Susan Reynolds's Blog, page 3

5 Things You Need to Know to Fire Up Your Writing Brain in 2016

New years are always a prime opportunity for setting goals for the year ahead, and for establishing new writing habits. As you ponder your writing goals for 2016, take a moment to review these 5 things about your brain that may help you Fire Up Your Writing Brain and become a more creative, productive, and successful writer in 2016.

Own the power of your brain. We have 86 billion neurons; each can form as many as 15,000 synapses, gifting your brain the potential to form some 100 trillion synapses. Your brain has the capacity to develop over 100,000 miles of neuronal connections, enough to wrap around the world 4 times. What neuroscientists are discovering is that the human brain can do far more than we previously thought. Whatever physical limitations our minds have projected onto our brains, in fact, may not exist at all. Our brains may well be limitless. 


Your brain has the ability to grow throughout your lifetime , and you have the power to shape how it grows. The choices you make will inform your brain about what’s important to you and the level of work you want to accomplish. If you choose to spend a lot of time watching TV instead of thinking, your brain will power down the minute you turn the screen on and begin watching. If, on the other hand, you power up and either read or write something challenging, your brain will rise to the occasion and step up its efforts to please you. You set the standard by using your conscious mind to choose. It’s your brain to prime or to waste.


Your brain is dependent upon what you consciously choose to do to develop its maximum capacity. If you do little to nothing to stimulate, nourish, protect, and expand your brain, it will remain stagnant. However, if you actively push the limits, nourish, protect, stimulate, and challenge your brain, you can have a happier, far more productive brain and a happier life. Having the best brain possible comes with focusing on body, mind, and soul and how you connect all the circuits that keep those neurons firing. It’s up to you how well your brain gets nourished, how much blood flow it receives, how well it’s rested and allowed to process daily stimulation (both integrating and discarding events while you sleep), and how much it’s stimulated in specific ways, for specific reasons.


You can train your brain to love writing by linking pleasure to writing. Two things neuroscientists have discovered are that your brain actively seeks to please you and it responds to rewards. What you “wire together, fires together,” so if you link pleasure to writing, you can train your brain to anticipate and enjoy writing sessions. Your brain is designed to do your conscious bidding and will make efforts to please you. When you identify clearly what it is you want your brain to do, it will start firing neurons to make it happen – and the harder you think, the more neurons will spark. So when you’re stuck, just think harder, force yourself to stick with it. However, end all writing sessions with something that brings you pleasure (a chocolate, a cup of tea, a phone call to your best friend, a walk, planting flowers, etc.) and your brain will release the “feel-good” chemicals that reward you, and the brain itself. Your brain craves those chemicals and thus will link writing with the pleasure, which will make it easier and easier to write. Tip: don’t punish yourself for failing to meet word count expectations. This can link a sense of failure to writing. Always find the good in what you’ve done and end writing sessions with an affirmation.


Mindfulness and meditation are powerful tools for increasing your brain’s ability to imagine and create and function—because it creates a massive increase in bi-directional networking within your brain. Both practices calm your brain and train it to focus on whatever it is that you mediate upon, even if that is a reminder to release all unrelated thoughts to whatever it is you want to focus upon. Both practices are easily learned and can be massively helpful in both improving focus and accessing inner thoughts. By removing distractions, you are gifting your brain the opportunity to release what’s not important (or is cluttering your mind), clarify thoughts, and hone in on what’s most important to you. It doesn’t take much to learn how to sit quietly for 15 minutes and to send all intruding thoughts away, as if they are drifting away in thought balloons. The practice of Kirtan Kriya  is a great way to warm up your brain before you write.

Hot Tip: Your brain can fall into a rut, form neuronal pathways that become a default system. You and your brain can get set in your ways, and that can stymie creativity. What you want to do is to shake it up occasionally, to try other approaches and even to do the opposite of what you normally do.

Happy Writing in 2016!

If you want fireworks, Choose a Topic That Excites You

Source: If you want fireworks, Choose a Topic That Excites You

If You Want Fireworks, Choose a Topic That Excites You

If every time you plan to write, you experience resistance or just can’t seem to get your brain fired up once you do start, it may be that you don’t like what you’re writing about, whether it’s the characters, the situation, or the story.

As we’ve discussed, your neurons (brain cells) construct elaborate networks in response to frequent cognitive activity, such as writing, and, within that network, writing about a specific topic. The more these specific neuronal networks are fired up, the more they wire together, formulating a complex, multilayered web of synapses that grow stronger and more complex with use. It’s the practice of firing up those neurons that causes them to increase their outreach and to create new and more unique connections—creating opportunities for major, exciting breakthroughs and creating the sort of neuronal “electricity” (when the synapses connect, it is very much like electricity) that leads to productive writing sessions.

