Develop a Routine to Cultivate Creativity

Editors, writers and teachers alike preach create a writing routine, a regimen, an envelope of time every day to sit quietly and sneeze words across your computer or notebook. This routine not only helps you to focus, it stirs your creativity every day, maintaining fresh ideas and discovering new ones. Stagnation is a writer’s bane. Don’t depend on inspiration to motivate you. Writing is a muscle; exercise it.

Every writer is unique, therefore needs a unique routine. If you are a morning person, allot an extra 20 or 30 minutes to journal in the morning. Try walking straight to your notebook the second you stumble from bed. Your subconscious is firing helter skelter after several hours of REM stage. Indulge and explore dreams as they remain fresh.

If mornings don’t work, try afternoons or evenings. Your mind is worn from the daily drudgery by nightfall and may struggle to focus, or it may pontificate on the experiences of that day.

Try different routines and time periods. Pick the same location and writing vessel. The most important variable, though, is seclusion. Avoid distractions. If you write on a computer DO NOT open a Web browser.

Even if you think you have nothing to write about, write something. Free write. Turn off the lights, shut your eyes and let your mind wander boundless, no concerns of grammar, spelling or semantics. Treat your writing like meditation. You don’t have to produce a poem or paragraph every time you write something. You don’t have to edit or proofread during these sessions. This routine is designed to cultivate creativity. If at the end of your half hour, two pages or even two paragraphs of nonsense sit on your computer, at least you set down to perpetuate your routine. And tomorrow you should do the same. Eventually, your mind will adjust to this schedule and ideas will flow.

Writer’s Block or Professionalism?

"There’s no such thing as writer’s block. You’re either a professional or you’re not."

Stuart Kaminsky, a legend in the mystery novel genre, said this in a class during Owensboro, Ky.’s Mystery Writers’ Festival this summer. His workshop dealt with crafting a screenplay for Hollywood.

Though that’s one of the last things on my writing agenda, this quote stuck with me for months.

As a writer for the ad department of a newspaper, I recognize the value of his quote. Writing on a deadline and writing to please an audience inadvertently manipulate an article. As I write an advertorial, I know I have to fluff up the advertiser and finish the article by my deadline. When I first started my job, my articles suffered from this.

Mastering the ability to sit and write no matter the circumstances is difficult. Our daily lives directly interfere with our writing. Whether relationship, money or work is stressing us, it will bleed into our words if we don’t manage them closely.

That’s where Kaminsky’s quote carries weight for me. When I slink into my chair at my cubicle, I have to click into writing mode, shut off my emotions and feel the story. This is easiest when I have just returned from an interview or finished researching. But returning from lunch, or starting first thing in the morning is difficult.

To click into that mode, focus and absorb the atmosphere of the story. Educate yourself as much as possible on the subject. Even if you’re just writing fiction — the story won’t be credible if you don’t know what you’re writing about.

If you sit around waiting for a muse, you’ll most likely lose track. Your story will gather dust and you’ll move on.

If you seriously cannot think of the next word to write, surround yourself in material related to the subject matter. If that doesn’t help, shut your eyes, open the dictionary or a book or newspaper and point to a word. That may not be the next word, but force yourself to work with it and it may help usher you through the piece.

When writing on deadline, time management and professionalism are equally essential. The first will help you finish on time. The latter will help you finish with quality material.

Leads make or break articles

For me, the lead is the most difficult aspect of writing an article. The interview process is a breeze and writing the body is even easier. But finding the right words to instill the appropriate setting is key to a good article. That initial focus will either lose readers or capture them.

Depending on your media (newspaper, magazine, Internet, creative journalism or creative writing) the lead defines the piece. For journalists the lead is the most essential aspect. You must incorporate everything you intend to cover in your lead, starting with the most important.

For newspaper journalists, write as though you don’t expect your readers to finish reading the entire article. Hit them up front with the most important facts and ideas that you want them to take from the piece and then trickle down to the less important facts and more in-depth quotes. That’s the biggest difference in newspaper journalism and magazine writing.

