You’ve probably read the same tips I have: Have a smart phone? Check Facebook while standing in line at the post office! Respond to Twitter messages while waiting for your dentist! Catch up on your news feed while sitting on the pot! For years, I thought the path to increased productivity was to squeeze in MORE–more reading, more writing, more education, more promotion, more everything.

Add in all the great podcasts, webinars, online classes, and audiobooks available–not to mention the fact that most Kindle devices will read your digital book aloud for you–and it’s easy to be more productive. Simply fill all those open, unused spaces in our lives with educational audio. You can listen during your commute, while exercising, or while doing chores. The only limit is your imagination! Sounds great, right?…

…except that what these tips don’t mention is the hidden price you pay for filling up your mindless moments. You might be getting more done, but in the process, you’re probably also sabotaging your most important, most creative work.

You may be sabotaging your creative process by trying to “get more done.”

A Wandering Mind Is a Creative Mind

Have you ever noticed that some of your best ideas come to you when you’re in the shower? That’s because the shower provides you with a safe, relaxing environment where you don’t have to concentrate very hard.

Safety + Relaxation -> Your alpha brain waves (important for creative thinking) increase. Your inner critic takes a nap; your brain starts playing with wild and crazy connections, and coming up with creative solutions.

Pro Tip: When you fill your spare moments with podcasts and audiobooks and other information-packed audio, you take away opportunities for your brain to wander into that relaxed state where free association is more likely to occur.

Boredom Encourages Creative Connections

Perhaps, though, you’re easily bored. It’s not just that you’re trying to learn more and be more productive; you want to avoid thumb-twiddling and time-wasting.

If that’s the case, it’s time to increase your boredom tolerance. Recent research shows that boredom in the workplace may increase creativity by providing the opportunity to daydream.

Pro Tip: If you combat boredom by focusing on email, webinars, reading and other “productive” activities, you switch your brain from its wandering, creative mode back to focused, attentive mode–and creativity suffers.

Stressed Brains Aren’t Creative Brains

According to John Medina, author of Brain Rules,

Stress damages virtually every kind of cognition that exists. It damages memory and executive function. It can hurt your motor skills. When you are stressed out over a long period of time it disrupts your immune response. You get sicker more often. It disrupts your ability to sleep. You get depressed.” — Brain Rules website, Brain Rule #8

Remember how alpha brain waves encourage creativity? You see them when you’re relaxed, daydreaming, or practicing meditation. A stressed brain produces beta waves, a “fast” type of brain wave that occurs when you’re focused, solving a problem, or making a decision. 

Pro Tip: If you want to be more creative, don’t increase stress by packing every spare moment with things that require focus and attention.

Increased productivity is a fabulous goal–unless it interferes with getting your most important, most creative, work done. What do you think? Do you fill up your free moments with all those wonderful podcasts, audiobooks, recorded class sessions, or other great information sources? How do you strike a balance and make sure you have enough “down time” to nurture creativity?

Sources

Henry, A. Why Great Ideas Always Come in the Shower (and How to Harness Them). Lifehacker website.

Cheryl K. Stress and Brain Waves. American Nutrition Association website.

British Psychological Society. Being bored at work may make us more creative. ScienceDaily website.

Bergland, C. Alpha Brain Waves Boost Creativity and Reduce Depression. Psychology Today website.

Herrmann, N. What is the function of the various brainwaves? Scientific American website.

Novotney, A. The science of creativity. American Psychological Association website.

The post The Hidden Price of Increased Productivity Every Creative Needs to Know appeared first on Cheryl Reif Writes.

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If you haven’t already read it, it takes a deep dive into Tip #1 – Reframe Writing as Playing. You’ll also hear a bit about how perfectionism has held me back from some types of writing (cough**picture books**cough) for waaaaaay too long.

Go take a look, then return here for tips 2 through 4!

Tip #2: Remove Artificial Constraints

If you’re feeling stuck, it often helps to broaden your definition of what counts as “writing.”

• Don’t feel like writing the next scene? Feel free to skip around in the narrative.
• Not sure where your story is going? Try writing about your writing — journaling about the writing process.
• Consider making lists to help you brainstorm. For example, list
  • Actions your character might take
  • Words that elicit a specific mood
  • Potential rhymes to serve as reference when stringing words together
• Or simply select an intriguing entry from your idea log and start freewriting!

