Archive for May, 2007
Another apology
Posted on May 29, 2007, by dazzer67, under news.
I have been ill with a ‘real’ cold. This is worse than ‘man-flu’ the common ailment of western man. A ‘real’ cold actually is an illness. It leaves a man too ill to beg and plead for help unlike ‘man-flu’. However, after conmsuming copious amounts of Beechams’ Cold tablets I am back. Normal service will again be resumed.
No Comments
Go on, you know you want to
Posted on May 18, 2007, by dazzer67, under perspiration, quotes.
“An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come”
Victor Hugo
Sometimes when the creative idea arrives you really don’t need to do much at all, apart from going with the flow.
No Comments
Here’s one I wrote now, the top 5 Ingredients of compelling writing
Posted on May 9, 2007, by dazzer67, under creativity basics, quick tips, writing.
It takes a little more than pure inspiration to write that killer content. Although the idea is the kernel to any great literary dish, you should always have on hand the following ingredients to lift your words to the writer’s equivalent of haute cuisine. You may find that taking these ideas with more than a pinch of salt is just what you need. But you shouldn’t assume that you need all these ingredients all the time, mix and match; experiment. There are many more ingredients you could use, but these are my top 5:
- Nearness - The reader can be drawn in with any geographical or experiential situation that they can identify with, try and create the ‘I’ve been there’ factor.
- Consequence - Try to make the content deal with matters that effect; create consequence in what you write.
- Human interest - Go on you know you want to, go all out for the cute vote, the shaggy dog story at the end of the news keeps you hanging on for the weather report. Alternatively the opposite is also true, a report on the cost to life of any disaster can be a compelling read.
- Drama - Action and intensity… if you’re writing a story, this can be quite a good hook.
- Oddity - Pique that mind, interest that soul. Let eyes pour over your words, washing them into the bowl that awaits like open mouth - sometimes being weird works, trust me, I’m an editor.
Remember these are ingredients, it is up to you how you use and mix them, or even add a few more of your own.
This post is also being entered into the top 5 competition at the wonderful ProBlogger site, you can read more about that here.
35 Comments
Clear but present creation
Posted on May 3, 2007, by dazzer67, under creativity basics, inspiration, preparation.
The definition of ‘create’ is to bring into existence. We use our imagination to bring something into existence, this is the creative act. Imagination is often sparked by making new connections. By connecting two seemingly unconnectable things we can create something new and original.
This may lead us to think that the more ‘cluttered’ our minds are the more creative connections we can make. I used to think this way and was heard to say, ‘it’s not a mess, it’s a creative workstation,’ or words to that effect. However, I also knew that I wasn’t being as creative as I could be. I would often have a ’spark’ of imagination and then it would quickly be snuffed out with all the clutter.
This led me to notice a potential paradox between filling my mind with potential connections, to allow and enhance creativity, and clearing my head in order to develop the creative ideas. It became obvious to me that I needed to foster both, however, what I was calling my ‘creative chaos’ was actually nothing of the sort. It was simply unordered and unfinished mess and clutter. This mess would distract me and so when the inspiration came it quickly left and turned into more unfulfilled clutter.
So what have I done? Well I do try to use David Allen’s Getting Things Done to keep on top of all the things I have to do and that has helped enormously. I keep my mind clear of distractions and therefore focus on new connections. I’ll come back to Getting Things Done another time, but until then here are a couple of things that have become guiding creative principles to me:
- Keep my head clear - make lists of what I need to do
- Keep my desk clear - space allows creativity to grow
- Keep adding potential connections - read widely and interact with broadcast media (don’t just sit and watch TV but talk back to it, make connections as you watch)
Put simply it means clearing space to allow the flow of new ideas. It isn’t rocket science but then neither is breathing, but it is so much easier to do without a blocked nose.
No Comments
