Reading works that are very different from what you want to write is a great way to spark ideas and to shake up a tendency to be too rote, traditional, or predictable when writing. If you write historical novels, for example, reading science fiction could loosen up your tendency to be a little rigid when […]
Our brains are amazing thinking, dreaming, imagining, and producing machines, reliant upon their masters to program, nurture, guide, and direct them.
Want to keep your writing brain fired up and growing well into old age? Draw or paint an object, a landscape, a person, an abstract, or whatever captures your eyes or occurs to your creative instincts. A recent study reported in PLOS ONE: “How Art Changes Your Brain: Differential Effects of Visual Art Production and Cognitive […]
Finding or creating a visual representation of the story you are writing helps your brain get fired up and achieve the sort of global ignition that lights up the neuronal network you’ve created (related to writing that particular story). A University of Toronto meta-analysis, published in the journal Brain and Cognition, found that viewing paintings not only […]
Here’s the simple truth: The very nature of the art of writing incorporates uncertainty, experimentation, and a willingness to create art from the depths of who we are. Writing is a mentally challenging occupation, which requires more hard-core, cognitive expenditure than many other lines of work.
I live on a small pond in New England, so I awaken to the gentle sounds of birds singing, and often to a view of mist slowly rising from the pond as day breaks. The silence and sight gift me the feeling of time, space, and beauty that inspires me to write each day. I […]
5 Essentials for maximizing your brainpower!
If every time you plan to write, you experience resistance or just can’t seem to get your brain fired up once you do start, it may be that you don’t like what you’re writing about, whether it’s the characters, the situation, or the story. As we’ve discussed, your neurons (brain cells) construct elaborate networks in […]
To become a better writer, here are 4 things you can to do bolster neuronal networks and thereby fire up your writing brain.
BRAINSTORM ON WHERE TO GO Now that you’ve been writing for 27 days, your brain is primed for a mega-brainstorming session. As you’ve been busy writing, your thinking brain focused on harboring and percolating that massive amount of new material you and your marvelous mind have created. Unlike any other time, your writing brain is […]
Fire Up Your Writing Brain 