Creative Process

Today, I will describe strategies and techniques I am using in my creative process. If you read one of my previous blogs, you may remember that the ideas do not fall from the tree. In my experience, the process may feel random and chaotic, but what about if you have a goal and want to be more organized and efficient?

I believe the most important thing is to feel good and minimize distractions. What do I mean by that?

Start by treating yourself. No, I don’t mean you should eat kilograms of chocolate. You should focus on your health. A diet is an excellent place to start, and make sure you get enough proteins, minerals, and vitamins.

There was a time when I was doing an exam at the university. I knew the subject, but the problem was I was starving. I haven’t eaten anything that day yet. It wasn’t about the money. It was the laziness and inexperience. I fought a battle with my thoughts about the food for 3/4 of the exam time. I passed the exam in the end, but my result will be much better with food in my stomach.

Distractions come from unresolved problems. Do you have a broken car, and all your thoughts are on how to fix it? Fix it now! The sooner you do it, the quicker you can focus on what’s important, in my case, writing.

So you have your problems sorted but still can’t get into writing? Well, starting and even resuming after a while can be harsh.

Mindmaps are a great way to organize thoughts and not keep everything in your head. Did you know that we can remember only seven things simultaneously on average? I use mind maps to develop a story or to propose story path ideas, and I pick the one I like the most.

Ok. Let’s say we sorted out how the story will develop, but how to model the individual scene?

Imagination is the key, but sometimes we need to help it, especially if there are more objects to describe. I usually paint the initial idea of the scene on paper. That is when more ideas start flowing, and I can extend and visualize them. The pen and paper are excellent. iPad and Apple pencil provide more dynamic options. I use both, depending on the complexity. Once I draw the scene, I look at it, and the writing becomes easier since I describe what I see.

Placeholders: I use them when I have an idea of how to structure a story or an article but don’t feel like writing it yet. It is a simple outline inside a story but with a specific place respecting the flow. In fact, I used them to write this article. You can imagine them like this: “[mindmaps].”

Lastly, don’t be too hard on yourself! I suffer from that “disease.” My wife keeps reminding me of it. The problem is I want to be successful. We all want to live our dreams. We live in the world of social media showing us only success. The pictures are depressing. It certainly feels like we are a failure. We are not! We just have to be on the right path. Great things take time. A few baby steps toward our goal are still more than nothing, and they will make a difference in the long term. A walk instead of sitting, a short distance run instead of watching TV, writing 200 words instead of playing games.

These baby steps helped me write 28,000 words spread over 200 pages in the current book draft. There was a time when I wrote before going to sleep, but it was still more time than zero.

Activities and talking with various people could inspire us in a way we would not expected. Once you get it, don’t forget to write them down! I use my phone since I have it with me almost every time. This is how the idea for "Echoes of the past” started. I did not know I would use it for writing. I just wrote down my dream! I figured out what to do with it a month later.

What does your creative process look like? Let me know in the comments. If you like the article, check out my other stories here on Medium.