Fun + Quirky Weapons For Better Writing: Part 1

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Hello! I’m feeling way too enthusiastic today seeing as I stayed up till 3am last night sipping red and watching the Olympics. But then again, it is 1pm and I’ve only just surfaced from bed. Holy sleep in!

Right now I’m surrounded by journals and moleskins and coloured pens and I’m snacking on some leftover chia pudding while watching the (much needed) snow fall outside. I’ve noticed over the last three years that snow energises me; not in the way that the sun does- sunshine lifts me up and calls me to physical action. But snow- it triggers some type of creative response in my psyche, I’m sure of it.

And so that little rant and explanation brings us here- to this post. In my snowed-up, sweater wearing, chia-chomping enthusiasm, I wanted to share with you some fun (yet totally legit) ways to improve your writing.

Take notes. Simple, and obvious, but game changing. I always know that when I start frantically snatching at scrap paper, or when my fingers are clumsily sliding over my iPhone trying to find Evernote so I can jot down a thought or an idea- that that thought or idea is a keeper. I’ve made a habit of actively acknowledging these suprise ideas, and often I can create a whole blog post around one rogue sentence. Inspiration at its finest- when it finds you, rather that you having to search for it! Easy peasy. But even the best ideas don’t hang around, so always have your write-that-down-quickly!-reflex primed and ready for action.

Wear some (imaginary) glasses. If you’re anything like me, ‘Oooooh, can I try on your sexy specks?’ quickly translates to a head ache and frazzled eye balls. But there’s no denying it- glasses make us look (and perhaps feel) more sophisticated, knowledgable and wise. I’m a visual(isation) creature, and I often rely on my imagination to get me to the finish line. For example- sometimes (now, don’t laugh), I’ll sit at my computer and close my eyes for a few moments, while channeling my inner scholarly-librarian-y-Anne Hathaway-ish goddess self. Books are piled high around me, my hair is tied in a bun and I have a ghastly shade of red lipstick on. Creativity pours. Unleash your inner word-nerd, I dare ya!

Cut your finger nails! Ahem, I’m really enjoying this silliness today, I hope you don’t mind. Up until probably two years ago, I was a nail biter. Actually, I was more like a nail-ripper (ick!). I noticed that around a year ago when I changed my diet to include more raw foods and ditched meat and most dairy that my hair and nails began to seriously grow like weeds. And that was cool for a while, I had long nails and they looked nice, I guess. But baby let me tell you, I’m a regular nail cutter now and I LOVE IT. Just the other week I was long overdue for a clip and when I finally got around to it, holy moly- the speed at which I could type with no mistakes= amazing. Plus they look freaking awesome with a nice splash of pastel pink. Short nails fo’ life!

Set yourself ‘reminders’. A few days ago while lounging on the coach, I decided to fill up the next few months in my calendar with daily reminders. The beauty of it is two-fold; firstly because I can never remember what I’ve written, and secondly, I totally forget that I even sat there and scheduled the reminders in the first place(!), so when midday rolls around, I’m always suprised and slightly amused to read self-set love notes (albeit with the odd word missing, like above. Oops!).

Work some magic! This one is my fay-vor-it! About a month ago, I was super blessed to be approached my one of Australia’s leading women’s magazines to help them write a feature. That experience was a roller coaster in itself, and it lead to me to write this post for Tink Simplicity. The truth is, I was sweating a little over the whole thing, which was difficult for me because I consider myself a professional fear-buster. It’s times like those that I like to invite a little ritual into my life, so this is what I did: before I went to bed, I lit a few candles and some incense, and wrote the Universe a love letter. Tonight as I sleep, creativity will pump through my veins. I’ll wake up refreshed and ready to write. I will write with purpose. Thank you for giving me this opportunity, I just need a little extra nudge now. I don’t want to do this alone. Love always, your homegirl, Tara. I put this under my pillow along with a piece of citrine and carnelian (for creativity and abundance) and drifted off to sleep in complete comfort that Miss Universe had it sorted. When I sat in front of my lap top the next day, I punched out the article in fifteen minutes. Pretty sure that’s a personal best.

I’ve got plenty more fun tips to share so I’m going to break this up into two posts, but in the meantime, do you implement any fun rituals into your life to get the creativity flowing? Or are you one of those insanely blessed vessels that’s always brimming with art? Let me know in the comments, and may you have a lovely, energy-charged, slightly silly day, like me!