‘How to centre yourself and clear your thoughts before writing?’
· The time of day when your energy levels are high is a time to sit down and gather your thoughts.
· Have a plan for what you hope to achieve for that particular writing session- is it a paragraph, a chapter or some research on a new idea? I have a skeleton plan of what I would like to create in my chapters- this is done through dot points which helps to structure my thoughts which I build upon as I write.
· Keep a journal on random thoughts that emerge each day.
· If gathering your thoughts hits a roadblock, try this exercise:
1. Look around the room you are in - what object catches your eye, write a brief description of that object using as many sensory images as you can come up with.
2. Consider why you might have been drawn to that object – Colour? Shape? Associated memory? The person who might have given you the object or where and when it became yours?
3. Write a paragraph on the size, shape, colour, ownership and memory associated with the object.
4. Record your thoughts on your phone or other device by speaking about the object first. Listen to your recording and write your ideas down adding on as you write.
· If this does not spark your creative energy, pick up a book, turn to any page and read the first line - stop - mull over the ideas in that line - now write down what you think might happen next.
· Here are a few inspirational lines to get you going:
The most potent muse of all is our inner child –Stephen Nachmanovitch
The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves. - C. G Jung
· A quiet space, undisturbed, gives voice to thought, urging the picking up of a pen or tap on your keyboard, a quiet space will lead to thoughts being centred where the noise of a crowded space might distract creative thought.This also depends on whether you can work with complete stillness, as I do. You might find a bustling coffee shop, as the protagonist, Meryl, in my novel, Across Time and Space, does, suitable to creative thought if undisturbed by intrusive newcomers like the perceived infamous 'roving professor'.
· Once you find the space that is conducive to creative thought, tune into your inner clock, establish a rhythm to clear and centre your thoughts. If this does not happen in one sitting, go back later, or the next day – consistency is the key.
Happy Writing!
,
