Waiting for inspiration to strike you? Five tips for defeating creative blocks

Waiting for inspiration to strike you? That doesn't work. I know all too well. When I'm stalled on writing or photography, "I'm so uninspired" and other variations like "I lack the motivation" is commonly heard in this household. But I'll be honest, they are lame excuses.And laziness is not a good trait to have.

Yes, getting stuck on a project is understandable. But there are ways to get past the block and get your creative juices flowing.

1. Do a 365 days photo or writing project. 
• Challenge yourself to learn and utilize a new technique each month. For example, if you've always been interested in HDR, learn about it and utilize it. And further, challenge yourself to photograph with the goal of telling a story. Don't just snap pictures randomly and call it a day. Take your time, think about what you're photographing.
• Write a down an idea for a story every day. Or take it a step further and write a short story daily. Do a timed challenge to write a certain amount of words in a short time frame.
2. Write short stories. Challenge yourself to write an entire story in 1000 words or less. And then step it up by decreasing the word count to 500...and then 250. And forth. This is a wonderful writing exercise because it retrains your mind to use words with precision.
3. Make a mind map. This is a great visual tool that helps you brainstorm ideas. For example, if you're writing a story and you're stuck at the point where your lead character might shoot someone. You could then jot different outcomes and then go with the one with the most interesting result that will best continue your story.
4. Do something else time-consuming but simple enough to let your mind wander. Oftentimes I get my ideas while working completely random and usually boring tasks like scrubbing the kitchen floor. Going for a long drive is a good trick as well, but with the rising costs of gas, perhaps not a viable one anymore.
5. Ask yourself weird questions while doing ordinary stuff. It's an odd tip, but it works for me. For example, while I'm grocery shopping, I'll wonder things like:
   
   • What would happen if zombies invaded the store?And I'll imagine chaos, whether people would fight or run, and how I could capture that on the metaphorical film (I use a digital SLR - no film).
   • What happens if all these eggs hatched chicks? And I'll imagine that there's some sort of chicken conspiracy back at the hatcheries where one of the inspectors was murdered and a batch of eggs got through because of that. And ... 

The benefit of these exercises is it gets your creative juices flowing, and you'll work up a few ideas for stories, photos or artwork.

Bonus tip: don't get in the habit of doing something like surfing the web or checking twitter, emails and Facebook regularly; it's very easy for time to slip through your fingers if you get caught up on interweb. Make it a rule for yourself that you will check only every 2 or 3 hours.

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Possible blog feature: short stories

One thing I do to flex my creative brain is write short stories. They are sitting in my file rotting away, which is a waste. I've decided I'll start sharing some short stories and writing exercises, such as "hooks" - the first sentences for a fiction story.

I'll explain the hook exercise another time. In the meantime, here's an intro to a short story I wrote a few years ago. I have no idea where I originally intended to go with this story, it's unfinished.

Nightmares (working title)

High above a deep blue bay, a woman stands on a cliff. She leaps out, soaring in the air. More graceful than a sea gull, faster than a hawk, with more flair than a dolphin. Majestic! Then as she begins her descent, reality sets in, and she lets out a horrified squawk that echoes off the cliff walls. Instinct instructs her to curl up in a ball, and she hits the water at terrifying 62 miles per hour. Gravity wins.

"Dana? Dana? Are you awake?”

“What happened?” Dana mumbled into her pillow.

“You screamed.”

“I died.”

“Again?”

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Things I am surprised by

• Seattle natives being taken off guard by excessive rain and flooding
• Lack of city planning for rain and flooding (c'mon, really?)
• Complaints about the rain made by long-time locals (all my neighbors bitch about the rain and cold)

And perhaps most important:

• Bad coffee served in Seattle

The other day, I went to this little coffee shop in my neighborhood and I got the worst coffee I've had in a long time. It was burnt, bitter and smelled off. I asked for a refund; they said no because I'd already sipped from it. What the hell? Business didn't look like it was booming; I have a feeling that they won't be around long.

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It's that time of year

The time of year where women decide whether to start shaving their legs more regularly or wear pants all summer. Given a choice, I'd much rather not shave. I've had one too many razor accidents. But I do like wearing shorts and skirts on occasion. And I do not enjoy the sensation of leg hair waving in the breeze.

