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Stop, Yield, Go to Flow

Flow Found in Stop, Yield, Go

Stop to prep before writing.
Getting prepped to write gives yoiu the chance to see the big picture of a project and to get it right before you write.

The stop, yield, go signal helps vehicles negotiate highways and creatives handle flow. How? As the saying goes, it’s all about timing. Creatives can take a tip from everyday street light fixtures to time their energy and materials organization. This act alone maximizes the potential for ongoing fluid writing experiences. Ever wonder about the tri-colored traffic light’s history? Why were all three needed anyway? See more here to find out: https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/three-signal-traffic-light

Stop in the Name of Love

Just as Diana Ross and the Supremes crooned, sometime creatives need to stop in the name of (self-) love for best results. Valid reasons to stop writing include:

  • lacking the data needed to write a report – like statistics
  • finding a person to help fact-check public opinions and their root sources
  • trying to rush putting materials together with an artificial deadline
  • needing interviews to flesh out an article
  • seeking additional physical experiences prior to creating a plot, character, or setting

Furthermore, it is smart to hold off writing when exhausted. Do some mundane office tasks. Take a nap. Or break a lull with these tips posted earlier: https://wewriteitright.com/playtime-helps-adults-enter-flow/

 When to Yield to Flow

Pre-writing helps build flow.
Holy Batman, Robin! Take time to pre-write to get into flow.

So, rested creatives work better. Makes sense. And, preparing facts, figures, and additional media supports creativity, too. However, what if there is a nagging feeling that something else is missing. Here is when warm ups work wonders!

Take time for pre-writing exercises helps to avoid jitters that lead to creative block. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Then, go! If you need a prompt to start, try:

  • what I mean to say is…
  • the resources I still need to create this piece include…
  • the person(s) I can ask for help is (are)…
  • one day I will look back on this and say…
  • the thing that is holding me back is…
  • one more thing…

When It’s Time to Go

Green means go to flow!
When you get the proverbial green light, then go to flow!

The materials are collected. Check. And, the research is complete. Yes? All the nervous angst got thrown down into a spiral notepad. Finally, it’s time to create. If the product is formal, go with an outline, notecards, and other graphic organizers. It ensures accuracy. With a piece that is creative, simply work with circled words or phrases from the quick write during warm ups. The flow will show, because it is time to go.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

 

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KISS Your Way to Flow

KISS Literary Worries Goodbye

KISS is keep it simple silly.
Keep it simple silly. Get in and get out. Get that job done!

Keep it simple silly to KISS your way to flow. Make sense, yes? First, employ active voice rather than passive. Limiting prepositional phrases tightens text. Next, keep the writing brief. It will be remembered, because it is refreshingly on task. Finally, take time to polish your writing. Whether it is a blog post or a status report. Leave time for it to set, then check it before you hit the send or publish keys.

Active, Brief, and Polished

Using the active voice is smart. It gets the job done. Ambiguity shows up less so readers stay focused. Also, the use of active voice will score higher SEO ratings than passive voice does.

Be brief. Keeping things short helps busy employees or clients read an email or letter to the end. We’ve covered brevity in this blog. See more here: How Many Words Do I Need?

Polishing prose is important. Make sure you look for commonly confused words, such as their, there, and they’re. Correct any confusing wording before sending the work out. It separates you from those who do not take their writing seriously. Here are some easy ways to proofread: https://wewriteitright.com/the-3-best-ways-to-proofread-a-document/

Your Turn

Take any writing you do and KiSS it. Review it for active voice and brevity. Then, polish that baby up. You will feel great sending out your work, because you’ve added value to it. And, your readers will feel that compassion and will enjoy reading it to the end.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

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Visit Flow in a Party Goods Shop

Party On! When Images Lead to Flow

Card party favors promote flow.
Is it a card party favor or a means to creative flow? You make the call!

Sometimes flow hits in an unexpected place, such as a party goods store. I couldn’t help think my friend, Lynne Barrett, author and educator extraordinaire, was at my side while cruising through Amy’s Card, Party & Gifts. It was as if she was setting up a plot clock as she does in her workshops. Interested in learning more about her writing or teaching offerings? Look here: http://www.lynnebarrett.com/

First, there was the setting – a casino. Then, the military star-crossed lovers from Perth and Paris. Next, a complication – a pregnancy – set the plot clock back. Finally, the war ends and the two tie the knot when Edwin, not Edwina, is born.  Too easy? Maybe. But remember that I was simply pushing a cart around and nearly forgot to get birthday cards for my nephews. Indeed, I was floating in flow. If you are in Central Florida, check out Amy’s shop on SR-540 in Winter Haven.

Will your character go Downunder on a trip? Or, perhpas Perth is the setting for the scene?

When the Setting Presents Itself

So meandering around a card and gift store that has seasonal décor is a fast way to flow. I snapped a shot of the casino where my characters met. (This cracked me up, because I hadn’t a clue who they were yet.) I simply saw the casino décor and thought of the off-shore casinos that float off the Atlantic coast. Sounded like a gamble, which is how love occurs. Then, I turned the corner and met the leads….

