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3 Ways to Expand Your Imagination & Become a Better Writer

3 Ways to Expand Your Imagination & Unleash Your Creativity

3 Ways to Expand Your Imagination & Unleash Your Creativity
Image by Jim / via Flickr

3 Ways to Expand Your Imagination & Unleash Your Creativity

If you're a writer who feels like your creative well has run dry, you're not alone. It happens to all of us. We want to write, but we don't have anything to write about. Or we don't think we have anything to write that would be interesting to our readers.

It's time to get busy.

If we're out of ideas, it's usually because we haven't spent enough time on writing and brainstorming. That's okay. We just get back up and start again. Maybe we've lost the "touch" because things popped up and distracted us. Maybe we feel frustrated because every time we sit down to write, something tries to pull us away. Whatever the case may be, if we want to write, we have to give it time.

So, here are some ways to expand your imagination and unleash your creativity.

Be Open-minded

In order to expand our imagination, we need to be open-minded. That allows us to think of things we never would have thought of before. Think back on your childhood and how inquisitive you were, asking questions and dreaming up silly things. Somewhere along the line, most people lose this ability. We can get it back, but we need to allow ourselves to dream and to let our imaginations run wild. We have to take special interest in things, ask questions, and have childlike faith.

Give It Time

Another thing we need to do is devote time to it. If we want to always have things to write about, we'll need to keep drawing from the well. That takes time. We need time to brainstorm and come up with ideas.

If we're constantly on the go, letting distractions keep us from writing and brainstorming, eventually we'll feel like our well has run dry. I think it's more the case that we closed it off. With time, we can push off the cover and draw from the well again. As Sidonie Gabrielle Colette once said, "Writing only leads to more writing." Brainstorming leads to more ideas and an overflowing well.

Read A Lot

It's no surprise that I'm an advocate for reading. But it has a huge benefit. Exposing ourselves to different ideas, approaches, thought processes, and stories gets our creative juices flowing. When we fill our minds with content, we allow ourselves to find things to write about. It's like filling up a gas tank so we can drive to work or take a road trip. We won't get anywhere unless we fill it up.

That's not to say we don't have our own thoughts and ideas. Reading just allows us to think of things we might never have considered or given much thought to before. It can also help us decide what we really believe about a particular topic.

By applying these methods, you'll expand your imagination and start to see ideas everywhere you go.

Jody Calkins
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