Ah, isn't genetics great? I've been very fortunate to be endowed with a lush thick yet silky brown mane, and a healthy dose of hair on legs comes with the territory. They're not as thick and dark as some people's are, but they do get long. And after three or four months of not shaving, boy are they long.

Blogging about shaving the legs. Am I oversharing?

Maybe. But really, I think people - particularly men - should be educated that women's legs do not naturally come smooth and silky. It might surprise many of you, but I do know men who were not aware of this fact.

A good friend of mine's ex went to eastern Europe a few years ago and was traveling through the less touristy areas when he ran into women who did not shave. He later confessed to his girlfriend, who in turn told me about this while laughing hysterically, that he thought they were lycanthropes (the clinical disease/mutation type, not werewolf -- I hope).Or that they'd been too close to Chernobyl. He wasn't sure what to think.

In college, I knew a guy who didn't understand why women needed toilet paper to go "number one."

Seriously!

It shouldn't surprise me anymore that there are people like this out there. But somehow it still does.

Anyway. Spring. Skirts. Shaving. Suckage.

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Seattle Police's Reputation

The Seattle Police's rep is pretty much in the toilet. We've had a spate of police using excessive and sometimes fatal force when dealing with criminals. The latest incident that made the news is when they shot and killed a man brandishing a machete knife. News article here I personally do not believe it was warranted - knife versus guns. Who'd win here?

As a new transplant to Seattle, I'm pretty concerned. I've lived in DC and Denver where gang warfare and crime are rampant. And yet, I rarely heard about a police shooting that ended with fatal results. Yes I'm sure there were an occasional incident, but not to the same degree as Seattle. In the year I've lived in Seattle, there have been numerous incidents where there were fatal shootings or excessive force used.

What gives? Are the Seattle police simply not trained well enough to deal with the criminal element?

After this latest incident, families of these policemen decided to conduct anti-negativity rallies this week; a news reporter interviewed one of the high ranking policeman about these rallies and the reporter asked about their negative image, his comment was: "We are not concerned about it." (No link, sorry: I couldn't find a copy of the interview online).

My response when I heard that on the news was: they don't care that they have a bad rap? They think their actions are warranted? Fine, even? There are a number of ways to interpret his statement, true, but that was my gut reaction. Some days I feel like we're just a few steps from LA's pre-Rodkney King or "Chicagoland" of the old days.

This, while also considering the past year, left me wondering: How many other incidents weren't reported? Many of the nonfatal excessive brutality incidents came to light only because bystanders happened to have a camera phone that recorded it and contacted the local news agencies. What if nobody cried foul? If people are afraid of the police, they might not report problems with the police. Who could they talk to?

The police are supposed to be the good guys. If people are afraid of them, who can they turn to?

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Intro to Fiction Writing

Writing sounds easy, doesn't it? Just plop down in front of a computer, typewriter or if you're old school, pen and paper, and start writing. But that blank page is pretty intimidating. How to start your first sentence? How to draft a manuscript (ms) that will be well received and hopefully published? How to write a smart story full of clever quips and lively banter and plot twists?

That white page is intimidating. If it were so easy, everyone who ever said, "if I had the time, I'd write," would've written a book or five, and we'd be suffering from a paper shortage. Anyone can find the time to write. Got 20 minutes for lunch? Jot down notes or start your novel. It's very easy to find excuses to not write. Harder to actually do it.

I've been writing on and off for a few years now and am currently working on a ms. Right now the ms is such a big disaster that I'm half tempted to chuck it out the window, but I keep plugging away because I see potential in it. It's super rough, but it's there. I admit, the recent news about Amanda Hocking's spectacular Kindle success was one of my reasons for trying to finish this book and I'm sure I"m not alone in that. Note: I have not read her books, I have no idea if her success is warranted.

