help creativity thrive – Almost An Author

Writers Chat Recap for July, Part 2

Writers Chat, hosted by Jean Wise, Johnnie Alexander, and Bethany Jett, is the show where we talk about all things writing, by writers and for writers!

“Because talking about writing is more fun than actually doing it.”

Filling the Writer’s Well with Jean Wise

Have you ever felt spent or like you well has run dry? To be honest, we all do at some point. If this is where you find yourself, today’s Writers Chat episode will encourage your heart, your mind, and bring a smile to your face. Freelance writer and Christian speaker, Jean Wise shares how important it is to maintain health on not just the physical part of your life, but emotional and spiritual as well. Co-hosts Melissa Stroh, Jann W. Martin, and Norma Poore along with our special guest Tina Yeager share tips on refilling a well that’s gone dry. Be sure to check out the replay to hear about Jean’s acrostic on ROYAL.

Watch the July 14^th replay.

Creating Your Own Ezine with Amber Weigand-Buckley

In this episode of Writers Chat, Amber shares tips on how to create an e-publication on a budget. She gives a basic overview and shares simple checkpoints in crafting your publication. If you’ve been dreaming of your own publication, then here’s a great way to start doing. Be sure to check out this week’s replay for great resources.

Watch the July 21^st replay.

Amber Weigand-Buckley, Magazine/Web Managing Editor at On Course magazine Co-Owner D:vine Media Solutions, member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA), and has over twenty years of award-winning media experience. She is also the founding editor and Art Director of Leading Hearts magazine and serves Asia Pacific Media as a fundraising consultant as well as editor and the art director of their e-mag MISSION magazine. You can contact her by visiting https://barefacedcreativemed.wixsite.com/barefacedjournals.

How to Pitch to Agents at Conferences with Hope Bolinger

You’re tired but a little accomplished. After all the blood, sweat, and tears it is finished. Your baby. Your novel is finally complete. The next step, getting before an agent, can be as daunting as the writing. In this episode, Hope shares with us best practices for pitching to an agent whether at a live or virtual conference. Check out the replay of this episode and be inspired to go through with the next step.

Watch the July 28^th replay.

Hope Bolinger is a YA novelist, literary agent at C.Y.L.E., a graduate of Taylor University, has more than 800 of her works featured in various publications like Writer’s Digest, Keys for Kids, and Crosswalk.com, just to name a few. Her column “Hope’s Hacks” reaches over 6,000 readers weekly in the Serious Writer newsletter. She has finished a trilogy based on Daniel from the Bible. You can find Hope on social media or contact her at www.hopebolinger.com

JOIN US!

Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET on Zoom. Here’s the permanent Zoom room link.

Participants mute their audio and video during the filming then we open up the room for anyone who wishes to participate with our guests. The “After Party” is fifteen-minutes of off-the-record sharing and conversation.

Additionally, you can grow your network and add to the conversation by joining our Writers Chat Facebook Group.

How to Help Your Creativity Thrive

Creativity doesn’t just happen. It’s not some inherent talent that some are blessed with and others are not. Creativity can be developed. It can also be neglected, or hindered by bad habits.

We writers need to take good care of our creative abilities. If we neglect the care and feeding of our creative selves we will never reach our creative potential.

What can we do to help creativity thrive?

Creativity thrives when we:

Give ourselves the freedom to make mistakes. Mistakes are part of learning and growing. Writers who are afraid to make mistakes will limit themselves to what they are already good instead of experimenting with new things that might lead to failure (but also might lead to breakthroughs).
Take creative risks. Muscles don’t strengthen unless we challenge them. In the same way, our creative muscles need to be challenged in order to grow. We don’t know what we are capable of unless we try.
Make lots of art. Studies show that artists who produce lots of works are also the ones who produce the best, most creative works. In the process they also produce many mediocre works, but that is OK. Without all the not-so-great art to experiment with, they would never have developed the truly brilliant ones.
Seek wide and varied inputs from all areas of life. This includes exposure to excellent art in a wide variety of forms as well as an attitude of life-long learning in other areas. The more good material our brain has to play with, the better.
Embrace challenges and discomfort, because we know they will force us to grow and adapt. Bad stuff happens in life. We can use those things as an excuse to quit or we can work despite the challenges. The most creative ideas tend to come out of the most severe constraints.
Welcome a little bit of mess. It turns out a little chaos is good for the creative process. Don’t stress over the mess so long as you can still find what you need. Additionally, get your hands dirty now and then doing something creative. Creativity is enhanced when we interact with our messy world.
Have the courage to dig deep into our souls and explore dark and uncomfortable places. Staying on the surface feels safer, but it won’t lead us to our most inspired work.
Find encouragement and feedback from writers and non-writers. Creative work is not easy. We all need support along the way. We also need honest, useful feedback to help us improve. How intentional are you about developing your creative support network? About encouraging your fellow creatives?

11 ideas to encourage and stretch your creative thinking

Go to an art exhibit. Pay attention to the moods and thoughts the art evokes. Can you figure out why?
Read a highly rated book in a genre you don’t normally read. Pay attention to how the author uses his craft.
Learn something new. Take a cooking class, sign up for dancing lessons, study a new language. Anything that engages the brain in a new way is good for overall creative function.
Get together with a non-writer and discuss a subject that interests you or a topic tangentially related to your story. (Philosophy, medical breakthroughs, ancient history, psychology, a hobby…)
Watch the director’s commentary on a movie you’ve seen before and appreciate all the kinds of art that happen behind the scenes. What do you learn about good storytelling?
Make something with your hands. A picture, a birdhouse, a fancy cake. Creating stuff is good for the soul. It also builds new neural pathways while giving the language processing areas time to relax.
Write something in a different genre. A poem. A few scenes of a fantasy. A radio drama. It doesn’t matter how good it is, what matters is that you climbed outside your box.
Experiment with different kinds of background music while you write. Notice how different types of music affect your mood and your writing.
Attend an event your main character would enjoy, such as a wine tasting, a car show, or a political rally. The more it takes you outside your box, the better.
Make up distinct voices for your primary characters and read scenes aloud. Better yet, hold verbal conversations with your characters (but maybe not in public).
Take a virtual shopping trip. Pretend you are one of your characters and shop for things that character would buy that you wouldn’t. For best results, don’t just browse the internet but actually go to a store and handle the objects.

I hope these ideas inspire you to new levels of creativity.

Lisa E. Betz believes that everyone has a story to tell the world. She loves to encourage fellow writers to be intentional about their craft and courageous in sharing their words with others. Lisa shares her words through dramas, Bible studies, historical mysteries, and her blog about intentional living. You can find her on Facebook LisaEBetzWriter Twitter @LisaEBetz and Pinterest Lisa E Betz.