Creative Writing Exercises - How To Unlock Your Writing Talent With Creative Writing Exercises

It's likely you have far more creative writing talent than you realise.

The problem is you haven't found ways to channel and explore that writing talent that have worked well and given you the confidence to try more, write more and discover more of your writing potential.

Creative writing exercises are a great way of unlocking your creative writing potential.

Many people are put off by using writing exercises, as they feel it's somehow a short cut or it's cheating. The line of thinking goes that surely if you're that good a writer you should be able to just write amazing literary works without the need for any kind of structure or exercise, right?

Well, no.

Let's take dancing as an example. You could have the potential to be an amazing salsa dancer. You have the feel for the music, you have the agility, you have the capacity to learn and adapt. But until someone teaches you a few salsa steps, you're not going be putting any of that potential to good use.

Once you learn the framework of salsa dancing - the structure of the rhythm, the basic steps, the lead and partner dynamics and so on - you can start to use that natural talent you have, by building on the basics then starting to add your own unique style, your own sequences of moves, your own subtle touches.

But you need that basic framework in place.

You can then try other kinds of dances, applying your same natural talent, but in a slightly different framework. In time you find the dances you enjoy most and are best suited to and you add your unique signature style and creative flair to each dance.

It's the same with writing. If you've only ever written romantic short stories for example, you won't know if you're also a wonderful poetry writer or novelist or article writer.

Creative writing exercises provide you with an outline to experiment with your writing in ways you probably wouldn't have thought of on your own.

However creative you are as a writer, we all use a common structure of letters, words, lines and so on. It's called our language. You can use creative writing exercises to find new ways of shaping your writing language and see what works for you. Even when you try different exercises that you find very challenging, even though you might decide that kind of writing isn't for you and not return to it, you'll still have become a richer, more experienced writer because of it.

Don't deny your creative writing ability the chance to flourish and evolve. Use creative writing exercises to explore and expand your writing, and you'll quickly realise you're a more adaptable and talented writer than you realised.

And you can get started with some creative writing exercises right away with your FREE 5 part creative writing ecourse at http://www.YouAreACreativeWriter.Com.

Creativity Myths Exploded - Why A Regular Creative Routine Won't Choke Your Creativity

There are many myths about creativity and being creative that, if we get sucked into them, can have a dramatic effect on how creative we are. And the tragedy is, so many of them are myths, they're not the reality of how things really are.

One of the big creativity myths is that if you have a regular routine or a system in place to create, that it will complete choke your creativity and imagination and you won't be able to come up with any new or interesting ideas.

The truth is, creativity habits and routines will not only NOT stifle your creativity, they'll allow you to be more freely creative than ever before.

By having a framework in place in terms of WHEN you create, HOW and WHAT you create in this times is completely freed up.

Let's look at what happens without a system or creative routine:

Because your creativity never knows when you're next going to create and make use of some of the ideas you've been having, it starts to get a little annoyed at producing these new ideas. "Why should I bother keep coming up with this great new stuff if you never do anything with it?" it strops like a petulant teenager.

By not having regular times to create, you're creativity has no regular outlet. It starts to get blocked, stale, resentful and the more inconsistently and the less frequently you create, the less effective your creativity and your imagination become.

You don't FORGET how to be creative. You're simply giving your creativity such a strong message of "You're not wanted around here, I have no use for you, I wouldn't bother keep showing up if I were you", that that's exactly what happens. It stops showing up.

When you DO have a creativity habit in place, for example you spend 30 minutes creating each and every morning, your creativity and your imagination is sent an entirely different message.

The subconscious signal you're sending now is "All creative ideas welcome here! I'm open for business at the same time each day, so even if you have an idea outside of office hours, just save it up and bring along the next day, I'll be happy to receive it and welcome you in."

Now, because your creativity knows it has a place to go that's warm, friendly and welcoming - somewhere where everybody knows its name and is always glad it came - OF COURSE it's going to show up more often and with all the ideas it can muster.

Gone is the stroppy teenager attitude, replaced by a freely creative young child still discovering the world and bursting to the seams with creative ideas, enthusiasm and energy, ready to play as soon as you say go!

All this from the simple system of creating for a minimum period each day.

