Speaker 1: Hello you great writer you. Yes. You. That's right, I'm talking to you. I'm calling out the self-doubter, the hater in you. You know, the one who berates you for all your ideas, the bad ones and even the good ones. And I mean the truly great ones that no one knows about. All because you're too afraid to write them down, let alone share them with the world. As a writer myself, I know how brutal the doubter within can be. And yes, I know a writer's world can be a lonely, brutal and critical place. But could it be that you are your own worst critic? I mean, you're the one who's been hoarding away reams and reams of typed stories. Many of them hidden in boxes, along with hand-jotted notes, scribblings and old manuscripts. Some are on discs that you've pushed away in some dark drawer of your desk. Or are they perhaps in some closet or attic that you're afraid to look into? Well, today is accountability day. And this video is the kick in the butt you've needed to jumpstart you into writing. And why? Because you have no right to withhold from yourself the success you deserve. Let alone withhold from the world the beautiful creativity it needs to receive. And can only receive from you. In case you didn't know it, your writing is your art. So here's where we must begin, the commitment factor. To succeed, you must be willing to schedule time limited to your creativity and writing. And that means a minimum of 15 minutes to which you commit. A space of time without interruption, allowing for a stream of consciousness. Permitting your ideas to flow from the ether to your pen, voice recorder or word processor. This means silencing the doubter in you from this point on. And at any point that the hater within rears his, her or their ugly heads, shut them down. This is time you spend with your inner muse. Begin as early in the day as possible. But, if you're a night owl as I am. Then start with the hour in which you can generate free, uninterrupted thoughts. If you can only find time during lunch hour. Then squirrel yourself away from co-workers and family for a precious 15 or 30 minutes. If you can only do so when everyone else in your family is in bed at 8pm or 11pm, so be it. Begin then, but commit, as it is the only way to break the barrier. If you're an early bird, then start at 4am or 3am or whenever. Just start today. Yes, right now and commit. Whether you are an aspiring artist of literature, graphic artist. A musician, painter or an artist of any form. Today is your day to start with your strongest efforts for the best results. The first thing you should be willing to do is to commit with sincere effort towards finishing. So, today I am giving you 6 exercises, that's right, 6 ways to jumpstart your creativity. Only with these exercises you are not allowed to prejudge the ideas you come up with, okay? Ready, set, and, go. Step 1. Brainstorming. Brainstorm ideas that pique your interest to generate topics. Jot down anything and everything without any judgment whatsoever. That's right. If one of your ideas includes an alien from a far-off planet and a pink leotard. Then that's what you'll allow. And without judgment, right? If one of your ideas includes a dream of you living as a centaur in the distant past, so be it. Brainstorming sometimes requires setting an atmosphere for creativity. So if you find yourself still very blocked mentally, you must simply develop new strategies. Strategies that require you to increase your sensory perception, thereby, stimulating your creativity. This may mean lighting candles. Or burning incense. It may mean listening to your favorite style of music. It may mean going to the gym before settling down to write. It may mean clearing your head by taking a long walk in the rain. Or in the snow. Or going on a camping or car trip, and staying in a motel for the weekend with just you. And your dog. As well as your cat. And maybe your bird. Or it may mean going with no one else at all. The point is to allow zero distractions when trying to get out of a creative funk. However, if you find that you just cannot get away from it all. Just stop where you are. And use the chaotic nature around you to spur a new chain of ideas. Allow yourself to sit back in the cut of life. Just outside of the cluster and reality of chaos. Observe the nature of life and all its happenings as it goes on around you. I have done all of the above and of things as well to get out of a creative funk. And in the coming weeks, I will be sharing more with you, my fellow writers. In the meantime, learn to trust the visions, the characters and the colors of life. Allow them to reveal to you from the backdrop around you. All as their story evolves within your creative thoughts. This can be a great exercise if you allow it. Step 2. Recording your thoughts Your stream of thoughts and visions can be captured on paper or on a digital notepad. You can even record your thoughts by voice on your phone. Just don't allow yourself to erase and edit while your visions and thought energies are flowing. If you find that your notes may be a prelude