The Guy, The Girl, and the Complication

Paris inspires characters name.
Ahhh, the City of Light is known for its romance. Will Paris be your female leads name? Its your story. Are you game?

The guy was from Perth, Australia. I think Perth came first, because my cousin once removed, has a Perth bride. But, the male main character is from Down Under. (I don’t ask these things, I just write it down.) Then, on the display directly across from the kangaroo, rests the Eiffel Tower. The lead female’s name is Paris. A la Hilton. Or, Jackson. She is as intuitive as the City of Light for which she is named.

The next aisle brings a pleasant – if not cliché – surprise to the couple: they learn they are expecting a girl. Yet, somehow, the powder pink shower is for naught. Baby boy is born and adds to the father’s delight.

There’s No Place Like Home

Paris and her yet-to-be named Aussie hunk are done with their military careers. The war is over. So, they decide to live exactly half-way between Perth and Paris in Malwan, India. Wonder how to calculate that distance? Use the TravelMath site found here: https://www.travelmath.com/halfway/from/Perth,+Australia/to/Paris,+France

Your Turn

Baby ahed shifts the plot.
And baby makes three. But is there a reversal and the heroine births a boy instead?

Take a stroll through any gift store to see décor for a number of get togethers all in one place. Sure you could cheat and do this on Pintrest, but the trip to the store will do you good. Listen to which displays call out to you. Snap some pictures. Use them to collage a storyline or two.

Now if you will excuse me, I need to go write and find out how this story unfolds.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

 

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Pool Play Splashes into Flow

Find Flow While Swimming in Pool

Pool play adds to flow.
Take time to play in the pool to splash into creative flow.

Playing in a backyard or public swimming pool creates flow. There are many ways that taking a dip can increase creativity. First, water is refreshing. The tank’s temperature stimulates the senses. Secondly, jumping in the water engages the brain in spontaneous play. It clears the brain’s cobwebs when writing all day. Finally, moving the body releases fear, tension, and anxiety that builds during a work day.

The Games People Play

Remember childhood pool games? Two favorites are Marco Polo and Dive for Coins (or weighted rods). Perhaps seeing who could hold their breath the longest found its way into your swim memories, too? Writers need bodily experiences to create literary bodies such as plays, short stories, and poems. Even yelling Cowabunga! during a cannonball is enough to enter flow. Looking for some ideas to get the party going? Check out blogger Laurie Turk’s post on 20 Fun Swimming Pool Games here: https://tipjunkie.com/fun-swimming-pool-games-for-kids/

Play incxreases flow.
Get into flow with a coin toss or round of Marco Polo!

Your Turn

Enjoy an swim. Find a  a public pool such as the YMCA or YWCA. Or, jump in a private pool. Play in whatever way feels authentic to you. When you get done, take out your journal and record the experience. Hopefully, it goes swimmingly!

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

 

 

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Squeeze Juicy Ideas to Create Greater Flow

Creative Compression Creates Juicy Flow

Squueeze joy out of life to create more flow.
Squeeze creative flow out of everyday actions to enjoy more productivity.

Getting juicy ideas for creative projects is easy during citrus season. Yesterday, my husband and I took our visiting relatives to Davidson’s Jelly and Jam Factory in Dundee, Florida. While the workers were on display making and packaging the delectable offerings, there were also a direct ship section. There customers can either send or grab-and-go whatever fruit is currently in season. The honeybells, named for both their sweet taste and their globed shape, were piled in displays for purchase.. We got a quarter-bushel to enjoy. And to send to loved ones up North. Interested in learning more about Davidson’s? Look here: https://www.davidsonofdundee.com/

Where to Find Inspiration’s Fruit

Inspiration is everywhere to compress into art. Look at produce, such as the crate of honeybells in the photo above. What ideas do they bring up? How can ideas be extracted – or inspiration squeezed – to help creativity? Perhaps sketch produce or write a haiku about the citrus bin. Also, I looked at the names of the jams, jellies, and candies. The term delicacies really says so much about the ways common candy can convey richness in life. Think about the way these products are made. The fruit juice and sometimes rind are slowly cooked down until it creates a given product. Creatives, too, write, then edit, and rewrite, until their product has jelled into a poem or flash fiction piece. Anything that tugs an emotional response is ripe for the picking to use for creative flow.

Your Turn

Every region is known for some kind of product or service. Take yourself on an excursion near home – Julia Cameron coined these Artist’s Dates. Notice a bagel bakery or a chocolate factory. Enter and take in the aroma, which may lead to some childhood memories. Jot them down quickly in a journal. Play with the words and phrases that bubble up. Then try to use them in a short form like a haiku or sonnet. Or, perhaps they might find their way into a chapter of a novel you are writing. Finally, treat yourself to a bagel, piece of chocolate, or other confection as part of your creative exploration. Eat it slowly to bring out the greatest satisfaction in the event.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa