GETTING THE IDEAS FLOWING

In my first article, I talked about plotting and editing generally.

I believe the imagination is rather like a muscle. The more you use it the stronger it grows - and then the more easily you get ideas. But if you're a beginning writer, how do you work on developing that "muscle" and getting those ideas? I want to suggest four things which I have found helpful. See how they work for you. Remember, we're all different, and you'll have to work out the details in a way that suits you. Take the time to do this. You'll not regret it.

1. Develop and respect the skill of visualisation. Writing isn't just a question of putting words down on paper or typing them into your computer. You need to visualise what you're writing about. So allow yourself thinking time as part of the creative process. Practise visualising scenes, characters, actions, until you get better at this necessary skill.

2. Learn to relax Most people's brains work best when they're relaxed, so to facilitate visualisation and creativity, develop some specific relaxing habits that you can tie in to your writing activities. How you relax is entirely up to you. You may like to sip a coffee in some comfortable spot and let your mind drift over possibilities. You may like to go for a long walk, or take a swim. Personally, I like to go to bed early before I'm quite ready to sleep, and simply lie there, feeling warm and comfortable while I visualise scenes or plot twists. (Only snag to this is that I sometimes have to wake right up again to capture a particularly good idea by writing it down. I learned the hard way that I don't always remember them clearly in the morning.)

3. Develop short-cut habits You can train your mind/body to slip into creative mode more easily by using the same routine each day to start off your writing. Most people do this without realising it when they're getting ready for bed. They have a regular pattern of habits which their body recognises eg drink a cup of cocoa, go round the house locking up, take a shower, put on special clothing for sleeping in - and voila, your body starts getting ready to sleep.

Why not do the same thing each time you start writing? I start each writing day the same way (usually around 6am) by first answering my emails, then playing cards on the computer, something I really enjoy*. After a while, my mind somehow "snaps into focus" (the only way I can explain it) and I'm ready to write. What's more, if I get stuck on a detail of plot, I restart my creativity by playing cards on the computer again - and nine times out of ten it works.

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