Top 10 Techniques for Developing and Utilizing Creative Energy in Writing

An untrained mind will eventually gravitate towards 'paths of least resistance' polarizing toward laziness if allowed. But creative-jet-lag can be arrested! Opt instead for strategies of optimal energy that will revitalize a stagnate and uncreative mind!

Techniques for developing maximized creative energy:

1. If you're used to getting 8 hours sleep, try setting your alarm to wake up in 6 hours. This little bit of sleep deprivation will act to stimulate your thinking processes and amplify energy by boosting your adrenaline levels.

2. Drink a large coffee with hot-chocolate powder added. This will serve to infuse a measure of caffeine into your system for that extra shot of zest.

3. A glass of fruit juice or two will also boost your sugar levels and feed your energy needs, but you may want to drink this a half-hour or so before or after the coffee to avoid any digestive problems. A bagel or slice of whole-grain toast will also suffice.

Tips for utilizing creative energy to the max:

4. Always carry your voice recorder or pen and paper to capture that flash of inspiration immediately before your mind takes a dive down another rabbit hole.

5. Don't use the spell-check function until completely finished with the article or thought, unless of course the word or idea isn't coherent without it, because you don't want to flush trash down your internal fuel-pump, thus inhibiting the flow of creative juice. Do this by removing all the distractions in your life: turn off your phone, TV, or radio; call your BFF ahead of time and ask for a couple hours reprieve from any phone calls or texting; retire to a comfortable area where you can rest peacefully, without actually falling asleep. You may have to design your own happy-place for this purpose.

6. Same applies for pausing to think of that perfect word that will complete your Pulitzer Prize winning article. You can use the thesaurus, or "A Cure for the Common Word" book which I'll cover a little later, once the idea is clinched. It is vitally important to keep the idea-stream flowing as long as the energy holds out, because a sugar/adrenaline crash is inevitable. But hopefully by then you'll have fully realized your idea's potential in it's entirety.

7. Shy away from 'downers' like Tylenol-PM, pain medicine, etc. which might make you drowsy, thus undermining the brain's power-plant, in it's capacity to generate energy.

8. It might help to jump-start your day by taking the dog for an early morning jog around the block; to pump-up your blood-oxygen ratio, oxygenating every cell and organ, priming the pump for peak performance. But, a word of caution here: try not to burn up your energy reserves no matter how long your Eveready dog wants to run. Remember: the goal is to magnify your inner-force's potential for creative writing.

9. Use meditation and visualization techniques to create an aura of inspiration within. There are a plethora of sources on the web, in the library, or at your local book store for achieving the perfect frame of mind through meditating-clear the stressors, anger, and frustrations of life, and visualizing the perfect climate for writing. This in itself can be a resplendent wellspring for the verve and vigor we seek, both flushing and priming the mind for excellence. The Holy Bible says "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Jesus used to slip away from the crowd from time to time, to recuperate and recharge His earthly body, by praying-a form of meditation-to Abba Father for knowledge, wisdom and guidance. How do you think He kept-up the endurance needed for His mission here on earth? Jesus said "I have meat to eat that ye know not of", speaking of the spiritual food He dined on daily; as an example for us to follow. Check this out for yourself by navigating to The Blue Letter Bible and do a search on the words used above. You might even find something eternally satisfying there.

10. Continue to buttress your physical and virtual libraries. One resource that specifically comes to mind is "A cure for the common word", by K. D. Sullivan, an indispensable guide for 'curing' worn-out words within a composition. You could call it a thesaurus with arms and legs, "listing the most relevant and/or powerful alternatives" (3) to otherwise weak-word choices; providing the symptoms, diagnosis and the cure. You will also want to peruse the following article written for exploring and storing online resources in a unique and practical way, thus bolstering your effectiveness as a creative and prolific writer. It can be found here: Creating a Dynamic Desktop with Endless Writing Resources.

Thus concludes a useful primer on ways to develop and use your innate demiurgic vitality for living an inspired life, and of course, on making and using creative energy in writing. Hopes are that through the principle of 'giving more than you receive', or 'going the extra mile' in Bible-speak, you have indeed been imparted with useful knowledge.

Sources: K. D. Sullivan, "A Cure for the common word", published by McGraw-Hill, 2008.

All Bible quotations are from the KJV, unless otherwise noted.