Tip #3: Create Artificial Limits

Paradoxically, imposing limits on yourself can sometimes be just as freeing as removing them. For me, limiting the amount of time I’m “allowed” to work on my project builds a sense of excitement and anticipation. Other limits you might consider include:

• Limiting the scope of what you’re tackling in a particular work session
• Limiting your writing to a select few writing exercises

Tip #4: End With a Relaxing Break

It’s important to build some type of relaxing break into your schedule shortly after you finish your anti-perfectionism writing session. This serves two purposes.

First, you need to reward yourself. But I’m a grown up, you’re thinking. I don’t need a gold star!

Actually, you do need a gold star. Your “rational self” may be a grown-up, but you’re trying to coax out a more childlike part of your psyche when you write–and that’s the part of your brain that responds well to positive reinforcement. Reward yourself now, and your muse will be more likely to come out and play next time.

The habit of recognizing and lavishly rewarding success is one of your strongest techniques for overcoming perfectionism.” — Hillary Rettig, in The Seven Secrets of the Prolific: the Definitive Guide to Overcoming Procrastination, Perfectionism, and Writers Block

The second reason for taking a break? By doing so, you prime your mind for inspiration. When you’re relaxed, perhaps a bit zoned out, your subconscious continues playing with ideas. Invite those “ah-ha!” moments by creating space for relaxation and mind-wandering in your schedule.

Did you find this post helpful? Click here to download your FREE PDF of tips for sidestepping perfectionism. Learn to give perfectionism the slip in YOUR writing life–and get rolling on your work-in-progress!

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I'm delighted to share (with DY's permission!) my Sketchnotes from the fabulous author/illustrator Dan Yaccarino. Dan  spoke about the journey from inspiration to publication at the Rocky Mountain chapter of SCBWI a few weeks back.

In this talk, he explained the difference between a protagonist and an antagonist in the world of picture books. He also covered a wealth of information on what makes a good story for young people...I wish I could transport you all back with me, so you could witness his enthusiasm and energy first-hand! Since I still lack those magical time-travel powers (alas), hopefully a little bit of Dan-style inspiration will come through these notes. Enjoy!  

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Although I do fine during the planning and conceptualization phases, perfectionism kicks in as soon as I actually start to try to write the text. My inner critic gets a front row seat, where she can peer over my shoulder, megaphone in hand, and shout warnings at me. “That rhyme is boring!” “The rhythm’s shaky!” “Your word choice isn’t original or evocative!” –and so on and so on.

If I slip up and give her any attention at all, my inner critic starts in on the big picture criticisms. Your story concept is unoriginal—you’re not really a picture book writer—you freeze up when you try to write poetry—so why are you wasting time here?

But I figured out how to sidestep my inner critic and her megaphone. I don’t try to shut her out or argue or contradict her — I just smile and nod and keep on writing, because none of the criticisms actually apply. You see, I’m writing in pretty colors on unlined paper, which isn’t really writing. And I’m not writing a PICTURE BOOK; I’m simply playing with words, creating long lists and fitting together lines like so many puzzle pieces.

Besides, half the time I’m “working” in my PJs, curled up in bed with a cup of hot chai. How serious can it be?

By using this technique, and limiting the amount of time I’m “allowed” to work on my story, I’ve made it so that my mind can’t stop playing around with ideas. Phrases pop into my head while I’m walking the dog or relaxing in the hot tub. And despite two days when a virus pretty much knocked me out of commission, I’ve drafted half the story in the past week. Is it perfect? No! But it’s a solid start, the sort I might be able to revise into something actually worth submitting someday.

Does perfectionism get in your way when you’re trying to write?

It’s tempting to tackle perfectionism head on. We become self-analytical, searching for cognitive distortions and, when we find them, arguing about them with our perfectionistic alter egos.

I think that this sort of self-analysis and deep thinking can be helpful—but it can also create an unwanted distraction that prevents you from writing.

After all, if you’re journaling about cognitive distortions, black-and-white thinking, and unrealistic expectations, you’re not writing your story. If the “goal” of perfectionism is to avoid criticism or rejection, then doesn’t that mean perfectionism wins?

The unwritten story can’t be rejected…but it can’t be read, either.

Sometimes the most effective way to deal with perfectionism is simply to sidestep its spotlight–so you can get on with writing. I’ve put together four tips I’ve found particularly helpful. Tip #1 is below, and I’ll post the remaining three next week. Try them on for size and see if you can’t get your inner critic to turn her attention elsewhere!

