Help for writers who get stuck

Robert Maurer, Ph.D., a psychologist, offers this advice to writers and other people who may sometimes have trouble starting the creative process:

“Although you can’t force your brain to cough up creative ideas on demand, you can program it to launch the imaginative process simply by asking yourself a small question (such as) what’s one thing I wish to contribute to the world” with this project?

“Remember: If you repeat the question over the course of several days or weeks – or for however long it takes – the hippocampus (the part of the brain that stores information) will have no choice but to address it. And in its own way, on its own timetable, the brain will begin giving you answers.”

The passage is from Dr. Maurer’s book, One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way.

The Takeaway: If you find that you can’t become creative on demand, take heart; you can do it eventually. For more on getting unstuck, see this previous post.

See disclaimer.