I’m a writer and so I follow a lot of blogs on writing. One topic that keeps popping up, is one that I always skip.
It’s how to boost your creativity.
I always have more ideas than I have time to execute. Seriously, I have been blogging for various blogs for years and I have never run out of topics. And I have more ideas for stories and fiction books than I could ever hope to write.
Of course I have wondered why I never seem to run out of ideas. And here’s what I think, my one simple trick to boost your creativity:
Read. Read a lot.
So far, I have read 30 books in 2014. That’s right, 30 books in three and a half months time. That’s not counting the ten or so books I started, but haven’t finished yet. Okay, so I’m a very fast reader, I admit. I’ve also let go of the notion that you’re supposed to read every word, or every sentence, or even every paragraph or chapter. Plus I simply quit books if they fail to capture my attention.
Reading has proven to be the single best creativity booster. I get so many new ideas from what I read! Ideas for blog posts, for books, for characters, for events, for whatever. Creativity will be sparked if you read, provided that you don’t always read the same type of materials. My preferred genre is commercial fiction (especially young adult, since that’s what I write as well) and in non fiction I read a lot of books on writing, youth ministry, (light) theology, leadership, and history. But my greatest inspiration grows from reading outside those genres.
Last weekend, I read two books on how to tell if people are lying. Fascinating stuff, completely new to me. I’ve also gotten two critically acclaimed graphic novels, Boxers & Saints. I never read that kind of thing, but I’m willing to give it a try. I’m also reading about EFT, about unconscious decision making, and about the addictive powers of salt, sugar, and fat.
I know it will boost my creativity.
My familiar genres are safe, and undoubtedly entertaining. But creativity happens when I go outside what’s comfortable and known, and embrace something new, challenging, scary even. I may not always like it, I sure don’t always agree with what I’m reading, but it sure pushes me to see things in a new light.
What have you read recently that boosted your creativity?
[Image via Patrick Gage via Compfight cc]
Bud Brown says
Thanks, Rachel.
I’d been in a bit of a slump lately. Then I read “Less Than A Minute To Go: The Secret to World-Class Performance in Sport, Business and Everyday Life”; it cranked me up. A lot of ideas related to my ministry focus came out of that book.
Reading is the writer’s lifeblood.
Rachel Blom says
Thanks for the tip! I love reading books like that, because they trigger so much in your brain. Way more than books in your own field, is my experience most of the time.
Eric Dye says
There are some great blogs that are worth reading to get your creativity peaked, too — while not books. Like they say … great readers make great writers. 🙂
Rachel Blom says
Absolutely, I have at least 50 blogs in my blog roll and a lot of them have nothing to do with youth ministry. And yes, I don’t think you can write well without reading well!