In a magazine the writer generally has the ability to add more creativity, and is expected to add a layer of flair. It’s not the cut and dry attitude of newsprint, so put some thought into it.

I’m working on a magazine article right now, but the magazine is a publication of a newspaper and a business magazine on top of that. So my goal is to create a short, interesting piece that is quick to read and full of flavor. Finding the appropriate angle at the beginning is devastatingly necessary. Once I have the first paragraph, the rest of the article will fall into place.

To get there, I study my notes, relive the interview process in my head and pick out the key points. Once I’ve studied my notes, I open a blank document and shut out my surroundings, which is a feat in the ad department of a newsroom. I’m surrounded by ringing phones, clunking copiers and sales reps jabbering away about sales packets — not to mention the jocularity of the graphic designers to my left and their rubber band wars.

I find my concentration, often encouraged by headphones and instrumental music and write a few draft leads. Usually one will stick and the process will begin. But occasionally, I can’t find the right one, so I continue trying new leads or avert my attention elsewhere for a moment by checking my email or reading a brief news article. Sometimes I’ll open a new document and write a quick blog (which is what I’m doing right now). As I temporarily let my thoughts linger on the article while half-heartedly averting my attention, my subconscious mulls over my story and when I return to it, I’ll have a fresh perspective. Occasionally, if I find myself in a real writer’s block I’ll leave my desk for the restroom or even step outside and find a moment to be alone and meditate.

For any media, the first line can make or break a story. Make sure it’s right. Sometimes if I’m really stuck, I’ll go ahead and right the rest of the story and will either find my lead somewhere in the middle, or it will help me focus my story so that I can go back and coddle an appropriate lead.

Fight Temptation and Control Focus

I think I would be much more productive at work if I only had a typewriter and a telephone. This is result of my inability to write while surrounded by distractions, but it’s still something worth considering.

At my desk, I succumb to browsing the Internet, sending email and reorganizing my desktop and folders. I’ve spent entire days doing nothing but reading about Richard Dawkins, Buddhist poetry and emailing my wife. And today, as I sat waiting for my computer to reboot for the seventh time — I use a mid-90s iMac with barely enough mojo to multi-task — I realized how many articles I could have written had I nothing to work with but a manual typewriter and a blank page.

Granted the perks of a computer and Microsoft Word are almost too great to abandon, but there’s something nostalgic about the hammer of the typewriter, and something demanding about the lack of distractions. A Buddhist approach to writing would be just that: me sitting in an empty, quiet room with nothing but a typewriter and time to focus.

The trick to achieving that focus in this society is developing an ability to block out the distractions or find the time and space to seclude yourself. Working at a newspaper in a cubicle with four other people during the day and spending my nights waiting tables at a restaurant, the first option is more realistic.

I tune my focus with headphones, instrumental music and determination. I can’t disconnect the Internet so the temptation to take a break and check Reddit or ebay is always there. That’s when I have to put my faith in my will power.

Shutting out the office noise is another story. Often the headphones work. I can submerge myself in Buckethead or Mono and just stare at the screen, concentrating on my story. But on unruly days, like Friday afternoon when everyone is just working for the weekend, the tumult is more difficult to drown. On top of that I can’t turn up the volume too loudly or I can’t hear my phone if it rings. The volume of the music also has a tendency to break my concentration if it’s overbearing.

Everyone is different. Finding your own routine is key, though. Try out various things, but the most important step is to fight temptation and focus. Practice by setting goals. Write out a list of goals for the day and take them one at a time. Then set a list of rules: no Internet browsing; no email; no phone calls; whatever you need to do to lasso your attention.

We live in a world that cultivates short attention spans, which can quickly become the Achilles’ heel for a writer.

Indulging the Art of the Semicolon

Outside of the period, comma, question mark and exclamation point, many beginning writers stray away from using semicolons, colons and long dashes simply because they fear they’ll use them incorrectly.

Embrace these punctuation marks. Not only do they offer more opportunities for sentence variety, they increase the level of creativity with which you write.

Semicolon < ; >

The most common use for a semicolon is between independent clauses not joined by a coordinating conjunction. However it is also used between items in a series when that contain internal punctuation.

