One writing technique that a lot of authors use is sitting for blocks of time, either waiting for inspiration or putting down words, one after another. A certain degree of satisfaction is achieved for time well spent, and then, in a straight-line fashion, those writers lock themselves into doing the same routine—over and over and over. Ad Nauseum.
A more productive, non-linear approach is the answers to the proverbial questions: what am I doing wrong? Why can I not write more creatively, more descriptively, more originally?
The answers are in the questions.
Being a more creative writer entails not doing the same thing over and over. Human creativity comes from participating in life in as many ways as possible, experiencing it non-repeatedly in real time. Our amazing brains put “hooks” in those experiences, so when they are relegated to memory, they become available only through new experiences that sporadically tickle those hooks.
Instead of forcing yourself to sit for fixed blocks of time, break up your spates of actual writing, and go for a walk. Not just any walk: a trip through Nature (or the city—or the mall), briefly describing everything or anything you see. Doesn’t have to be fancy; just a few words will suffice. And don’t take notes: your memory is where the magic happens.
For instance:
“That dog has some very strange fur.” (describe the fur)
“Those lightning bolts scare the crap out of me!” (describe the light effects, the noises, the feelings, whether awe or fright or whatever)
Some people define originality as something that has never been seen, heard or felt before. But the fact is, every single experience you have as a human being is original, regardless of who has been there before you. So, it’s left to you to put that experience into words others can relate to, so they can feel what you felt, what you saw, or what you heard for themselves.
So, there you have it. Writing is not straight-line thinking; it comes with putting as many of those hooks in place as you can. Not in fixed blocks of composition or time, but with little squirts of imagination. Not necessarily connected, either.
Just painting a picture with words.
Frank Walters Clark, Author
