Writing

Have you every experienced writer’s block, or any other kind of creative block? Sometimes one of the best things you can do to break free from being stuck is to just play. I love writing so I get a great deal of joy from just playing around with words. When I’m doing it for fun, and not to actually create something specific, it allows me to just experiment, and really just play, with writing and creativity. There are few to no rules, there are no expectations, and there are no disappointments as long as you write something. If you do this consistently every day, it’s a great way to uncover the creative blocks you’re facing, process whatever you’re experiencing in your life, and the perfect way to “flex” your creativity. 

Journaling

Stream of Consciousness

Write whatever is in your mind. If you’re thinking “I hate writing”, write that down until your thoughts move on to something else. You’re not likely to do that too many times before your brain moves on. If you do this consistently every day, it’s a great way to uncover the creative blocks you’re facing, process whatever you’re experiencing in your life, and the perfect way to “flex” your creativity. Try to keep writing for a set time (10 minutes, 30 minutes, 3 pages… whatever works for you.)  

Gratitude Journal

Write something you are grateful for, every day. Try to regularly come up with 3-5 things, minimum. Feel free to expand on them if you’d like to write for longer. 

Lists

Start making lists. Lists of groceries, places to visit, things to try, things to learn, ideas, etc. 

Dream Journal

Keep a journal by your bed and when you first wake up, write down everything  you can remember about your dreams. Some people believe this is a great way to uncover what’s going on in your subconscious, but sometimes they are “just dreams.” I find dreams to be a powerful starting point for creative ideas. 

Daily Log

Before you go to bed, write down everything that happened during the day. You can keep it focused entirely on the details, or even better, you can include your thoughts and feelings about the events. It can be fun to include how you think others might have felt about things. 

Creative Writing

Whether you’re writing stories, a memoir, poetry, or even a screen play,  it can help to “warm up.” I like to use writing prompts as a warm-up to writing. It’s also a great place to start if you haven’t written anything in a while, or if you just don’t know where to start. Use the following prompts to help “break the ice.”

  • Describe, in as much detail as possible, your childhood bedroom. 
  • Write about your best friend, or significant other. 
  • Describe your favourite colour without naming it. 
  • It was a dark and stormy night…
  • You find a ring on a beach. Who does it belong to and how did it get there?
  • What scares you the most? 
  • Write about your greatest joy. 
  • You open your eyes, but you still can’t see. What happened? Where are you? 
  • Describe a place you would really like to visit as if you are there.
  • Write about the nicest place you’ve ever been, including as much detail as you can. 
  • Write about your first love. It could be a person, but it could even be a pet. 
  • What are you curious about? Write that down and use it as a starting point. What would you like to know about it? Start researching this topic and keep adding to the questions you have about it. 
  • Everything changes with time. Write about a place that no longer exists.