How to set the creative mood

Livre looks out the open window in my home office. We both like to hear the birds.

I am no expert on this topic. In truth, I am looking for help from readers who might have better tips than I do to charge their brains and get the juices flowing. But right now I’m feeling it, so right now I’ll share what I did.

- Make good use of insomnia. At 2 a.m. this morning, my daughter had a bad dream and woke me up. I put her back to bed and she promptly fell asleep, but I was not so lucky. I stayed up for a couple of hours, thinking about what it must taste like (literally) when you are a 8-year-old hiding in the bushes at a class birthday party because you’re the only kid who did not bring a sack lunch. You are the only one not eating. But surely you have a taste in your mouth. Last night at 3 a.m., I decided the flavor of shame was a reddish brown. This morning, after I put my daughter on the bus and went back to bed for an hour, I woke up thinking the taste of shame, of “reddish-brown”, is akin to bakers chocolate. When you are a little kid and you beg your mom for a piece of the bakers chocolate, she indulges you so you won’t ask again. If you’re a 7-year-old hiding in the bushes because you didn’t bring a lunch, your mouth tastes like this – a longing for something good, but the inevitability that you are missing something.

- Eat breakfast. Mine was nothing fancy, but it was more than my usual plain tortilla. I had a blueberry muffin and a handful of red grapes, which I am still picking at. I also made a fresh pot of coffee. I am on cup No. 2.

- Go outside. It was pouring a mixture of ice and rain yesterday morning, so I didn’t go out. I regret that. This morning, it’s about 25 degrees warmer and it’s misting just enough to make you feel like you’ve just washed and dried your face. It feels fresh, not wet. I walked around my garden this morning with my first cup of coffee. I inspected all the tulips and daffodils that are just about to open, to make sure yesterday’s freeze did not harm them. It didn’t.

- Open the windows. I work in an office in the back of my house. I have a comfortable desk and chair with all the things I need. I also have a fantastic wall of windows whose blinds I rarely open because it puts a glare onto my computer screen. This morning, though, I’ve opened the blinds and cracked a window so I can feel outside even when I’m inside. I can hear the birds singing. I can see the blooms of the Cleveland pear. My cats like this too.

- Turn off the music. I know a lot of people say music inspires them, and it does me too. But NOT while I am trying to write. The lyrics definitely distract me and push me in directions that can often be way off point.

I’m a newspaper journalist by training, so naturally I love short, bullet pointed lists of tips and techniques. I don’t know if the list above will help you any, but I certainly plan to refer back to it when I’m stuck. And I’d love if you added to it, too, by leaving your own list in the comments box below.

Happy creating!