So if you've been struggling to create consistently, give this technique a try. Set aside a minimum of 15 minutes each day, at the same time each day, for the next 30 days to create. Developing this habit, even within just 30 days you'll notice the difference in how freely you create and produce new ideas. And you can start today!

This is one of many ways to be more creative.

I invite you to take the next positive step to increase your creativity today by downloading your free copy of the powerful and practical "Explode Your Creativity!" Action Workbook at http://www.CoachCreative.com

How To Stop Feeling Like You're Always Out Of Creative Ideas And Running On Empty

A major barrier to being freely creative and reaching your true creative potential is a lack of ideas. Many of us create far less than we could - or even give up creating altogether - because we feel it's such a struggle to keep coming up with good new ideas each time we go to create.

This is such a tragedy, as we all are capable of having more ideas than we'll ever need in our lifetimes, we just aren't CAPTURING them.

A life of creativity is a long journey. Let's say part of it is like a roadtrip across America. This is the kind of approach most of take when embarking on a journey like this:

You'll make sure you've got fuel in the car, enough to get you going, and you might pack a few food and drink supplies, then off you race into the adventure lying ahead. After a few dozen miles, you need more fuel, but you're keen to get as far as you can on what you've got. You don't want to lose momentum by stopping now, you've hardly begun.

So you carry on, into the night, and into the back of nowhere. A little while later, the fuel light starts glowing. An anxiety sets in. You're wondering how much further you can get, and more importantly where the next gas station is! Plus your stomach is starting to growl, and those sandwiches are long gone.

The excitement and adventure of the early part of your journey has been replaced by a tense, anxious foreboding feeling that you're running on empty - you and your car - and could break down at any moment.

Not exactly the best conditions for a fun trip.

Yet this is what most of us do in our creative lives, splutter along on one good idea, hoping and praying that the momentum will last until we finish at least this part of the creative project. Like the road trip, there's no enjoyment, no sense of freedom, just anxiety, panic and tension.

Here's the better alternative:

On your car bound adventure, you fill up on fuel and supplies before you go. As you're out on the road, you can enjoy the surroundings and the journey, knowing you've plenty left in the tank.

You stay aware of your fuel situation, and when your fuel gauge dips below half, you stop at the next gas station and top up again. While you're there you have a little stretch and refreshment yourself, and replenish your own food and water supplies.

Reenergised (in car and body) you head back out on the road, looking forward to the next part of your adventure.

In your creative life, keeping plenty of fuel in the tank equates to keeping yourself topped up with ideas. Having a good supply of ideas in a ideas journal gives you the freedom and confidence to create more freely, and to enjoy your creativity as much as possible.

When you see something, or think of something that sparks off a possible new idea, you jot it down right away in your ideas journal. You don't think "Oh I'll remember it later, I don't want to interrupt my flow", because you WON'T remember it, and before you know it, your flow is all dried up and you've got nowhere left to go, broken down and stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Start an ideas journal today, it only needs be a simple note book or sketch book. Keep it with you wherever you go and note down ideas as soon as they come to you. You'll find the more you use it, the easier even more ideas will come to you.

Then, rather than anxiously running on empty all the time, you can get on with enjoying your creative adventures topped and ready to run and run...

This is one of many ways to be more creative.

I invite you to take the next positive step to increase your creativity today by downloading your free copy of the powerful and practical "Explode Your Creativity!" Action Workbook at http://www.CoachCreative.com

No Time To Create? But Is Time The REAL Reason You're Not More Creative?

How often do you complain that if only you had more time, you'd be far more creative?

Do you blame lack of creativity exclusively on lack of time you have, and consider these two elements irrevocably intertwined?

Here's a quick test to find out.

If you had a month off from your everyday life, a whole 30 days free from the commitments, responsibilities and chores you feel prevent you from being creative, what would you do?

What would you create, where would you start, what kind of creative routine would you develop?

If you easily came up with a long list of what, how and when you would create, then that's great. As you know exactly what to do, and realise how important this creative work is in your life, you can begin to find time each day to create.

If you found by thinking of 30 days of creative freedom you actually didn't feel any different about what and how you'd create, or even that it felt overwhelming and you actually felt LESS likely to create, then time is not the real issue for you.

This is very common. We use time as a convenient "excuse" as to why we don't create more. But if you're absolutely honest with yourself, you may well realise it's not about time, or a lack of time.