or continuation of earlier notes, then go with it. Gather those ideas and utilize those to build upon your thoughts. Just remember, there is no value judgment allowed when it comes to birthing your work. You may find that your ideas may generalize on a certain topic. If so, you can organize your ideas around that topic and delve deeper in that area. You can explore a very controversial issue. Just don't censor yourself. Once you've locked on to a topic, you're ready for the next step, pre-writing. Step 3. Pre-writing, but still no judgment allowed Now, after your brainstorming, you're ready to utilize the next strategies I will share with you. These strategies will help you break through the creative blocks impeding you thus far. Remember, no judgment, no proofreading and no revisioning allowed. That's right, even though this step will be your first towards structuring your writing. You are still not allowed to judge your writing. Why? Because when you prejudge your writing, you are invalidating your ideas. Even questioning your right to create and be, the right to be an authentic writer and author. And you don't want to do that, now do you? After all, you do believe you are a legitimate writer and author, do you not? Good. Then you believe as I do, so let's reset and move on. From your brainstormed ideas, take whatever they are, however they are. Whether they are just simple words, a profound quote, phrase or poetic verse. Or even some strange dialogue that screams out at you from nowhere. Take them and hand-write, type or record in free-form whatever stems from your mind. From single words to phrases, to dialogue from some yet-to-be-determined character. Just tell your story, the one that's been in your head all along. Permit the lines to flow as extensions from your thoughts, allowing them to mean whatever they may mean. And as you see them and whether you speak or just hear from your mind's eye. Whatever your ideas become, let them be. Write without judgment or revision. Just let them be. Step 4. Reward and Commitment Wow. You've cleared a major hurdle, wouldn't you say? At this stage, you can take a breather, not for long though. Do treat yourself to something you really like, but do stay on course. Some writers are comfortable with sharing their embryonic writings with a safe circle of friends. If you have this urge and feel you can get some great feedback, then you can do this. Doing so could give you more confidence, but be careful in sharing too much too soon. You don't want anyone to push you in a direction away from your natural creativity. Don't accept someone else's vision for your work, however well-meaning they may be. Though, without sharing you should use this stage to review your reformulated ideas. And congratulating yourself for getting this far in your efforts. Now, continue on to the next stage in structuring your story. Step 5. Structure is not formal, it's creative At this stage, you are still creating and molding. Ask yourself, what jumps out the most about my writing at this stage? Is it the setting? Are any of the characters speaking to me? Which voice is the loudest at that particular moment for you? What are they saying? Or is there an event that your early ideas centered on? Perhaps a wedding? A birth? An accident? Or is it something extremely dark, morbose and tragic? Just begin with your best idea, and with what the characters and setting reveal to you. What you create could be the beginning of your story. Once upon a time. In a faraway land. There was. Or there is. Or whatever. I'm sure you get the point. You may actually discover that your ideas start in the middle or at the ending of your story. It may be a story within a story, a thing relayed by one of the characters, a jump off point. The objective is to not yet constrain your writing within a strict, formalized structure. As it stands, you are still conceptualizing this creation of yours at this juncture. Step 6. Yes, we're still creating here here is where you begin organizing your creative ideas. You do this by beginning to interweave the various elements of plot and timeline. All while keeping in mind the other story elements, such as setting and theme. As well as with the narration, voicing and characterization. The story is there in your imagination, living with you, waiting to come alive. You only need to unlock it and let it flow without forcing or constraining it. There's no limit to your creative mind, so stay motivated. In the coming days and weeks, I will delve deeper into the details of story structuring. For now, practice the tactics I've already presented today. Get to know your characters, their motivations, inhibitions, beliefs, contradictions and secrets. Explore how their lifetime failures and successes along with the implied messaging of their experiences informs or impacts the story's theme, how it adds thematic embellishment. So that's it for today. And if you don't want to miss a beat, make sure you like and subscribe for more writing tips and writing prompts. And until next time, stay motivated and keep creating.