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Published Article
by Patricia Fry
How to Put More Creativity in Your Writing and Your Life
Patricia L. Fry
I have many different thoughts going in many different directions these days, what with my business becoming increasingly busy and fulfilling and my business-related activities so varied and interesting. My mind is on my upcoming trip to the Middle East-to the magnificent city of Dubai. I'll be giving the keynote address before a group of 1,000 Toastmasters. My subject: How to Present a More Creative Speech.
I've been asked to speak for a solid hour. It's difficult to imagine myself being able to hold an audience's attention for that long. But part of my work these next few weeks, before I make the 17-hour flight, is to continually reaffirm my abilities, skills and talents in this area. I'm also doing visualization exercises imagining myself performing successfully.
I have little time to keep up with my blog entries, but a need to do so-in order to stay clear and focused. Otherwise, my mind is a tangled mass of writing projects, client work, several upcoming speech topics and all of the other things that make up our lives. On blue-sky days I spend a few hours gardening. Between projects I make packing lists or shop for travel items. And I'm always in book promotion mode so that I can take advantage of precious snippets of time that become available to promote The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. [Author's Note: Right Way has been retired. See my most recent books in the left column of this page.]
As you know, my Dubai speech theme is creativity. I realize that not all people (and this goes for writers, too) are or feel they are creative and I've provided some special help for them. The right-brain/left-brain theory teaches that, 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've designed the following guide offering some activities that will help them 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 6 of these activities often.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Enjoy something without analyzing it. Oooh, this is a hard one for left-brain thinkers.
- Solve a problem using intuition rather than logic. Here's another difficult challenge. But you can do it--I know you can.
- 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 Fry is a full-time writer and the author of 35 books. See her most recent books in the left column of this page.
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