Even if you have the space in your SCHEDULE to be creative, if you're still not creating, it's because you haven't made space in your MIND to be creative.

Another way of putting this is you're not giving yourself permission to be creative.

Your creativity, rather than being regularly invited out to run freely and play and experiment to its heart's content, has been grounded like a naughty schoolchild, banned from going out to play because it's done wrong, or it hasn't been good enough. And it doesn't even know why...

Until you give yourself permission to be creative, until you allow your creativity to shine and show you what you're really capable of, you're always going to say you don't have time to create.

Or you'll say you don't have the right equipment to create. Or you're not in the right mood to create.

Be honest with yourself. What's the real reason you're not more creative? If you find it's not about lack of time, it's about giving yourself permission, then that's a major step.

Once you've taken that step, you're in a far more empowered position to take the next step to be more creative, instead of holding yourself back with a veil of inaccurate "excuses".

And if you're ready to give your creativity the kick-start it needs, I invite you to download your free copy of the powerful and practical Explode Your Creativity! Action Workbook at http://www.CoachCreative.com.

How To Beat Procrastination - Are You Missing This Vital Step To Overcoming Procrastination?

Procrastination affects all of us who create.

How often do you just go and create without thinking and without employing any delaying tactics like "just" checking your email again, "just" making a snack, or "just" cleaning your cooker?!

The reason most of us struggle with procrastination so much is that we don't even admit to ourselves that we're procrastinating.

We manage to convince ourselves that these kind of trivial activities are utterly urgent and cannot possibly wait another second.

By using this "mind trick" we tell ourselves that we are doing the right thing by attending to the matters that are most demanding of our attention, being responsible and doing what anyone would do.

The problem is, unless you live in a cave in the middle of nowhere, there will ALWAYS be distractions that can stop you creating.

The problem is not these activities in themselves, it's how you manage to convince yourself they're more important and urgent than the creative work you set out to get to do.

In fact this is the first vital step to beating procrastination that so many of us miss, then wonder why we still manage to get so little creating done, and even then it's such a painful struggle.

So, take this simple step today.

Say out loud: "OK, I admit I procrastinate. I let myself get caught up in trivial tasks to avoid creating. It's not a sin, it's not an offence punishable by hanging, it's simply what's happening. By admitting this, I'm taking control again, and putting myself in an empowered and informed position. Now I'm ready to recognise my procrastination habits and start overcoming them..."

This is such a powerful step because it puts you bang in the middle of reality.

It's strips back any mind tricks or denial and just lets you see what's happening from an objective point of view. You're not casting judgement or criticising yourself, you're simply seeing where you are right now and so putting yourself in the best position to make the changes you need to make, to overcome procrastination.

Once you've done that, you can then go on to look at when you procrastinate and how you procrastinate. Identifying these will be the next powerful step in beating procrastination.

And if you're ready to beat procrastination and set your creativity free in the next 21 days, check out the powerful ecourse "7 Steps To Freedom: How To Beat Procrastination And Set Your Creativity Free" at http://www.HowToBeatProcrastination.com

The Creativity Habit - Learn The Secret To A Life Of Abundant & Enjoyable Creativity

The reason behind why most of us get stuck in our creative projects and lives is a lack of consistency. Because we don't create regularly, it feels harder to come up with ideas and find any kind of momentum and flow when we DO try to create. Which means, over time, we develop negative associations with creating that turn us away from it even more.

So as well as the difficulty we have in coming up with ideas and creating anything meaningful, we also gradually only think of creating as something that causes us a lot of struggle and pain. Hardly the right set of circumstances for enjoyable and abundant creating!

The best way to break this negative cycle is to build creativity habits that aren't just a quick fix or stop gap solution, but a system for life.

Now, many creative people run a mile at the sound of phrases like "habit" and "system" and believe that having anything so rigid and structured will stifle their creativity.

This is understandable on a surface level, but when we look a bit deeper it's a concern that simply doesn't stand up.

For example, say you were an athlete. To get into your best physical condition, you need to train every day, right? Does that mean you have to go to the same gym and do the same exercises day in and day out for the rest of your life? Of course not! Maybe one day you go to the gym for some weights training, maybe the next day you go for a run in the local park. The day after you might go swimming, and the next day play squash doubles with 3 friends. Dancing and Yoga classes take up the next two days, and the 7th day you cycle.

