Creativity's Workshop

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Tag Archives: writing


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Are You Suffering From These 3 Hidden Writing Blocks?

A woman sitting at her laptop in a not so ergonomically friendly position. I wonder how much writing she'll get done..

Image Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

Writing blocks are a controversial subject. Is there such a thing as writer’s block? Many would say yes. Some would say no.

I’m not here to weigh in on that debate. I’m here for another reason.

I’ve found three things which do impact on writing and which will not get better simply by doing a bunch of extra writing exercises.

To get past these three problems you first have to know they exist and then work to fix them.

So what are they?

Uncomfortable Writing Spaces

We all get that antsy feeling from time to time when we don’t want to write. We’re sitting in front of the page and we shift in our seat, stretch our necks and sigh a bit.

Okay, sometimes that’s just procrastination. But sometimes there’s more to it.

So try sitting in your writing space and check the following:

  • Is the temperature comfortable? Not too hot and not too cold? (Hey, Goldilocks had a point.)
  • Is your chair the right height? Is your computer set up in the right place? Check these ergonomic guidelines.
  • If you’re writing by hand, is your pen digging into your finger? Could you get yourself a more comfortable pen?
  • Do you get cramps in your hands when you write? If you’re writing by hand, could you be gripping your pen too firmly? If you’re typing, could you use a wrist rest?
  • Is there sufficient lighting? Could you do with a brighter bulb, a new lamp or perhaps different curtains?

All these things have an effect on your comfort and therefore the patience you have for your writing.

Eyesight Problems

When was the last time you had your eyes tested?

Recently, I realised I’d been suffering from headaches, muscle tension and eye strain. I went to the optometrist and found out I needed new glasses.

Once my eyes (eventually!) adjusted to the new prescription, I was surprised by how much easier it was to sit in front of the computer and write for longer periods of time. My eyesight had slowly been affecting my quality of work without me even realising it.

As a writer, your eyes are an important part of your everyday tools. In the same way that a mechanic will maintain his tool kit, you need to make sure your eyes are functioning at tip-top efficiency.

Emotional Strains

There is always an emotional component to writing, especially when you are having trouble writing. I didn’t realise how much of an effect those emotional components had on writing until I read The Writer’s Portable Therapist by Rachael Ballon.

If you still find you’re having difficulty writing, it’s definitely worth a read. We writers pour our hearts onto the page, but if our emotions are working against us then writing becomes a whole lot harder!

Those emotions don’t just magically fix themselves up by you tying yourself to a chair and forcing the words out. Sometimes you have to spend some time examining yourself and understanding your inner nemesis before you can continue.

What about you? Have you found any of the above affecting your writing?

By the way, my new e-book Creativity on Demand has a section on how you can create you own personalized solutions to writer’s block. If you haven’t had a look at it yet, why not download it now?


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New E-book: Creativity on Demand

Creativity on Demand cover

Here it is! Full of creative goodness and polished till it shines, our new e-book is ready to go!

It introduces the concept of your own personal Creativity and is filled with practical tips on how you can become creative on demand.

My favourite section is on how to create your own solutions to writer’s block.

I’ve crammed this little book full of useful content to help you get the best out of your creative writing life.

To find out more about the book, visit our new home page or receive your copy via e-mail.

P.S. If you’re signed up to the Creativity’s Workshop Newsletter, your copy of Creativity on Demand is already waiting in your inbox.


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3 Pinterest Boards Designed to Inspire Your Writing

I’ve had a pretty rubbish week healthwise, so I’m not yet ready to release my new e-book. It’s still in the works and will be appearing soon. In the meantime I’ve got plenty of other stuff to share.

Pinterest has taken the world by storm and it’s an addictive way to spend your time online.

As writers, we try not to allow too many distractions keep us from the page, but there are days (like I’ve had this week) when the page is not our friend.

We need some fresh inspiration to keep us and our Creativity going. Pinterest offers plenty of opportunities if you know what you’re looking for.

Many people use Pinterest to find great writing quotes, but that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Here are three Pinterest boards I’ve put together to get you writing again.

Pinterest-Visual-Writing-PromptsVisual Writing Prompts

We’re all familiar with writing prompts and how much fun they are to use. However, writing prompts come in many different forms.

Images make great writing prompts. They provide us with an immediate mental picture to work with. They can also evoke memories and emotional responses. Sounds like fantastic writing fodder, doesn’t it?

What should you look for in a visual writing prompt? The simple answer is: Anything that captures your curiosity. Anything that makes your Creativity sit up and take an interest in proceedings.

