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The Steve Laube Agency

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Home » Writing Craft » Creativity » Page 21

Creativity

Let Creativity Flow (Part Four)

By Karen Ballon February 1, 2012
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Great discussions on creativity, everyone. Just reading your comments is sparking my creativity! So here are the last of my thoughts on what you can do when that well of ideas seems to have run dry:

Take a Time Out. Remember how that works? Time outs? When you were a kid and got a little out of control, Mom sent you to the Time Out chair to cool off. Well, this is a similar principle. Too often we try too hard, which only makes creativity that much harder to find. So take a time-out. Give yourself time to play, to move, to get out of the house, away from your everyday life. Get out in nature. The woods, the ocean, a local park. Go to the library. Go to a museum and let the beauty of other people’s creativity wash over you. Go to the gun range and, as my hubby calls it, “plink.” Take a break from being an adult. Getting away from “it all,” at least once in a while, is restorative.

Spend time with creative people. You know who they are. You know the people in your life who seem to overflow with energy and ideas, with thoughts that spark your mind and spirit. Ask to spend a day with them, and watch their faces. Ask them how they stay focused. What they do to refill and rejuvenate. Let those who have gone before you help you on your journey.

Take a 15-minute vacation. Can’t get away for a whole or even half day? No worries. Take 15 minutes. Close the door. Sit in a comfortable chair. Close your eyes. And let your imagination take you wherever you want to go. Or go online and visit the place you long to be. Find pictures, videos, and more. Let yourself be transported.

Laugh! I’ve seen the restorative power of laughter over and over again, how it brings healing and even health. Watch cartoons, funny movies, or whatever tickles your funnybone. I have a whole shelf of videos and DVDs I watch to laugh. Doris Day movies. Red Skelton and Victor Borge comedy routines. The Dick Van Dyke show. And on and on. One of my all-time favs is a video of NFL snippets, set to ballet music. Hysterical! Laughter is a powerful force, friends. Give it full rein as often as you can. You’ll be amazed how that can rejuvenate you heart, mind, and soul.

Never forget, creativity is a precious gift. One a loving Father has given to bless you and those around you. Cherish it. Express it. Let it bless your world. And in those moments when you feel it’s run out, take a deep breath and relax. It’s still there. I promise. And if none of the ideas we’ve shared helps spark it to life, watch for next week’s blog, for a list of “When All Else Fails, Try These!”

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Category: Creativity, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, Karen, Proposals, Writing Craft

Let Creativity Flow (Part Three)

By Karen Ballon January 25, 2012
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We all know how elusive creative can be at times. You’ve shared some great ways to get those juices flowing. Here are a few more ideas.

Keep an Evidence Journal. Write down your God Stories. The times you saw God act. The times you felt His touch and presence. Do it with story or just key words. But get it down on paper. When God moves in your day, write it down. When someone speaks truth to …

Read moreLet Creativity Flow (Part Three)
Category: Creativity, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, Karen, Writing Craft

Let Creativity Flow (Part Two)

By Karen Ballon January 18, 2012
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I love the ideas you all shared about finding and sparking creavity. It’s fascinating to see how we’re all wired different. My next few blogs will share some additional things you can do to refill the wells of creavity. Have fun!
1. Disconnect from technology. Okay, don't hyperventilate. But think about it. We have to be the most connected, available, interruptable people ever! Give yourself a …

Read moreLet Creativity Flow (Part Two)
Category: Creativity, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, Karen, Writing Craft

Let Creativity Flow (Part One)

By Karen Ballon January 11, 2012
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Creativity.

There are days when it flows as free as the Rogue River (and anyone who’s ever been to Oregon knows that’s free indeed!) When ideas come so hard and fast you can scarcely keep up. When the words fly from your fingers, through the keyboard, and onto the page. When creativity happens, it’s electric, exciting, energizing.

And then there are other days.

Days when you sit at the …

Read moreLet Creativity Flow (Part One)
Category: Creativity, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, Karen, Writing Craft

En-TITLE-ment: Finding the Perfect Title (Part Three)

By Karen Ballon August 31, 2011
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Remember that old adage for retailers, “The customer is always right?” Well, for novelists seeking the perfect title, that should be “The audience is always right.”

Tip #4: Remember Your Audience! Novelists do a great job, on the whole, of keeping their audience in mind as they write. But sometimes when trying to come up with a catchy title or cover image, they go a bit far afield of that …

Read moreEn-TITLE-ment: Finding the Perfect Title (Part Three)
Category: Book Business, Craft, Creativity, Get Published, Karen, Marketing, Writing CraftTag: Book Business, Karen, Titles

En-TITLE-ment: Finding the Perfect Title (Part Two)

By Karen Ballon August 24, 2011
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First, here are the answers to last week’s questions:

Name That Tone!
The Boneman's Daughters--chilling
Redeeming Love--romantic
The Shunning--Amish
The Riddlemaster of Hed--fantastical
A Vase of Mistaken Identity--whimsical
Without a Trace--suspensful
Three Weddings & a Giggle—humourous and romantic
Name that Genre!
Kidnapped--adventure
Sister Chicks Down Under—witty women’s …

Read moreEn-TITLE-ment: Finding the Perfect Title (Part Two)
Category: Book Business, Creativity, Get Published, Karen, Marketing, Writing CraftTag: Karen, Marketing, Proposals, Titles

Show or Tell: How Do You Know?

By Karen Ballon August 10, 2011
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As we discussed last week, it’s okay to tell at times, but in fiction you want to show the important, emotion-laden scenes. That way the reader gets the vicarious experience along with the character. So how do you know when you’re telling rather than showing? Here are a few tips:

Beware the dreaded –ly adverbs.
“Get out of my novel, you –ly adverbs!” Alice said angrily.
Ah-ah-ah! Any time you …

Read moreShow or Tell: How Do You Know?
Category: Craft, Creativity, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Karen, show don't tell, Writing Craft

The Care and Feeding of … WORDS!

By Karen Ballon June 29, 2011
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“Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs.”
Pearl Strachan
“By words the mind is winged.”
Aristophanes
“The turn of a sentence has decided the fate of many a friendship, and, for aught that we know, the fate of many a kingdom.”
Jeremy Bentham
Amazing, isn’t it? Something so small as words can have such huge impact.

The right word in any circumstance can bring …

Read moreThe Care and Feeding of … WORDS!
Category: Craft, Creativity, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, Get Published, Karen, words, Writing Craft

The Wave of Digital Creativity in Books

By Steve Laubeon October 17, 2009
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I went to high school in Hawaii (I know.. a rough life) where I learned the joys and perils of body surfing. That experience is a great metaphor for the new "waves" of digital revolution we are seeing in the publishing world.

The key to great body surfing is waiting for the right wave and then time your push just right. The ride is exhilarating (I still remember riding inside the tube of a …

Read moreThe Wave of Digital Creativity in Books
Category: Creativity, Get Published, Publishing A-ZTag: Digital Books, Get Published, QR Code
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