Four Writer Tips to Generating Creativity

Writing can be difficult; especially when we feel uninspired or drained. Early on, the pandemic served as my nemesis. I went from carving out designated times to write to my personal, professional, and family life colliding. To reignite my drive for writing I had to awaken that little part of my brain responsible for the majority of my works: Creativity. For some, words flow freely and take little time to put together. For others, it’s a task. Regardless of your field, interests, or relationship to writing, it serves as an intricate skill, that when nourished, allows us to clearly communicate and connect with our audience. To get the creative juices flowing, there are four tips I subscribe to.

Take notes

Ideas have a tendency to come about at the most random times, and it can be hard to keep track of free flowing thoughts and/or ideas. Depending on the writer, paper and pen is best. While for others, a quick note in their phone will do. Regardless of your method, take time to put these thoughts down. Even if they seem to make no sense, or aren’t connected to each other, they’re helping to establish a foundation for you to build upon later.

Read, read, read

One of the best, and most relaxing, ways I’ve found to spark creativity is through reading. What better way to awaken your imagination than to go on a mental trip with a good book? Not only does reading allow us to escape, but it also serves as research when formulating ideas about story-lines, plots, structure, and character development.

Utilize your environment

Some of the greatest writers, and creators across industries, use their surroundings to innovate and spark creativity. Writer’s specifically draw on their relationships, senses, and experiences to develop characters, to re-imagine the world, and to create something new. You live in your world everyday. Why not use it to charge your creative battery?

Connect with an emotion

One of the most fundamental pieces to a story, that makes it great, is the reader’s ability to connect with what they’re reading. To relate to the experiences being explained. To see themselves, or someone they know, in the pages. It’s that emotional connection that makes your writing appealing to your audience and genuine. Instead of forcing a story, tap into an emotion and allow it to guide your thoughts and words.

Overall, creativity is not an elusive creature to capture. It lives in almost everything we do and experience if we keep our minds open. While taking notes, reading, observing our environment, and tapping into our emotions are my preferred methods for generating creativity, there are plenty more available through a quick internet search (Hey Google!). I would challenge any writer to identify what sparks their creativity and actively apply it to their writing process. Here’s to good thoughts and even better stories.

Content provided by Women Belong member Latanya Muhammad