Separating Independent Clauses
Use a semicolon only when the two independent clauses are closely related or depend on one another for articulation. If the two independent clauses can stand alone as two sentences, end them with periods. This is a relatively blurry line, but as you practice more, you’ll find the difference in your style.

Example
Don’t trust the government to help you; trust that they’ll make things harder for you.

It’s almost election time; there’s almost no point in impeaching Bush now.

Even though those two clauses could stand alone as two sentences, they do not stand alone as independent thoughts; they compliment each other. With only one or the other, the sentence would be vague and slightly ambiguous.

Coordinating Conjunctions
For sentences with coordinating conjunctions, such as, "but," "so," "and" and "even though" use a comma.

Example
It’s almost election time, and there’s almost no point in impeaching Bush now.

Between Items in a Series Containing Internal Punctuation
What this means is when listing a series of phrases that contain commas or long dashes, use a semicolon to clearly denote the separation of the items; using commas can be confusing since there are already other commas in use.

Example
As an American I am cautious to trust the media and the government because they lie to us to boost morale, even though the truth eventually leaks out; they bolster minor events into large catastrophes to instill fear in the average American; and, despite the push to improve the state of the union, the government insists on force-feeding democracy to countries unwilling to cooperate.

NOTE When using typing programs with a built-in grammar check, such as Microsoft Word, the program will most likely pick out sentences similar to the example above and mark it as a "long sentence." Grammatically there is nothing wrong with long sentences. Depending on the reader, the sentence and your writing style, long sentences have a tendency to confuse the reader. Sticking with a long sentence or rewriting in shorter sentences is up to you. Stay true to your style. As long as your content is clear, the reader shouldn’t struggle. But that’s another topic.

Use Commas Correctly

First thing’s first: An articulate writing style depends on grammar. Although syntax, semantics and vocabulary define style, universally clear language is contingent upon appropriate grammar.

English grammar when broken down into specifics requires years of studying and practice to perfect. So don’t worry about being perfect. There will always be another writer out there to criticize something insignificant. As long as the language is clear to everyone, you’re golden.

The basics start with punctuation. You know a period goes at the end of every sentence except questions. Make sure you understand and use semi-colons, colons and long dashes as well. But most importantly, wrap your fingers permanently around appropriate comma usage. Commas can be the keys to unraveling an ambiguous sentence or address. Without a comma, sentence parts collide causing misinterpretations.

Comma < , > One of the biggest sources of confusion when discussing commas comes from elementary, middle school and high school English/grammar teachers saying, "Put a comma where you would naturally take a breath (or pause)." In some ways that is true, but the problem is that universally we do not all breath and pause in the same place; we take breaths and pause when commas tell us to — not the other way around. This misappropriation of rules leads to writers arbitrarily throwing commas around, attempting to control the pace at which the reader reads. Cut that out.

Here is a relatively comprehensive overview of correct comma usage:

• Direct address:
  Place a comma after a person’s (or the subject’s) name. If in the middle of the sentence, enclose the name in commas.
  
  Karl Rove, would you please stop lying?
  
  The problem, Mr. Bush, is your indifference to public opinion and logic.
  
  
• Direct Quotations:
  Commas belong inside of the quotation marks before the attribution even if the quote is a complete sentence.
  
  " . . . And there is distrust in Washington, " President George W. Bush said during an interview with National Public Radio. "I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it’s the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it."
  
  For attribution in the middle of the sentence, place a comma before the attribution and after.
  
  "Make no mistake about it," President George W. Bush said on Dec. 7 2006, "I understand how tough it is, sir. I talk to families who die."
  
  If the quote finishes a sentence, but is not a complete sentence independently do not put a comma before the quote, only before the attribution.
  
  A graceful exist out of Iraq "has no realism to it at all," President Bush said.
  
  
• After a preposition or an introductory word group:
  
  When George W. Bush became president, the American status quo started to crumble.
  
  
• Set off transitional, parenthetical, contrasted elements and absolute phrases:
  Phrases such as "therefore," "however" and "as a matter of fact" should be set off by commas.
  