Tip #1: Reframe Writing as Playing

Reframing how you think about your writing can help you banish expectations. If you’re just playing around, there’s no reason to worry about what you produce or how good it is, right?

This is one of the best ways I know to silence your inner critic.

I help myself view writing as playing by changing up things like where, when, and how I write. I pull out clean sheets of bright white paper and brightly colored markers. I create a comfy, relaxed space to create, surrounded by dogs on the bed or sofa.

Here are a few ideas for how to recapture that mindset:

1. Write at an unusual time.
2. Write in a different location.
3. Wear different clothes.
4. Surround yourself with objects that inspire or make you remember childhood.
5. Write using different tools, especially tools that encourage whimsy and delight.

For you, playtime might look entirely different. Your goal is to recapture a child’s pure delight in creation–you know, that feeling you had in elementary school when you made up stories for your own pleasure with no thought of trying to gain anyone else’s approval.

Take a few minutes to daydream what “writing play” might look like for you!

Did you find this post helpful? Subscribers can access the full list of tips right away!
Click here to download your FREE PDF of tips to help YOU sidestep perfectionism and get rolling on your work-in-progress!

PS–I’m testing a new plugin for delivering subscriber bonuses, so please let me know if there are any hiccups along the way!

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With the holiday weekend, I’m taking a break from blogging this week…but don’t worry! I’ve got a great post that will probably be new to most of you. Check out this post over at the Wild Writers, where I blog with my critique group.

There should be a support group…

…for perfectionist writers. We’d all start off by introducing ourselves: “My name is Cheryl, and I’m a perfectionist” and then go on to share our stories of identifying, struggling against, and, perhaps, overcoming perfectionism.

I like this idea because perfectionists have a surprising number of traits in common with addicts.

• We’re good at denying we have a problem
• We often misdiagnose the problem (eg, thinking we’re lazy or disorganized)

Perhaps most important, perfectionists and addicts share many of the same cognitive distortions.
Head on over to the Wild Writers blog to learn more about perfectionism–and how to keep it from holding you back as a writer!

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But did you know that you can make your writing interactive without adding digital bells and whistles? This post takes a look at five weird and wonderful ways that you can bring interactivity to your writing. Enjoy!

Technique #1: Repetition, Rhyme, and Rhythm

As any parent of small children knows, little kids love to listen to the same story over and over and over. Many picture book authors use elements such as rhyme and repetition to connect with their young audience. Little kids love the opportunity to recognize patterns and join in on the “chorus”.

Bill Martin‘s classic children’s book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, provides a great example. The question “Brown bear, Brown Bear, what do you see?” is repeated throughout the story, with modifications for each new animal and each new color. The repetition encourages young readers to join in for each question and answer.

2. Provide an Activity

Authors can encourage readers to interact with the story by including activities that complement the text. That’s what Steve (the Dirtmeister) Tomecek does with several  “Try This!” sidebars in his new title Dirtmeister’s Nitty Gritty Planet Earth. The simple experiments demonstrate key concepts in the book. They’re also lots of fun, like the “Layers of Time” experiment–in which readers create a science experiment they can eat!

Author/illustrator Roxie Munro invites younger readers to help delivery vehicles find their way through eleven intricately drawn mazes in her picture book Market Maze. Each illustrated spread also includes hidden objects for readers to find.

3. Talk Directly to the Reader

Mo Willems’ classic Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus begins with the bus driver speaking directly to readers.

“Hi! I’m the bus driver. Listen, I’ve got to leave for a little while, so can you watch things for me until I get back? Thanks. Oh, and remember: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!”.

In the next spread, the pigeon arrives on the scene… and proceeds to try to talk the reader into letting him (of course!) drive the bus.

What better way to delight young readers than to invite them to tell a story character “no!”

B. J. Novak similarly invites reader participation in his hilarious read-aloud, The Book with No Pictures. It begins:

“You might think a book with no pictures seems boring and serious. Except . . . here’s how books work. Everything written on the page has to be said by the person reading it aloud. Even if the words say . . .

“BLORK. Or BLUURF.

“Even if the words are a preposterous song about eating ants for breakfast, or just a list of astonishingly goofy sounds like BLAGGITY BLAGGITY and GLIBBITY GLOBBITY.”

