One

Happy New Year!

Can you believe it’s 2017 already? 2016 just flew by for me. It was a great year, really, and I’m a little sad to say goodbye… but 2017 is already shaping up to be an even better year, and I look forward to what it has to bring!

For the month of January, I wanted to focus on something that would be beneficial to us all in the new year. And since I’m a writer (obviously) I thought we should talk a bit about creativity.

I don’t know what it is about the holidays, but for me they can be a bit of a creativity zapper. I have very few good ideas this time of year, and occasionally I struggle to find the time to make creativity a part of my life. So when January comes around, I’m always looking for ways to get creative again, to get that part of my life back.

And that’s what I’ve decided to talk about this month.

Twelve Ways to Keep the Creativity Rolling

Part one is today! Woo! I actually have the day off from everything else, but I didn’t want to leave you all high and dry.

Let’s get started!

#1: Use a planner

Actually, I’m only just starting to take my own advice here. I got a planner for Christmas, called a Passion Planner, which was recommended to me by another writer. This planner in particular seems to encourage creativity, which was what I really liked about it. But it’s not just for creativity’s sake that I suggest you get one.

There’s something about January, that makes it one of the busiest months of the year for a lot of us. There’s so much more that needs to be done at the beginning of a year, so much that needs our attention, and it’s hard to make everything happen when it needs to happen—even moments of creativity.

And so, I’m suggesting a planner. Both to you and to me.

See, I have a lot more work these days than I’ve had in the past. It’s a good thing. It means Mavguard is growing, that RAD Writing is starting to really make a name for itself, but it also means that I have less time to do all the creative things I used to do. (don't worry, it doesn't mean there will be any delay in getting the Druid Novels released)

Fortunately, I know approximately how long it takes me to write a scene, or draw a picture, or paint something on my tablet. So I can pencil it into my new planner!

I know for a lot of us though, that it can be difficult to pencil in something like creativity, because it just comes to us on the spot.

But that’s also where the planner comes in. Pencil in everything else that you need to get done, with time stamps for how long those things should take you. And make sure you leave an hour or two of free time, every day. That time is what I’m calling “wiggle room.” If you have a creative moment, a time when you just need to creative, bump up that free time and move everything else down in line. Then you'll have an hour or two to create, and then you can get back to the rest of the things you need to do. The thing here is that you have to keep to the schedule, which means you can’t go too far overboard in your creativity time. At least it’s something though, and a way to make sure we always have some creative time every single day.

That’s suggestion #1! Be sure to check back on Wednesday and Friday for 2 & 3!

[love]

{Rani D.}