Some days I lose the first 20 minutes just choosing between tasks that all feel equally important. Curious if anyone has a quick rule for picking one and going, or if you just force yourself to start with whatever's closest.
I’m a cognitive neuroscience researcher who also writes fiction. I recently wrote about an idea from neuroscience that I’ve found genuinely useful for understanding my own creative process: creativity may work better when we separate generating ideas from judging them.
The neuroscience is obviously more complicated than literally having a “creator” and an “editor” in the brain. But I’ve found that metaphor really helpful. Studies suggest that generating ideas and evaluating them can involve somewhat different patterns of brain activity. It makes me wonder whether part of what makes creative work so difficult is that we often ask the brain to do both at once. When I try to write and criticize what I’m writing at the same time I often get stuck.
I’m curious if people here have techniques that help with this. In the post I write about Zach Cregger’s “elfing” method for first drafts. He basically gives himself permission to write badly just to keep moving forward. I think it’s a great technique, and it fits surprisingly well with what some neuroscience studies suggest about separating idea generation from evaluation.
Sharing the post too in case anyone is curious to read more:
I am 23, i feel like i’m so caught up in my emotions, in my family, my found family, i can reach far but i don’t know how far should i reach, i’m so afraid my life would be just about overwhelming amount of life so that i can’t write because of it. Because i know i can do “life” itself: my degrees, jobs, and keeping family isn’t that what its all about in this stage of humanity?
I have chose my path to become a published author, a writer in any sense, not commercial-job-demand writer, but fiction writer. I feel that that one thing, being and choosing to be a writer is very scary because i have to finish it, unlike so many on going life choices, writing has to be finished. And i’m too overwhelmed with life so i can’t built my discipline to finish a novel.
So far, my medium are short stories and poetry. I have written a full length short story during my literature program and won an award from my faculty. And i feel my poetries are such a different mechanism of writing, where it can only be born if i just live.
I have so many stories in mind. All of it (plot-wise, subject matter-wise) are finished and made up. But those stories are lengthy, i lack not the gift, but the discipline. I want to try the abc’s of crafting, but now just about to graduate and working freelance (only 1 time a wek) im just very tired just because i’m living life. My emotions are induced already from living day to day life, because i live with my queer family. And i could love this life fully if i don’t long for a quieter one to become a fully realized writer.
However intelligent i am, I’m never a prodigy or a natural doer hence the self awareness of where i lack. There’s this heaviness that i don’t spend my time more on writing, but i can’t im too tired.
Is there anyone who also going through the same thing? Or went through the same thing? I want to cope for the long run for my creative ideation.
I've always struggled with writing. I can imagine wonderful worlds, stories, love, loss, you name it... but when it comes to sitting down and writing, well, i dont know, I have a hard time writing the first word. The second, even the thousandth is easy, but the first...
Anyway, I've finally decided on a novella to write that explores all the wonders of belonging, family, love, etc. My wife is working this weekend, so I settle in and decide I'm going to write. And there it is: paralysis.
I decide instead I'll read a little. The book is horrible, of course (and I've since dropped it because it was a tropefest - thanks again Instagram, your recommendations suck), but a single line in it inspires me. I sit down, and over the course of 2 days I write 12,000 words. I'm pumped! There's only one problem: its the wrong book. No, worse! Its book 2 of a planned trilogy and I haven't even started book 1.
Anyway, how's everyone's weekend?
No longer keep time with a shackle
That divorces from natural rhythm
Release the burden of numbering days
Year and again though never like those past
No moment is like another so why pretend
That each moment is a continuation
The sun may not meet your eyes
When it crests in golden pinks
Hey everyone, I am a 19 M, and I want to be a filmmaker. I used to write stories and scripts. I can convey what I need to while writing, but coming to the main issue is i am afarid for shring the scripts with people because of my garmmer is weak, like i use to write the script in normal english where everyone can understand it easily, but if there want it in perefect english definitley they would be a lot of garmmer mistakes in the screenplay, due to it, I use to get afraid of the things to share, like what people use to think and with-in my slef I starts to overthink like if you have a lot of grammer mistakes in the script or story then you are not going be a film makers or not capabile in film making.
This haunts me every night, and I used to get afraid of it. So please, can anyone help me with this?