As the text becomes more and more ridiculous, the author encourages the child–who’s presumably listening to the story–to make sure the adult reader is actually saying all those crazy words!

4. Provide a Puzzle.

Kids love to figure things out for themselves, so you can practically guarantee reader engagement by giving them a puzzle to solve. That’s what Heather L. Montgomery does when writing about the wildly striped psychedelic frogfish in her book Wild Discoveries: Wacky New Animals.

Just like you are the only person with your FINGERPRINT pattern, each frogfish has its own set of stripes. If the fish to the left committed a crime… Could you pick it out of this lineup?”

She doesn’t underestimate her readers, either. This is no easy puzzle to solve!

5. Ask Questions.

Alice Jablonsky’s 101 Questions About Desert Life is written as a list of questions and answers. Its format encourages the reader to page through and find her own question rather than reading the book from start to finish—especially because many of the questions sound like they arose directly from a school classroom!

Heather Montgomery also invites readers to think like a scientist by sharing unanswered questions with them. For example, when she introduces the giant stick insect known as Chan’s Megastick, she asks readers,

Are these facts true for Chan’s megastick? Since ONLY THREE have been found so far, we’ll have to wait to find out!”

Interactivity Encourages Readers to Engage

You can use interactive elements to help illustrate a tricky concept; to spark questions and discussion; or simply invite kids to play in your story world. Whatever type of interactivity you bring to your writing, though, it can help you get–and keep!–your readers’ attention.

So what are you waiting for? Give it a try!

The post 5 Weird Ways to Delight Your Readers with Interactivity appeared first on Cheryl Reif Writes.

That’s because my iPhone is smaller, almost always charged (and easy to recharge on the go), and almost always with me. Its size means it’s much easier to haul my iPhone with me hiking or backpacking than a full-size camera. On top of that, I can stow it easily in a pocket for quick access; the digital SLR usually takes me at least a few extra seconds to get out and ready to shoot photos, longer if I’ve stowed it in my camera bag.

Those extra seconds often mean the difference between getting that great shot and missing it.

Since my iPhone is almost always with me and powered up, I take far more pictures with it than I would with the full-size camera–and for a non-professional photographer like me, quantity is usually the key to getting a few great shots!

Of course, it’s not always easy getting great photos and videos with an iPhone. I’ve put together this list of the best links and resources to help you take better shots with your smart phone. It may not be a digital SLR, but it may still be the best camera for you.

The best camera is the one you have with you!

The iPhone Photography School

The iPhone Photography School offers lots of great posts and tutorials on how to take effective photos with your iPhone. Some of my favorite posts for writers (and others who *aren’t* professional photographers) include:

• 7 Essential Design Elements For Creating Striking iPhone Photos
• How To Use Color More Effectively In Your iPhone Photos
• How Michal Koralewski Creates Incredible iPhone Photos

FiLMiC Pro Website

One of my go-to iPhone apps for shooting video is FiLMiC Pro. This little app offers a ton more flexibility than the native iPhone video function, including options to shoot stop-motion or slow-motion footage. This app isn’t free, but at $7.99, it won’t break the bank, either.

Best of all, you’ll find a TON of great–and free!–tutorials on the FiLMiC Pro website. It’s a great resource for learning everything from basic composition principles to how to harness the full functionality of the FiLMiC Pro app.

Canva

If you’re familiar with Canva, it’s probably as a (free) tool for creating graphics for social media, flyers, book covers, and so on. It provides an intuitive interface for non-graphic designers to create professional-looking graphics.

Canva’s real strength, though, is their focus on teaching non-experts the basic principles of graphic design. Here are a few posts to check out that will help you think about color choices, composition, and what to do with those photos back at your computer:

• Design Elements & Principles
• Design Resources – Fabulous list of resources for colors, icons, images, backgrounds, fonts, and more
• 50 Beautifully Illustrated Graphics With Tips To Make You A Better Designer – this is worth perusing just to see some stunning examples of photos used in graphics
• 12 Common Image Formatting Mistakes To Avoid On Your Website

Canva also offers tutorials that teach both design principles and how to use their software:

• Color Relationships Tutorial
• Marrying Text and Images
• Enhancing Images
• Building a Brand Kit

Lynda.com

This subscription website offers tutorials in a wide range of software and apps. Although they aren’t cheap ($24.99/month for month-to-month billing or $19.99/month for yearly billing), they consistently offer the best online instruction I’ve found for business and design software. You can check out these courses during a 10-day free trial:

• iPhone Photography, from Shooting to Storytelling
• iPhone and iPad Photography with iOS 8
• Shooting with the iPhone 5s

(If you do decide to sign up with Lynda.com, you can help support my learning habit by doing so through my Lynda.com affiliate link:

Get 10 days of free unlimited access to lynda.com.)

