April 2004

Spring is here and the time for airing begins. Do you ever feel like it is stagnant in there? That there is no fresh breeze blowing to allow the thoughts and words to come freely? When this happens, it is time to do a little cleaning in there. Time to open a few windows and to get the feather duster dusting, the vacuum vacuuming and the broom sweeping. To clear out those cobwebs from Winter and give everything a nice polish.

There is one thing that I do when my mind starts feeling a little dusty. It takes a bit of practice, and a lot of visualization and imagination . . . but what is this to a writer, but everyday occurrences? Don’t we always employ visualization and imagination?

Picture your mind as a big room and see the dust. The cobwebs. The bugs. Picture open windows at opposite ends of the room. Start the wind coming through one end of the room and have it sweep through the room and out the opposite windows. That wind whips and tears through this room. The books and papers (or whatever you are picturing in this room) is undisturbed. But the dust, the cobwebs, the bugs . . . these are all being lifted into the raging wind and swept out of the windows. When you feel you have the room aired and clean, feel free to shut the windows.

Now that we have your mind aired and swept clean of the accumulated dust of Winter, we can begin the process of writing and being creative again. We have a fresh slate. A new beginning. Are you ready for our brainstorming technique?

Take a pad and pencil or if you have a laptop, pick it up and go outside. If you want to get more in touch with humanity, go to a crowded place. Or if you want to get more in touch with nature, go to a place where there is no human influence (if you can’t go to that extreme, find a nice quiet park). Listen to what is going on around you. Watch what is happening. Pay close attention to every detail, every sight, every sound, and every thought. Now let everything go soft and indistinct around you. Alternate between these two sensations for awhile then write down what seeing and hearing these specific things make you feel and how they make you think.

What if a baby is crying. Does the baby make you want to go pick it up and comfort her, to tell her everything will be ok? Or does the crying make you grit your teeth. To wish and pray that it will stop soon. What about a car? Are you in awe of the details of the paint? Do you itch to run your hands over the sleek lines? Or do you get aggravated at the roaring of the engine. At the disruption of the peaceful sounds. Or the smell of the exhaust pouring out of the tailpipe?

Once you get in touch with how things make you feel, you can convey these very same feelings to your readers.