Now I've got my "cred" established, I'll share some advice:

• First and foremost, write for yourself. Write because it's fun and you enjoy it.
• Don't worry too much about plot devices, plot arcs, the dialogue and so forth. You can polish that and if necessary, rewrite in your second, third and fourth drafts.  When you're just starting, focus on writing. Get the words on the page. Keep going.
• And on that note, don't look back! No going back to edit. If you get in the habit of editing every time you sit down to write, you'll forever be editing -- and not writing. I've been guilty of doing this, and have vowed to not edit unless absolutely necessary. If I write something that might be a problem with an earlier section of the story, I just make a note and keep going.
• You will definitely get bored with it. There will come a point where you're just plain stuck or tired of writing about this particular story. This is not an uncommon problem for longer ms. If you're absolutely stuck or unmotivated, take a break. Do some short writing exercises. Write blog entries. Essays. Short stories. But above all...do not start another ms. If you do, you'll very likely end up with a number of unfinished novels. You've heard the term, nonstarter? In this case, it's "nonfinisher." Or its uglier cousin: quitter.
• Get comfortable with this maneuver: nod and smile. Once people get wind that you're working on a ms, they'll start offering you unsolicited advice and criticism. Even the ones that haven't read a book in the past decade.

That's about it for now. Keep an eye out for more thoughts on the writing process.

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False starts

I initially started this blog with the intent of commenting on news, politic and ongoing in Seattle and elsewhere. But as I quickly found, I have little interest in doing that. I felt like I was just regurgitating news and not really creating original content.As a result, I have a number of drafts I never published.

So. For the time being, I'm going to write about what interests me, and we'll see how this blog develops over time. It'll probably center around writing, photography, perhaps coffee and whatever else strikes my fancy.

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Friday Funny

Given Wednesday's post, this seemed apt.



Sung by Jonathan Mann

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Police Brutality: It doesn't end with people

As we all know, there has been several publicized incidents where Seattle police used unnecessary force when it comes to subduing to people.

It seems that this same principle extends to dogs. While these cases didn't occur in Seattle, it wouldn't surprise me if this happened here, considering that some officers are poorly trained when it comes to dealing with the public.

In all three incidents (links below), the police incorrectly followed procedures, acted rashly and cited "fear for life." While it's understandable to panic if a dog is aggressively approaching you, there are tools that police have at their disposal that do not require use of guns. Tasers and mace to name two. Yes, they could aggravate the dog even more, but both tools would stun them long enough for the police officer to get to safety.

If the police officers are panicking and as a result resorting to fatal force use when a dog approaches, why are we surprised when they respond in similar manner with people?

Related links:
SWAT team members fatally shoots MD Mayor's two dogs.
Police shoots dog at a public event
Des Moines, WA, police chases and shoots a Newfoundland dog

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Your Choice: Digital Stripping or Groping

It's a hot topic these days. TSA and the 3D screening machines. I'm not going to regurgitate the news. But links are below if anyone wants to look at the articles.

Here's my take: We shouldn't have to be treated like criminals if we want to fly anywhere. True, flying is a privilege, not a right. But consider that the TSA's screening process has not caught a single terrorist nor bomber. What caught the would-be terrorists? People. Passengers. TSA employees themselves. Homeland Security's No-Fly list (which admittedly has its own problems, but it is somewhat effective).

Note: the shoe bomber incident was caught by using the old-fashioned x-ray machines and good old-fashioned human observation.

TSA are changing their patdown procedure to be more intimate. They're borrowing from the prison search process. What's next? Cavity searches? There's some talk that TSA is doing this to "encourage" the passengers to opt for the screening.

Complicating matters is some of the new screening machines may emit harmful radiations. While they're not as penetrating as x-rays or MRI scans, they pose risks for high-risk people. Especially melanoma.

In what world is this okay? We're given the choice of having intimate scans taken of our bodies, which are possibly saved, or intimate groping.

It's a privilege, not a right. TSA are telling us if we don't like it, we don't have to fly. But unfortunately, for many people, flying is a requirement. Business fliers account for about 48% of air travel (Source: USTravel.org). How many times are these people groped or scanned? People often need to travel - sometimes quickly - from one end of the country to another. For example, I have family in Pennsylvania. If there was an emergency, or worse, death, it would take me 48 hours of road travel. Six days (8 hrs a day).

Is the choice of being digitally stripped or groped worth the convenience? You tell me. Or better yet, tell your congressman and local news. Let him or her know you're unhappy about this. Speak out. The only way we can get changes made is to voice our opinions.

Related news: 
TSA Chief Says No Change in Airport Scanners, Pat-Downs
John Tyner: "Don't Touch My Junk"
TSA pats down a toddler
EPIC: Info and news regarding screening machines

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