Tips: Unleashing Creativity

Inspiration comes and inspiration goes. Unfortunately, it’s’ the going that causes the problem. Writing good material isn’t just about grammar and technicalities, it’s also about creative writing. Several exercises can spark creative writing and improve readability.

Check these out:

1. Set the mood with imagery

Find a picture, any picture of a scene. If the picture is of a beach, then let yourself be transported to that place. Feel the breeze on your face and enjoy the sand under your feet. Now, describe the scenery. After this is done, you will have a detailed mood carefully crafted in your head and on paper.

2. A letter to yourself when younger

Here’s an interesting exercise for creative writing. Sit down and draft a letter to the person you were 10 or 20 years ago. You know you were different, and you know there are things you wished you’d known back then, but there’s nothing you can do about that now….well…you can write a letter. In the letter, tell yourself about the world today and how things differ greatly from before. Pour out your soul about the things that cannot be undone. This helps you get in touch with your deepest emotions.

3. People who say and people who do

Another exercise can help you develop deep standards and morals for your characters. They can also serve as self-help guides for those acting selfishly. Here’s what you can do with this. Write from the point of view of people who “talk the talk”. This means those who say things but rarely act on their promises. Then write from the point of view of those who “walk the walk”.  You will be amazed by how effective this exercise can be for sparking creativity.

4. The firsts

One way to open up the flood gates of ideas is to write about “your firsts”. This can be your first kiss, your first car, or your first home. Whatever it is, your first will inspire all sorts of additional ideas. Thinking about firsts in life helps translate emotions into creative writing. Nothing grabs an audience’s attention like relating to certain events in life.

5. Be someone else

Pretending to be someone else can kick start pages of information. Before you know it, you’ve written an entire tale about this individual residing in your mind. This works because it makes you create a whole other being, with details about appearance, personality, and hometown. Then it coaxes you to write about the friends and family of this person. Your creative spark will turn into a full-blown fire after working through the details of this new person. This one is extremely creative.

6. The best day ever

One way to motivate yourself in creative writing is to imagine and remember the best day of your life. As you remember which day that was, jot down the reasons for this choice. Then, use these reasons to create a story. As you write the story, you will notice how carried away you’ve become recounting what happened. You can do this same exercise by recounting the worst day, the most challenging day, and the most endearing day. There are several other days you can become creative with.

7. The forbidden act

Here’s an exciting creative exercise. Write a story where the main character is doing something forbidden. You get to pick one thing that society considers illegal, immoral or otherwise. As a spin to your story, write about a close friend discovering the forbidden act or acts. What would the friend say or do? This is the challenge. Remember to add emotions and details to make the situation feel genuine.