As you can see, although the system of daily exercise is in place, you can make it as fun and varied as you want. The system provides that consistent, reliable framework that then ALLOWS you to be more flexible and inventive with what you actually do to get your daily exercise.

On top of this, if you want to add an extra session here and there, it's far easier because you've built up an underlying level of fitness, you're used to being active and enjoy it. It's not the huge struggle it would be if you only tried to go running once a month for example.

A creativity habit is exactly the same. Commit to creating for a minimum of 15 minutes at the same time each day, and after a month you'll have in place a powerful habit for life.

The more regularly you create, the easier it becomes to create. And, most crucially, the more you ENJOY creating again. You dramatically reduce the pressure on yourself to create because you know if a creative project or experiment doesn't work out today, you'll learn from it and try something slightly different tomorrow.

Plus, you built up an underlying level of creativity - in effect keeping your "creativity muscles" toned and strong - that makes it easier to create freely and spontaneously in extra sessions when you want to.

You can start your creativity habit today.

Pick a time of day to create for 15 minutes that's going to work best for you and create everyday for the next 14 days at least. The difference you'll see in your attitude and enjoyment of creating will amaze you.

And to give your creativity the kick start it needs, I invite you to download your free copy of the powerful and practical Explode Your Creativity! Action Workbook at http://www.CoachCreative.com.

The Creativity Habit - What It Is And How To Get It In 30 Days Or Less

How regularly do you create right now? Do you find it easy to create everyday, your creativity flowing smoothly from the moment you get down to creating?

It's more likely that you create erratically, only when you "have time", and then when you do come to create, because it's been so long since the last time, you struggle to focus on one project and make any significant progress.

The secret to putting an end to these frustrating erratic creativity behaviours, the vicious cycle of "I don't create - then I find it harder to create because I haven't created for a while - so I don't create" is to develop creativity habits.

The main habit we're going to focus on is simply creating every day.

With this creativity habit, because you create regularly, it becomes easier and easier to create freely, and many of the associated struggles with creating, like procrastination, not being able to choose one project to work on and having low creative confidence, all become greatly reduced.

Imagine your creativity is like a flowing river.

Except when you don't create, it's like a river in barren conditions without any fresh rainfall. It slowly dries up, and because the rate it's flowing at is decreasing, more and more debris is settling on the river bed. Which slows the river down even more, until it's just a dry trench clogged up with weeds, rocks and dead branches.

With a daily creativity habit, it's like a constant fresh supply of rainfall to the river.

The river flows fast and wide and deep, carving out a smooth channel as it goes, making it even easier to flow freely and powerfully.

Here's how to get started with the daily creativity habit in your life:

1. Pick a time of day to create. We all have times of day when our creativity is naturally on more of an up. Choose one of these times that works well for you, whether it's early morning, mid afternoon or late at night.

2. Choose an amount of time to create. The minimum is 15 minutes and that's a great amount to start with. 15 minutes is just of 1% of a 24 hour day. You can easily commit that to something as important to creating.

3. Create at your chosen time of day for 15 minutes, for at least 14 days. What you create is not so important. What is most important is that you show up EVERY DAY and create for 15 minutes.

4. After 14 days, notice what's working, do more of it. Notice what isn't working, make any adjustments you need to, and do less of these things.

5. If you show up every day for 30 days you'll have formed a very strong creativity habit. Your creative rivers will be surging! But don't stop there. The key to consistent creating is creating everyday.

Once you've got the basic structure of your creativity habit in place, you can extend the amount of time you create. You can also add an extra session of you wish, many people find that 15 minutes first thing in the morning, then a longer session in the evening works well.

Experiment and notice what works FOR YOU.

There's no optimum "one-size-fits-all" set of conditions that work best for every one of us, but there are an optimum set of conditions that work best for you. Find them, stick to them.

Congratulations! You're well on the way to having a daily creativity habit that will be the foundation for abundant and consistent creating for the rest of your life...

And to get your creativity kick-started right away, I invite you to download your free copy of the powerful and practical Explode Your Creativity! Action Workbook at http://www.CoachCreative.com.