  Transitional Phrase
  The war, for example, is sinking our troops in quicksand because the president won’t budge on his unpopular opinion.
  
  Parenthetical Expression
  Congress, so far as we know, is in a stalemate with the president.
  
  Contrasted Elements
  A handful of politicians, not the American people, support this war.
  
  Absolute Phrases
  The president having seen his popularity plummet, started to cover his tracks and lie.
  
  
• Between items in a series:
  
  Wal-Mart, Haliburton, Chevron and Nestle are evil corporations.
  
  
• "Yes," "No" and other interrogative tags and mild interjections:
  
  Yes, I believe it’s time for new leadership in our government.
  
  Well, I assume there’s someone out there capable of running the country without trying to make himself and his friends rich.
  
  That was a pretty shady trick they pulled in Florida, wasn’t it?
  
  
• Before a coordinating conjunction joining independent clauses:
  
  Most Americans understand that the government is corrupt, but there is nothing we can about it.
  
  
• Between multiple adjectives:
  
  Our government is shady, greedy and heartless.
  
  
• To set off a nonrestrictive element:
  A general rule is to place a comma before "which." The words "that" and "which" are often interchangeable, but "which" requires a comma — just one more confusing rule for English grammar.
  
  To be more specific, use "that" only with restrictive clauses and "which" only with nonrestrictive clauses. A restrictive clause alters the meaning of the sentence and the word it modifies. A nonrestrictive clause is not essential to the meaning of the sentence and is set off with commas.
  
  RESTRICTIVE
  The monotony of office work deprives us of the happiness that makes the day bearable.
  
  NONRESTRICTIVE
  The monotony of office work deprives us of happiness, which staves off depression.
  
  In the restrictive clause example the thought is not complete ending the sentence at "happiness." The restrictive clause is therefore necessary. In the nonrestrictive clause example, the nonrestrictive clause, " . . . which staves off depression," is not necessary to complete the thought, assuming the reader knows happiness wards off depression; therefore the nonrestrictive clause is more of an afterthought than part of the sentence. Block it off with a comma.
  
  Adjective Clauses
  Enclose nonrestrictive clauses with commas when in the middle of the sentence; omit the commas when it is restrictive.
  
  RESTRICTIVE
  A company that employs overseas workers and treats them inhumanely must be cautious of too much media exposure.
  
  NONRESTRICTIVE
  Wal-Mart, which uses sweatshops to manufacture goods, unabashedly makes millions of dollars off of underdeveloped countries.
  
  In the restrictive example, "company" is undefined. The italicized restrictive clause defines it and is therefore necessary to the sentence. Wal-Mart in the nonrestrictive example is clearly defined. The nonrestrictive clause is additional information not absolutely pertinent to complete the sentence.
  
  Adjective Phrases
  The same rules apply to adjective phrases as do to adjective clauses. The only difference is a clause is just a detail. The adjective phrase is a more in-depth detail, a phrase with a verb referring to the subject.
  
  RESTRICTIVE
  The graveyard filled with dead soldiers from an unjust war sits at the top of the hill as a reminder of carelessness and greed.
  
  NONRESTRICTIVE
  Homeless children, with their empty stomachs crippling their health, live in every corner of every country.
  
  Appositives
  An appositive is a noun or pronoun that describes or specifies another noun.
  
  RESTRICTIVE
  Ron Whitehead’s poem "I refuse" captures the attitude appropriate for an American frustrated with the degradation of our country.
  
  NONRESTRICTIVE
  Our president, George W. Bush, has a tendency to lie the American people.
  
  
• Dates, Titles and Addresses
  
  On February 13, 2006, Dick Cheney shot another man in the face with a shotgun.
  
  EXCEPTIONS: Commas are unnecessary if the date is inverted (13 February 2006) or if only the month and year are provided.
  
  Bill O’Reilly, host of the O’Reilly Factor, tends to use his volume more than his words to prove his argument.
  
  Commas should also be used for professional titles after names including abbreviations such as M.D. or Ph.D.
  
  Mail your protest letters and petitions to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, District of Clumbia, once you’ve written them.