Creativity Archives - Page 6 of 19 - Craft Your Content

Category Archives for Creativity

How To Break Through Barriers To Creativity (or 3 Creative Trailblazers You Should Learn From)

Do you ever struggle with creativity?

For those of us who craft content, creativity is essential.

On the days we feel creative, our words flow with ease. Writing is a joy, and ideas arrive almost as quickly as we can jot them down.

At other times, when creativity has deserted us, making progress with our content is like drawing blood from a stone. A form of mental fog clouds our work, and progress is slow and painful. 

Thankfully, creativity is at least partially within our control. We can influence the levels of creativity we feel, and our writing benefits accordingly.

If you want to take control of your creative energy, here are three ways to do exactly that.

Continue reading
writer gifts 2019

19 Gifts for Writers – Craft Your Content’s 2019 Holiday Gift Guide

It’s officially the 2019 holiday season and, let me guess, you are probably racking your brain to figure out the perfect gift for writers in your life.

Sure, there’s the conventional Moleskine notebook or items of jewelry that feature various typewriters or really fancy bookmarks. But, come on, you want to buy them something that will be not only helpful, but fun too. 

Imagine, it might even give them just the push they need to get that novel finished—turning you into a fairy godmother of sorts. Or it might allow them the space to turn off their writer’s brain and actually relax for five minutes.

But what do you buy for a writer, if you aren’t a writer yourself? 

Have no fear; help is near. I’m here to dish out some of our favorite writer gifts for this year. 

And hey, if you are a writer who always gets the same old writing gifts, and you’d love something new … well, pass this article along to the gift givers in your life!

Continue reading

blank pages

Don’t Fear the Blank Page: You’re Not an Impostor

The cursor blinks like it’s accusing you of not being a writer, not being able to communicate with the written word. Oh, if only you were in front of a group of people, you’d have no trouble chatting and getting to the topic you want to discuss. Maybe you’d feel more comfortable on stage, before a mic’d podium, with throngs of faces watching you with anticipation. Maybe you’d thrive there.

But there’s something about a blank page, about that cursor waiting with the same expectation as that sea of quiet and open faces that causes your whole system to go into deer-in-headlights mode. 

As a teacher, part of my job—and when it works, it’s one of those beautiful eureka moments that I live to witness—is to help my students get their ideas out of their head. Many of my students confuse the struggle of penning their thoughts with not having ideas, or not having good ideas. One of the most common questions my composition students come to me with is: How do I draft?

Continue reading

How To Change the Attitudes That Cause Writing Procrastination

I was a time management tutor at a university for two years. Most of the students who came to me for help described themselves as master procrastinators. These students were also highly intelligent, talented, and hardworking. 

In fact, my students were often so driven that they could work on a project they enjoyed for hours without even considering the time spent. But for some reason, the half hour required to write a paragraph for a less enjoyable assignment could seem insurmountable. 

When we think about our own procrastination, we often feel guilt. We criticize ourselves as disorganized, distracted, or lazy. But these descriptors aren’t accurate. If we choose to, we could just as easily point to instances in which we were organized, focused, and diligent.

This is because procrastination is not a character flaw. It’s something that is situation-specific, and we are all susceptible to it.

Continue reading
1 4 5 6 7 8 19