Wanna have a try? I’ve created a Visual Writing Prompts board to get you started.

Pinterest-World-BuildingWorld Building

Location and setting are very important when writing. But sometimes we find ourselves short of ideas. It can be difficult to describe a place’s unique elements when you don’t have some kind of image in front of you.

Pinterest provides a plethora of images from all over the globe for your viewing pleasure. There’s everything from basic bedrooms and kitchens to landscapes alien enough for even the most hardcore sci-fi writers.

If you’re stuck on where to set your scene, have a look at my World Building board for some ideas.

Pinterest-Caption-ThisCaption Images

If a story is too much for you to contemplate right now, why not aim for just a sentence or two?

One of my favourite games is ‘Caption This’ where you’re given an image and you have to come up with a caption which puts the image into words, or provides a back story to what you see. As a writer, it’s a fantastic creative warm up.

Of course, not everyone will appreciate you captioning their images, so I suggest you either create your own board especially for the game or pop over to my Caption This… board and join in the fun.

I’m sure there are heaps of other ways you can use Pinterest to inspire your writing. What’s you’re favourite way? Let us know in the comments with a link to your boards!


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Sharing My 4 Favourite Posts of February

Four bottles of writing goodness. Which one will you choose?

Image Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

Last month I shared 3 posts I wished I’d written.

This month I’ve come across some more great post I want to share with you!

And the winners are:

Pick one and take a look.

I would normally be putting this post up at the end of the month, but I’m hoping to have some interesting stuff to announce next week.

In the meantime, I’m looking for beta readers to check my new e-book. If you’re interested, either leave a comment below or e-mail me directly at jessicaATcreativitysworkshopDOTcom.


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The Life of a Writer – Kate Harrison

In a comment on my previous post, mrkelly2u mentioned he’d recently made an 8 minute documentary. It’s called The Life of a Writer and interviews author Kate Harrison.

It’s beautifully put together and captures some important moments of a writer’s life.

If you haven’t seen it yet, take a few minutes to watch.

I think in some respects the writer’s life is going through a state of change with the rise in self-publishing. It would be interesting to see what a similar documentary would be like in 5 to 10 years.

What are your thoughts on the documentary? Let me know in the comments.


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Take Your Writing Seriously – Make a Poster

A poster with the words "Caution! Painting With Words"

Poster of my own creation, with photograph from Microsoft Clip Art

At the moment I’m living in a busy household with lots of distractions and interruptions. My writing time is suffering.

I decided I needed to send everyone, especially myself, a clear message. I needed a poster to stick on my door to show when I’m writing – to ward off those continuing interruptions (from family and from myself).

A poster with the text "#amwriting therefore #ambusy"

Another poster of my own creation with a photograph from Microsoft Clip Art

So for the past few days I’ve been experimenting with all sorts of designs. I’ve added my favourites to this post.

They’re all fun, but sometimes the simplest is still the best.

A street sign with the words "Writer At Work!"

All elements created by moi.

Having a poster serves two purposes:

  1. It clearly shows others when you’ve set aside time to write. If they continue to interrupt, you can point out your sign and say you’ll be with them after your writing time is up.
  2. Most importantly, it encourages you to take your writing time seriously.

Why not take a couple of minutes right now to make your own poster or sign declaring yourself a writer?

If you’re too busy for that, you can click on one of the above images to get a bigger version and use it instead. (Sorry, I don’t have high-resolution versions for print so they may come out a little fuzzy.)

What have you done to take yourself seriously as a writer? Let us know in the comments.


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3 Posts I Wish I’d Written

3 cupcakes representing three the three posts of writerly goodness I'm linking to today.

Image Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

Today I’m asking you to take a little detour.

Below are three posts I’ve recently read. Each of them is full of writerly goodness and I want to share them with you.

I love each little gem. So instead of me rewriting this info on my blog I figured I’d send you to the source. Pick a link below and have a read.

Any thoughts on these posts? Let me know in the comments.


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Give a Gift to a Fellow Writer

A woman reading a thank you card. Kind messages are the best gift of all.

Image Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

I’m keeping this post short to give you a little chunk of time to do the following:

  1. Think of someone whose writing you have enjoyed recently. It could be a novel, a blog post, an article or even a tweet.
  2. Find their contact details. (A quick internet search should do the trick.)
  3. Write them a note and tell them you enjoyed their work.

A simple little message can make someone’s day.

I’m writing to Helen Simonson to tell her how much I enjoyed her novel Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand.

