How often have you told yourself, “I’m not a creative person?” Have you gaped at the creativity of young kids playing together, wondering where on earth they conjure up these fantastic ideas? Creativity doesn’t wither and die completely as we grow up; we just don’t use it quite as much as we did as children. Mainstream schooling also doesn’t place a priority on creative arts because teachers are made to prioritise the curriculum and marking papers. If you want to kindle your creative juices once again, write a book.
Naturally, before you start writing a
best-selling epic fantasy series, it helps to prepare an outline and know what
topic you’ll write about. You get pantsers and plotters. Pantsers make it up by the seat of their
pants. Plotters like structure and a
skeleton outline so they can fill in the blanks. I recommend you use the latter
approach. If you’re knowledgeable in a
particular area, it makes sense to write about your expertise so your business
will grow. But even if you want to try your hand at a fictional novel, its best
to approach writing a book [like any other project] with a solid plan.
Here are five ways you can ignite your latent
creative muse by writing a book:
1.
Use the brain dump method to empty your head of too many ideas.
Studies have proven that multitasking actually diminishes productivity,
so rather than trying to write your book while all these other great ideas are floating
around in there, take a notebook and just start writing everything down. Capture
EVERYTHING, including calling the dentist for an appointment to calling your
mother for a chat. Whatever is taking up space in your brainbox should be downloaded
onto that paper. A great phrase I heard years ago – “Llet paper remember so you
can forget”. Now that you’ve released
these thoughts onto paper, focus solely on writing your book. You’ll discover
the writing process is easier when you’re able to focus on just one task
instead of two dozen to dos.
2. Open the creativity box to
release other ideas.
So often we get stuck with one idea in our minds and
it’s difficult to focus on anything else. Transform that one great idea into a
book… then pay attention to related creative ideas that bubble to the surface
afterward. There’s an unconscious reason why you can’t move past your book idea
and focus on other things; it’s your mind’s way of telling you to follow
through and see where it takes you. When your book is finished and you have
some time to chill out is often when you’ll get your next inspirational eureka
moment.
3.
Writing itself is a creative problem-solving process.
When was the last time you made a pros/cons list to help you make a
decision? Or a to-do list to track your daily tasks? Or mind mapping to plan
the growth of your business? These are simple examples of how writing is used
to solve challenges. Writing out the details of our problem allows us to
clarify exactly what has to happen when and it’s then easier to see connections
and solutions to these problems. I
mindmap everything!
4.
Practice makes perfect.
Even though there’s no such
thing as perfection, this old adage holds true. The more you write, the easier
the process becomes. Writing content for your audience will become easier
because you have the practice and you’ve done the research to know what your
audience is seeking. TIP – what are your prospects’ top five headaches? Write about that.
5.
Embrace the idea of learning something new every day.
The best books are those that are well researched, so embrace that
research phase to unleash your creativity. Discover new facts, new resources,
or new theories. Carry this idea over into your personal life and mix up your
daily routines to try new things. Listen to audiobooks on Audible. Read Kindle books on your phone. Explore your surroundings, take the long way route
from the gym, or explore a new town you randomly choose from a map. Your brain
will thank you for making it work differently, simply because you stirred
things up.
Creativity is latent inside all of us. The
process of igniting that creativity and using it to create a business you love
will be unique for every person but promises to yield great rewards.
We have a way to get a non-fiction book
written and ready to sell on Amazon in 3 hours.
Get in touch if you’d like to talk to me about how that’s done.