Olloclip Mobile Phone Photo Lenses

I’ve tried several different iPhone lenses to try to improve my cell phone photography. The 4-IN-1 olloclip lens system for iPhone 5/5S (fisheye, wide-angle, and 2 macro lenses) is far and away the best. The fisheye and wide-angle lenses are just fun, but the macro lenses let me take close-up shots of insects, flowers, wood grain–anything that I think might interest my readers. These shots would be impossible without using some sort of macro lens.)

I’ve also tried out the olloclip telephoto lens for iPhone. It only gives you 2x magnification, which might not be worth it for most writers.  I’m happy with it, because it let me get several shots of the speedy lizards that hang out in Zion National Park that may possibly be high enough resolution to use in my current work-in-progress. I’m sure real wildlife photographers are having heart attacks at my words :), but it’s a great “intro” telephoto lens for the amateur iPhone photographer.

Note that I’ve linked to the iPhone 5/5S lenses (yes, I’m still an iPhone 5 holdout!) If you have an iPhone 6, you’ll want the olloclip telephoto lens for iPhone 6/6 Plus and the olloclip 4-in-1 Lens for iPhone 6 & 6 Plus.

(Disclosure: the olloclip links are Amazon affiliate links, which means purchasing through them will help support a young person’s college fund<grin>).

Kelly Purkey

If you’re counting, you might notice that this is #6 in the list. That’s because I have only a single link to recommend on designer Kelly Purkey’s website. Purkey’s tutorial on photo editing is so fabulous, though, that I had to add it to this list. In the linked post, she explains exactly how she edits photos on her phone using only 2 apps, VSCOcam and Snapseed…neither of which I’ve used. I guess I’ve got some homework!

• Tutorial: Editing Photos on Your Phone

Have I inspired you to try some smart phone photography on your next outing? If so, you’ll want to check out this month’s free download: 3 Super Simple Tricks to Make Your Writing Portable. It’s only available to newsletter subscribers, so sign up now! You’ll get immediate access to subscriber-only resources as well as monthly updates.

The post 5 Best Resources for Fabulous iPhone Photos & Videos appeared first on Cheryl Reif Writes.

Last week’s post highlighted ways your camera can help you become a better writer. Did you know that your camera–and the photos and videos you create with it–can also help you market your books ?

It’s not just that a well-placed photo can add visual interest to your web site, newsletter, or presentation, either (although adding visual interest is a definite bonus!) The right photos can help you tell the story of how a book came to be.

Why do you want to tell your book’s story? Internet marketing guru Terry Dean puts it perfectly:

OVERWHELM has become a constant in almost every market today. Your customers may say they want content, but they’re actually overwhelmed by all the voices, all the choices, and all the content that is already out there.

What they really want…is someone who they can plug into to guide them.

They want guidance and direction. And that requires not just more content, but also
persuasion.

And storytelling has been and always will be a major element in persuasion.”– Terry Dean, 7 Unique Ways to Create Money Making Emails…Even If You’re Not a Writer

You want to tell the story of your book because it will help readers understand why you wrote it. Telling your book’s story gives you a chance to show readers why you’re passionate about a topic. It also gives you a chance to connect with readers on a more personal level, as you show the steps that went into creating your book.

Think Ahead: What Story Do You Want to Tell?

When you’re ready to market your book, what story do you want to share with potential readers? What story will help them get excited about your book? What will make them curious to learn more? By thinking about these questions while you’re still working on the book, you can make sure you take the right shots during your writing journey. It won’t add much time now, but will save a lot of time later!

Not sure what kind of info will interest your audience? Read on! This infographic shows 5 ways that the photos you take now, long before you’re ready to sell your book, can help you tell an engaging story down the road, when you’re ready to go to market.

Your turn: What story do YOU want to tell about your current work-in-progress? Why? Do you want to help kids understand more about the scientific method? Do you want adult readers to gain a better understanding of a particular place or culture? Or maybe you simply want to spark curiosity and excitement! I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments.

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