Leave a comment below telling us who you’re writing to and why.


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Early Drafts – To Share or Not to Share

A beautiful handwritten manuscript. I'm sure we all wish our writing looked like this!

Image Credit: Microsoft Clip Ark

There seem to be many opinions on whether to share the early drafts of your work or not. And as with many decisions in writing, there’s no absolute right or wrong answer. You have to discover what works best for you and your Creativity.

Of course, you’ll have to share your draft with readers at some point, but the question here is whether you should wait until you have a polished draft you’re happy with, or whether sharing earlier (less polished) versions can be helpful.

So here’s a list of pros and cons for sharing early drafts of your work. Think about them and consider what you and your Creativity feel is the best decision for you.

Pros

  • Early feedback can save you a lot of writing time down the track, e.g. by pointing out plot problems before your story is too polished.
  • You can test out whether your story concept appeals to your audience or whether the idea doesn’t yet capture attention.
  • Other people’s enthusiasm for your story can spur you on through the difficult times.

Cons

  • As soon as you show your work to someone, your perspective changes. Now you’re writing for an audience, not just you. (And as said before on this blog, first drafts are just for you.)
  • The feedback received may discourage you and your Creativity. It may be much harder to approach your draft with enthusiasm and positivity after hearing what’s wrong with it.
  • Your critiquer may put pressure on you to see the next draft. (This could be a pro or a con depending on what you find works for you.)

Everyone is different. What works for you may not work for me and vice versa. In the end, the decision should be based on what works best for you and your Creativity.

What do you find works best in your situation? Do you protect your early work and keep it safely to yourself, or do you get feedback in the hopes that you’ll save yourself time in the long run?

Remember, if you are asking someone for feedback on your work, you can be specific and ask only for overall thoughts or gut feelings on character development etc. Problems can arise if the reader doesn’t know what you’re looking for and gives feedback on areas you’re not ready to hear opinions about. Communicate your needs clearly so both sides know where they stand.

So what do you think? Are there any pros, cons or other points you’d like to add to the discussion?


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Words Are Not Stone

German words preserved for us through history

Image Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

Hi, I’m Jessica’s Creativity and today I’m talking about words.

There are very few words I hate.

Most words have their uses, like ‘snot’ and ‘condescension’ and ‘shrill.’ But there is one word which I absolutely cannot stand. It’s one of the most damaging words in the creative world.

What is it?

Perfection.

What’s so bad about that word? Well, nothing if you’re describing a baby’s toes or a spectacular sunset or the straightness of a picture on your wall. But when it comes to the production of anything creative, perfection is a very bad word.

For starters, it’s so transient. One person’s idea of perfection is another person’s description of Absolute Bilge. Don’t believe me? Look up Amazon reviews for your favourite book. Perfection is unachievable.

In fact, the pursuit of perfection is the most efficient way to choke the life out of your Creativity. 

I think the hardest part of writing is not the routine, or the ideas, or the characters, or the plot twists, or the descriptions, or the comedic moments (including the stomach-churning worry that no one will laugh at the right places). The hardest part is convincing yourself that your first words don’t have to be perfect.

Years ago, when Jessica first started writing, she believed (like most budding writers) that stories sprang into life like watered seedlings and flowed onto the page like fresh honey on a warm summer’s day. (What do you mean I’m mixing my metaphors? Mixed Metaphors are my favourite kind; like Mixed Nuts, only less salty.) Once on the page, she believed words quickly solidified into the finished product – set in stone, as it were, for eternity. (Three metaphors in one paragraph! I’m on fire today!)

She was unfortunate enough to write several stories that flowed fully formed onto the page. Why unfortunate? Because it slowed her learning of an important lesson: Words are not stone.

Words are free. They can be changed, quickly and easily with a stroke of a pen or a tap of a keyboard. Gender, tense, season, location, emotion, interaction - all these things can be changed with simple word selection.

Words are not stone. They are clay, to be moulded at your whim.

Words are beads to be chosen, strung together and then restrung over and over until you’re happy.

Words are finger paintings - messy and beautiful and expressive. They are to be played with and smudged.

Words are spices to be dashed across your most recent creation to enliven and enrich your tastes.

Words are beacons, shining their light into the nooks and crannies of subjects.

Words are yours, to do with as you wish.

And the best thing is, words can be changed – anytime, easily. If you don’t like them, choose new ones!

Be not afraid of words, for you are their master. And if they do not appear correctly the first time, keep playing and scribbling and painting and scattering them until they eventually come out right.