You don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great.
Les Brown
You’ve done it. You’ve decided to experiment with creativity. No looking back. You’ll tap into your creative side so that you can forge ahead with your novel, making it the best it can be. But you’re wondering how to further develop your creative side.
Maybe you’re right brained and don’t know how to slow down the influx of ideas, to rein them in. Maybe you’re left brained and can’t seem to get out of the box. What’s a writer to do?
Right or Left?
Are you right-brained or left? Not sure how to tell? Check it out:
Left-brainers are more logical and sequential. Right-brainers are more random and intuitive. If you tip to the left, you are probably more calculating and analytical. If you tip to the right you’re more inclined to see the whole than the various parts.
Based on this description, would you say that you are a right-brained person or a left- brained person? As we approach our writing, we must come at it from both sides, but which comes first – the right or the left? If you had to guess, what would you say? Should your writing projects begin with the logical/left-brained side or your creative/right-brained side?
THE “RIGHT” BRAIN
Clearly, we need to begin our projects with the RIGHT side of our brain. The right side controls our intuition. How else will we know where to begin unless we run through the gamut of ideas that present themselves?
S-T-R-E-T-C-H your right brain
Give yourself a creative space.
Work during your most creative time.
Play creative games or listen to creative music.
One Art Inspires Another
Turn on music and color a picture at the same time, then use that picture to inspire a plotline for a story. Once you come up with your initial idea, work in whatever way comes most natural to you. If you’re best working with an outline (or plotline) then dive in. If you’re happiest flying by the seat of your pants, then plant yourself in the chair and prepare for lift-off.
Up, Up and Away!
This is the fun part. Write, write, write. Don’t pause to think. Don’t stop to worry about spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors. Don’t worry about sentence structure or word choices. Don’t do anything to stop the creative flow. Just let it come. If you get stuck, return to your coloring, painting or other art-form to re-stir the creativity.
Springboards
Story starters are one of the best ways to springboard a writer into a story. What begins as one person’s imaginative concept often becomes a complete story, poem, or novel with no prompting at all from the instructor. Writers have a way of taking the ball and running with it on this exercise, so don’t be surprised if your imaginations take you to places you haven’t even dreamed of yet!
Story Starters
#1: It was my 100th birthday, and I decided to celebrate it by…
#2: Her father was a funny man who often did silly things, so it really didn’t surprise her when he…
#3: I often wonder…
#4: Sometimes, when everything is quiet, I think about…
#5: When my parents talk about the day I was born, they say…
#6: I saw her, standing silently, staring out of the window, and knew that she must be…
#7: Their voices blended in harmony, sounding more like angels than children, and I couldn’t help but think…
#8: “Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!” The eighty-two year old man stood with tears in his eyes, blowing out the candles, wishing…
#9: She climbed aboard the hot-air balloon, anxious to get on her way – up, up, up… #10: Life in the circus certainly wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. If you didn’t believe that, just ask Timmy the tightrope walker. He would tell you…
THE “LEFT” BRAIN
The left side of our brain is the technical side. Once our stories are written, it’s time to shift to that side for a little cleanup and structuring. How do we go about using the left side of our brain? After you’ve finished free-writing, (and given the piece a chance to rest), it’s time to edit.
Check your piece thoroughly for the following:
- Typos
- Grammatical errors
- Punctuation errors Sentence/paragraph structure
- POV (point of view) issues Overuse of adverbs
- Passive/weak verbs Timing/sequence errors
- Have you added sensory elements? Significant conflict?
Don’t rely on spell-check or grammar-check. Make sure your sentences and paragraphs aren’t too long. Check for repetitive words. See if there are any words
you’ve used incorrectly. In other words, turn ON your self-editor. Record your short story and play it back to catch errors. Finally, let someone else read your story aloud and offer critique. Consider sending it to an editor. Talk about an incentive to polish and perfect your piece.
Right. . .and Left
Take some time to get to know your learning style. If you’re a right-brainer, spend some time developing your analytical side. If you’re left-brained, give your creative juices a stir. The stronger your creativity, the greater your chances of fully developing an imaginative novel that editors will acquire and readers will adore.
