is to help you, the writer, explore new depths.

Write

Have a question? Agree, disagree, with me? Leave me your opinion. Writers, like any one else, will be visited by life's turmoil. It can come in the form of illness, lost of a job, relationship break-up or death in the family. Life's turmoil may try to upset your creative flow by serving you with writer's block. Simply, write. Write anything, everything. Ideas eventually form to allow creative flow expression. Write about a problem. What's stopping you from writing? New writing ideas happen when you ask questions. My grand-children started a make-shift memorial for their fallen police officer father, for example. It happened down the street from where I reside. People, someone, stole the stuffed animals. One was left. Who does that? Combat life's turmoil. How? Write. Update: On September1, 2012, I walked pass the make-shift memorial. Someone had moved it a few feet form the original site. There to four of the stuffed animals re-appeared. My question: Where are the rest of the stuffed animals?

Successful Writers: Write

Have a question? Agree, disagree,
with me? Leave me your opinion.

Successful writers write through
stress, approaching dead-lines
when more is required than the
three paragraphs you've written
or as creative flow goes on strike.

"I've written the paragraphs ten
times, and can't think of anything
else to write." A writer said.

"Too many ideas, can't sleep." A few
writers shared.

The above statements are a result of
stress, but successful writers don't
allow it to stop them.

Stop stress blockages by writing
anything related to the paragraphs
or written work. Distance yourself
from the writing project for as long
as possible.

Come-back to it refreshed and with
new writing ideas. Continue developing
your writing ideas. There's a chance that
the original writing idea has lost its
appeal. Don't waste time on a writing
idea going nowhere.

Begin exploring the new writing idea.
Write anything about it. Random writing
stimulates the creative process. Writing
ideas will take shape. The more you write,
the more stimulation for your creative
flow.

If writing about a specific topic fails to
help, write about any subject. Pick a
topic that's new to you. It'll push you to
write more. Perhaps, do some research? The
goal is to write.

An approaching dead-line demands a finished
writing project. A met dead-line makes a
statement about your professionalism.

First, take a deep breath, two and
relax.

Select any phrase in your writing project
as the dead-line grows closer. Write about
the phrase. Pick a second and third phrase,
if necessary.

Is there a funny aspect to your topic?
The funny line, sentence, takes your
mind off the dead-line and frees your
creative flow.

Sometimes, creative flow takes a rest.
Still, successful writers write, but how?

One method to encourage creative flow
is to write down why you can write.
Look at it. Move pass it. Go back to
your writing project and complete it.

It helps to look at research about a
writing project and then spin-out your
own writing project. It's time to pass
your goal, and writing is the way to
do it.

Creative flow can be stimulated by
research, writing.

Successful writers use writing, research,
when stressed about dead-lines that can't
be ignored, and when creative flow wants
a time-out.