The good news is that you have writing genius at your disposal and you can tap into it by choosing a topic that really gets your juices flowing, something that has a certain urgency, something you’re somewhat obsessed with, something that’s deeply important to you. In doing so, every time you research, think about, or write about that topic, you are firing up the neuronal network that will make it far easier—and more exciting—to write.

If you can’t love the topic (which often happens), love what you do, and help your brain feel excited about the process. At the very least, you can complete that project and move on to something that does fire up your writing brain. And if that doesn’t do the trick, at least choose a topic that grips you like a vise.

Happy Writing!

 

To Light Up Your Writing Brain, Choose a Topic That Excites You

If every time you plan to write, you experience resistance or just can’t seem to get your brain fired up once you do start, it may be that you don’t like what you’re writing about, whether it’s the characters, the situation, or the story.

As we’ve discussed, your neurons (brain cells) construct elaborate networks in response to frequent cognitive activity, such as writing, and, within that network, writing about a specific topic. The more these specific neuronal networks are fired up, the more they wire together, formulating a complex, multilayered web of synapses that grow stronger and more complex with use. It’s the practice of firing up those neurons that causes them to increase their outreach and to create new and more unique connections—creating opportunities for major, exciting breakthroughs and creating the sort of neuronal “electricity” (when the synapses connect, it is very much like electricity) that leads to productive writing sessions.

The good news is that you have writing genius at your disposal and you can tap into it by choosing a topic that really gets your juices flowing, something that has a certain urgency, something you’re somewhat obsessed with, something that’s deeply important to you. In doing so, every time you research, think about, or write about that topic, you are firing up the neuronal network that will make it far easier—and more exciting—to write.

If you can’t love the topic (which often happens), love what you do, and help your brain feel excited about the process. At the very least, you can complete that project and move on to something that does fire up your writing brain. And if that doesn’t do the trick, at least choose a topic that grips you like a vise.

Happy Writing!

 

Why Writers Need Professional Editors

Writer Kari Bovee asked me a series of questions that she wanted me to answer for her blog. Here’s Part I on why writers need a professional editor and the various type of editing.

http://karibovee.com/2015/12/10/why-we-need-or-should-use-professional-editors/

4 Ways to Crystalize Your Intelligence Around Writing

Your brain has the ability to crystalize intelligence, i.e., to bolster neuronal connections related to an activity you do regularly and the thinking and memory required to do so. To become a better writer, here are 4 things you can to do bolster neuronal networks and thereby fire up your writing brain.

Create a small world network centralized around writing. As you grow, your brain both prunes what you don’t need and begins to form what one neuroscientist called a “vast neuronal forest of the cortex around what you do need, or choose.” The cortex is the “thinking” part of your brain, and the way it works is that neurons stimulated around the same time or around the same subject tend to group together and form strong, interlinked networks that will then “fire together.” If you build a vast neuronal forest around writing in general, you can bolster your writing skills significantly, simply because you’ve added lots of new trees and branches to what your brain knows about writing. And the more you fire up those webs, the better ideas you’ll have while writing and the stronger the forest will grow. Think of it as sinking roots and expanding branches.
Stimulate your brain. It’s important to be constantly adding information and taking extra efforts to link information. Ways to do that include expanding your knowledge base, studying your craft, reading works similar to what you want to write and genres or styles that are far different from what you want to write. Reading all types of material, especially poetry, essays, and “high brow,” complex literature, taxes and challenges your brain, which kicks your thinking cortex into overdrive. All of this extra work creates a stronger neuronal network based around knowledge that will come in very handy when next you write.
Practice “deep reading” —defined as reading that is slow, immersive, rich in sensory detail and emotional and moral complexity—is distinctive from light reading—little more than the decoding of words. Deep reading occurs when the language is rich in detail, allusion, and metaphor, and taps into the same brain regions that would activate if the reader were experiencing the event. Deep reading is great exercise for the brain and has been shown to increase empathy, as the reader dives deeper and adds reflection, analysis, and personal subtext to what is being read. It also offers writers a way to appreciate all the qualities that make novels fascinating and meaningful—and to tap into his ability to write on a deeper level.
Write in cursive, on good paper to encourage slow thinking. As opposed to fast thinking, slow thinking involves reasoning and careful consideration (metacognition, thinking about thinking). It tames impulsive, unfocused thinking. The simple act of writing in cursive tends to slow how quickly your brain processes your thoughts, and this can be very helpful when seeking emotional depth and when brainstorming.

