9 ways to boost creativity

You know sometimes our creativity just stalls. It isn’t writer’s block, it is just bleh ‘I can’t seem to produce anything worthwhile’. Sometimes we need ways to boost creativity for our writing. Like right now in the novel I am working on my main character is just bleh. I still to just haven’t found her unique voice. So my dialogue is stagnating into a puddle of boring goop. I feel like, maybe, she should kill someone to make her a little interesting. But no, I just need to boost my creativity and get into her head.

And this, my friends, is how you boost your creativity:

Exercise:

Not because exercise boosts brain power but because the pain will inspire you to write things that are equally painful. You will do anything to stop exercising and your brain will suddenly spark with ideas so you can stop the pain. Also, I am pretty sure exercise is the answer to anything. According to my doctor. Migraine? Exercise. Feel tired? Exercise. In a lot of pain? Exercise that pain into more pain. Can’t sleep? Exercise yourself into complete and utter exhaustion.

Meditate

It is supposed to help people come up with ideas. I have a theory about that. When you try to meditate you focus on your breathing and try not to think. But thinks happen. They happen a lot. So just when your mind gets a wee bit quiet, spontaneous thinks. The more you try not to think the more thinking you will do. So really a great state of mind for ideas. Also, it helps you remember that thing you had to do but completely forgot about.

Listen to music

Preferably classical music as it is supposed to turn on creativity, help with concentration, and other cognitive functions. Personally classical makes me want to meditate into a coma. So, generally, I avoid that. But music encourages grooving and grooving puts you in a groove. And you want to be in a writing groove.

Daydream

Seriously the best for inspiration. I like to daydream at night, in bed, when I am trying to night dream. Awesome ideas pop into my head, that I never write down, and never remember in the morning. Maybe daytime daydreaming is a better alternative.

Drink

A lot. But don’t write when drunk. That never works out well. But it is a way to mellow out the pervasive depression associated with writer’s block. And when you mellow out you think more.

Explore nature

Actually, what I recommend is full on immersion. Go into nature without any provisions and fend for yourself for several months. On squirrel meat and grass soup. The lack of technology and the whole struggle to survive will definitely help with creativity. The only risk factor to this method is that you really can’t control how long it will last since you got lost on day 1.

Yoga

Well, it is the answer to everything according to people everywhere. Number one advice given for any ailment. Have you tried yoga? So why not give it a go. At the very least you can tell people you tried it so they can shut up about it. The risk factor is that you might sprain the body. The whole body area.

Get some sleep

I try the opposite method of getting no sleep. I really want to try the sleeping one. But I mainly operate on sleep deprivation and the resulting hallucinations.

Write

Not about your current project. No, write down whatever you are thinking. All that brain-fluff gets the brain juices going. And ultimately ideas on what you are writing will happen. Or, you will begin to write something else and this was how you ended up with 8 works in progress in the first place.

* None of these are Guaranteed to promote creativity. But they are guaranteed to distract you. And when you are distracted at the most inconvenient moment, that is when creativity comes out to play. And you know this applies to all creativity, not just for writing. But, yes, for me it is writing. Writing is life.

So there are some ways to boost creativity in your writing. You’re welcome. Here to help.

More awesome tips:

When to kill a character

Writing: How to get out of a stuck scene

Writing: What pets to put into your fantasy