The more you crystalize your intelligence around the act of writing and the topic you are writing about, the easier it will be to fire up your writing brain when you need it.

Happy Writing!

Do You Have an Affinity for Writing?

If you feel a burning desire to write, it’s highly likely that you already possess certain mental and emotional qualities that can serve you well. Before launching into your next writing project, boldly embrace your strengths and shine a light on the skills you need to develop. These qualities include:

Verbal acuity, usually from an early age.
Love for and a unique “ear” for words, language, rhythm, imagery, and story.
Vivid imagination, creative.
Strong visual, auditory, and sensate memory.
Astute observer who employs all five (or six) senses when witnessing and remembering events.
Very conscious of feelings, empathetic, passionate.
Inquisitive, curious, open to new thoughts and interpretations.
Visionary, sees larger picture and envisions beginning, middle, and end of stories.
Patient, able to delay gratification, allow the telling to unfold.
Comfortable being alone for long periods of time.
Likes to live in his or her head; daydreamer.
Actually likes to think.
Able to focus, capable of occasionally achieving a one-track mind.
Detail oriented without being obsessive or an excessive worrier.
Affinity for understanding and conveying multiple points of view.

Every writer’s brain is uniquely “designed” and few possess all of the qualities on the list. What matters most is that you notice the qualities you have and identify how they help—or hinder—your writing. View your affinities in a positive manner and reinforce your use of them to craft works of art by thinking and speaking positive thoughts about your process—it’s been scientifically proven that an optimistic brain is a happy and productive brain.

It’s far too easy to fall into a mind-set that writing is hard, arduous, demanding work that requires you to sacrifice a normal life for one filled with deadlines, anxiety, and stress. What’s more desirable is to create a mind-set that recognizes, utilizes, and celebrates the qualities that brought you to writing and inspires you to write even when it becomes a physical, mental, or emotional challenge. Reaffirming and employing the qualities that accompany your desire to write is more likely to lead to success and pleasure.

Take ten minutes to ponder your affinities for writing and jot down ideas for expanding or developing new affinities. The more you recognize, honor, and make the best use of your natural affinities, the sooner you fire up your writing brain for more productive writing sessions.

Happy Writing!

 

Conquering NaNoWriMo: Two Ways to Perk Up Your Writing Brain and Push through to the Finish Line!

BRAINSTORM ON WHERE TO GO

Now that you’ve been writing for 27 days, your brain is primed for a mega-brainstorming session. As you’ve been busy writing, your thinking brain focused on harboring and percolating that massive amount of new material you and your marvelous mind have created. Unlike any other time, your writing brain is primed to offer up fresh ideas regarding what you’ve written so far and what needs to be in whatever new writing awaits. In fact, if you merely sit quietly with your writing brain for a few long minutes before delving back into writing, it will start linking all those percolating thoughts together and sparking new neuronal connections. Your brain has been as focused on this work as your mind (more so, if you add in what happens in your unconscious mind while you sleep, or do other things unrelated to the actual writing), and if you simply award your brain the time and attention it needs to process all this new input, it will light up and weigh in with fresh ideas. Your brain will pop out ideas faster than an electric popcorn popper.

REMIND YOUR BRAIN THAT A REWARD IS COMING

We now know that rewarding yourself with something pleasurable leads to a dopamine release, but studies have found that anticipating the reward elicits more dopamine than receipt of the actual award. What does this mean? Before you sit down to write in these last, waning days of NaNoWriMo, promise your brain a specific reward, within a specified timeframe. You might want to post a reminder that pops up on your screen that says, “three hours until chocolate, two hours until chocolate, thirty minutes until chocolate . . .” (or a walk, a movie, whatever creates a dopamine drip in your brain). This way, you’ll be perking up your brain throughout your writing session.

Now that you’ve learned two new tips for firing up and rewarding your writing brain, it’s time to get back to the those NaNoWriMo pages!

Happy Writing!

 

 

Conquering NaNoWriMo: Did you meditate before writing today?

Wracking up high wordcounts on a daily basis requires an influx of energy and focus, two things meditation bolsters in your brain. In fact, meditation is fantastic for firing up your writing brain because it bridges the gap between observations—what we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch—and what we can dream, imagine, or create while “in the creativity zone.” Meditation:

Creates a receptive state for insights, revelations, and intuition, all of which will add depth to your creativity and writing.
Calms an agitated mind and reduces anxiety in general.
Boosts access to your innermost self, what makes you unique in the world—and helps you feel more confident creating or writing from that place.
Helps you move smoothly between three levels of awareness: intellectual/ego, emotional/intuitive, and imaginative/inspirational.
Quiets brain chatter, soothes rattled feelings, and improves ability to live “in the moment.”
Helps you enjoy the writing process as it happens, by focusing thoughts on the present rather than dwelling on past or worrying about the future.
Improves attention and concentration; the more you meditate, the better you’ll become at focusing and concentrating.
Induces the desirable state of flow, when ideas and words seem to magically appear.

In addition to helping you transition from paying attention to something (or everything) else to paying attention to writing, meditation has amazing long-term benefits for your brain, which we’ll discuss another time.

Meanwhile to fire up your writing brain—or bolster any form of creativity—meditate before you begin, and you’ll likely feel more relaxed, more open, and more focused. In addition, your top (thinking cortex) brain will be communicating more efficiently with your bottom (limbic system) brain, bringing all the intellect you have to bear to the task at hand.

Tip: All you need to do to meditate is to spend 10-15 minutes seated, breathing slowly in and out, clearing your mind of thoughts as they arise and bringing your focus back to your breathing. No thinking encouraged, just being, in the moment, with your body, connecting body and brain through breath. Each time your mind “chatters,” imagine those thoughts floating away in “thought balloons.” When ready, do a few “cleansing breaths” and then ease back into consciousness—a consciousness focused like a laser on writing.

Happy Writing!

Susan Reynolds is the author of Fire Up Your Writing Brain: How to Use Proven Neuroscience to Become a More Creative, Productive, and Successful Writer. She also coauthored Train Your Brain to Get Happy, and Train Your Brain to Get Rich.

 

Conquer NaNoWriMo: Meditate to Bolster Communication between Your Top and Bottom Brains

Meditation is a powerful tool for increasing your brain’s ability to imagine and create and function—because it creates a massive increase in bidirectional networking within your brain. It increases communication between your top (thinking centric) and bottom (feeling centric) brain and, quite literally, fires up your writing brain.

John Hain via Pixabay.com

Meditation also calms your brain and trains it to focus on whatever it is that you mediate upon, even if that is a reminder to release all unrelated thoughts so you can focus on getting your NaNoWriMo word counts off and running. Meditation is easily learned and can be massively helpful in both improving focus and accessing inner thoughts. By removing distractions, you are gifting your brain the opportunity to release what’s not important (or is cluttering your mind), clarify thoughts, and hone in on what’s most important to you. It doesn’t take much to learn how to sit quietly for 15 minutes and to send all intruding thoughts away, as if they are drifting away in thought balloons.

Basically, to fire up your writing brain, all you need to meditate is a quiet place to sit for ten to twenty minutes. Start with ten and work your way up to twenty minutes; the more you meditate the more you’re likely to find those twenty minutes crucial to your sanity—and your writing focus.

Sit in a comfortable position. If you cross your legs to sit on the floor, perhaps place a pillow under your spine, or sit on a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
Close your eyes and purposefully slow your breathing, noticing your breaths as you gently and slowly draw air deep into your lungs (and down into your belly) and then slowly expel the air. If you prefer, you can also keep your eyes open and use an object as a “soft” focal point.
When your thoughts wander, bring them back to your breathing. If you like, you can use a ticking sound or soft music in the background to increase relaxation and improve focus—to keep your mind focused only on being fully present in your body.
If you like, you can softly chant or draw out the sound of “om,” noticing how the sound begins to resonate more deeply as your breathing slows. Some people like to use guided meditation, and you can find a wealth of options online (see “Resources” below).
As thoughts arise, gently dismiss them. Some imagine placing their thoughts in imaginary balloons and releasing them. Whatever works, use it to bring your “focus” back to your breath, to the focal point, to the sound of “om,” or to the guided meditation.
Continue meditating until your mind has quieted, your breathing is slow, regular, nourishing, and you feel relaxed.
When ready, slowly bring your consciousness back to the room. Some like to breathe in deeply and blow it out in a cleansing manner, shake their fingers and hands, open their eyes, or place their hands together in a prayerful way.

While it may feel like you haven’t accomplished much, meditating actually provides amazing benefits for your brain. You are training your brain to detach from distracting thoughts and emotions, to let them come and go without latching onto them. This training will help you transition from the demands of your daily life to achieving the mind-set to write.

Resources: Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC) at UCLA offers a selection of audio files you can listen to or download at marc.ucla.edu. Audio CDs and digital downloads on everything from qigong to Taoist to Kabbalah meditations; Tibetan, Buddhist, Vipassana, and Zen practices; and guided meditations from teachers such as Pema Chödrön, Jack Kornfield, Thich Nhat Hanh, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and many others can be found at soundstrue.com.

Happy Writing!